DIY Spiral Compact Fluorescent Fixture - Page 3 - DIY Aquarium Projects

dawntwister · 05-12-2008, 11:27 PM

I want to do something similar to what guaiac_boy did for my 29 gallon tank with 4 bulbs. Just 4 bulbs for now, for I have a light strip made by lights of America that I am going to put a Philips daylight bulb in. The stip will go behind the line of 4 bulbs. I am uncertain about the wiring. I would like some more info about the wiring.

Bk828 · 05-22-2008, 08:39 AM

very nice, nothing beats a diy

BryceM · 05-22-2008, 01:43 PM

Thanks.

For an update, this fixture is still going strong and the tank it is over is incredibly stable. The bulbs are lasting about a year on average. Not too bad. I certainly don't see any reason to upgrade or replace this.

rangersnoopy24201 · 05-22-2008, 03:01 PM

walmart has liquid electrical tape, find it in the automotive section by the regular tape. use it to cover screws near water

newbie314 · 05-22-2008, 05:56 PM

Or use Nylon Screws.

junior10476 · 05-22-2008, 09:52 PM

Looks really good ,the cover just needs to be sanded a little and the corner's rounded off smoothed out and filled to give it a finished look . But it really looks good and a real good idea starter I am going to do my 30gal like that this weekend thanks for the idea

BryceM · 05-23-2008, 06:02 AM

No! It needs to be sanded a lot. This project was done quickly and my goal was only for functionality. If I did it again I'd use a better quality hardwood, make it with a precise fit, and sand and finish it to bring out the natural grain & color of the wood. As it is, the roughness of the fixture really isn't that noticiable. The flash on the camera brought out details that you don't see in real life. The light from the aquarium overwhelms the dark coloration of the box.

Patchworks · 12-20-2008, 05:08 AM

Question, did you hook all your light fixtures up to one cord? I'm doing something simliar but don't know how many light fixture can be on 1 cord?

Ideally, I would probably like to stager the bulbs on 2 cords so I could do a sunrise/sunset stage.

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BryceM · 12-20-2008, 01:54 PM

Yes, just hook them up in parallel. You could probably use up to 500 or 1000 watts through a single cord, depending on the gauge of wire you use. At 26 watts per bulb, that's certainly way more than you'd need.

It would be very simple to run 2 or even more separate circuits. It's all in how you wire it.

Patchworks · 12-20-2008, 02:20 PM

BryceM,

How many lights would you think I would need for a 150 Gallon tank?

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