Troy McClure

I have two 10gal planted tanks in my living room/dining room and would like to replace one of them with an ADA 45cm tank. I have all the CO2, substrate and hardscape worked out in my head, but lighting has been tricky. The tank that will most likely be replaced has a 2x13W AHS kit over it and that seems to do pretty well, but I want something more. I posted a thread in the DIY section about possibly using the halogen light out of an old overhead projector, but the inefficiency of such a fixture takes it out of contention. ADA makes a mini light for their Mini S and Mini M, but not the Mini L (45cm.) Nobody seems to make a light that will fit over this tank, so I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hand. Here's what I'm thinknig about doing:

4x13W AHS lights in a custom suspended fixture.

The tank is roughly 18"L x 10.5"W x 12"H, just a shade under 10gals. The reflectors on the AHS kits are 8"L x 3"W, so I was thinking I can put four bulbs into a suspended fixture that is about 16"L x 9"W x 2"H. I can run two bulbs for eight hours and the other two for the middle four hours.

Is this too much light? Would 3x13W be better?

The dimensions of the 13W bulbs work out perfectly. My only concern is that building a suspended wood canopy is not the way to go. Sure, I could make it seamless and use a gloss/semi-gloss paint, but I want something more refined and sleek, like a metal housing. Any ideas of how I can achieve this? I thought I could find something like a metal dish or container that I could re-task into being the canopy (like a 16x9 caserole dish, LOL), but I wouldn't know where to start. Any ideas?

Troy McClure

Nothing, huh?

I think the ADA Solar Light is going to be my model for design.
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While I'm not skilled in working metal, I think bpimm's PVC light fixture will be the best route to go. I'll stop at Home Depot later today to check out the thicknesses of the different PVC diameters and go from there. The ballasts will need to be separate from the lights. I'm still undecided about how to suspend the lights, whether I want two arms overhead or just one in the center. With the right PVC fittings and enough Bondo, I might be able to make some decent suspension arms. My other option was square or U-shaped aluminum pipe.

John N.

I think you're on the right track of a suspended fixture, especially following bpimm's design. I always wonder if using a light weight sheet metal similar to a rain gutter, or an AC duct that you can find at HD. Making a metalic enclosure out of that seems like a good idea, and easily spray paintable and acheivable.

Maybe getting a 24" Coralife 65 watt and finding a way to add hangers to it would pan out well too. Also, Craig's DIY Pendant is a neat idea that would work too.

In terms of lighting amount, I have a 36 watt AH light over my 10 gallon, so I think you want to be shooting around there if you want to grow most any plant you want. 4x13 watts should do the trick.

-John N.

Troy McClure

Yeah, I guess I do have a lot of options as long as I'm willing to building something. Speaking of Craig, the other Craig (WolfenxXx) has a really nice curved DIY pendant that I think would be very easy to build. Only problem is it's about 20* right now so woodworking and painting isn't much of an option until things warm up or I can get to a shop.

John - what's the distance between the bulb and surface?

John N.

Burr, that's cold weather! Distance between my 36w bulb and the water is about 3 inches.

-John N.