[niko]

TexGal has a 6' long tank that used to have 2 Coralife fixtures with Power Compact bulbs in them. We made an ultra slim housing for five 80 watt Giesemann Midday T5HO. Each bulb has an individual reflector. They can be turned on/off separately (2 front bulbs, 2 middle, 1 back).

The fixture vents from the top - it's covered with fiberglass mesh that allows for excellent ventilation. There is a leg support that neatly folds back when not in use.

The fixture is attached to the plastic rim of the tank with custom made hinges. The ballasts are remote (inder the tank) so the housing is as light as possible. There are no ugly electric cords seen everywhere under the hood. On the left and right there are 2 square pieces of aluminum that cover the end of the reflectors and bulbs so there is very little light spill - mainly from the back where the filter pipes go into the tank.

We expect huge changes in this tank with that kind of light intensity and quality. To start look at the album with details about the fixture:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ddasega/Drinda

--Nikolay

 

[cs_gardener]

Wow, that new light system is bright! That looks like a premium setup, can't wait to see how the plants respond.

Great shot of the danio, love the brilliant color to him.

 

[fishman9809]

is there such a thing as a 12 inch light for a 30c that is hung and about 27-36 watts?

just a crazy thought

 

[Pioneer]

That is a very sharp lighting set up.

 

[Tex Gal]

In just 1.5 days since the light was installed the R. Macrandra and the R. Wallichi and R. Hippuris is sprouting new growth - at the tops and along the stems. It's amazing. I haven't seen growth this fast EVER!!! You can take a look in my thread here:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/large-aquariums-ponds/47782-125g-rescape-29.html

I can't thank Niko enough!! He is a real engineer, designer, and builder - all in a very pleasant, kind package!

 

[HoustonFishFanatic]

Niko, Great DIY fixture!

Bhushan

 

[hoppycalif]

That is a spectacular light fixture!

 

[mulita]

Wow. When you said ultra slim, you mean ultra slim...Great Job!! Do you have picture of the building? Super Job NIko.

 

[CrownMan]

It is a great looking light. Saw it in person in the back of his car. I was very impressed with the fiberglass mesh on top. That should really help with heat dissipation. Great build quality also.

 

[niko]

Mulita,

No I don't have pictures of how I built it. But it's so simple that I can't explain why it took me so long to finish it. The enire housing costs about $10.

Let me know if you are interested in details.

--Nikolay

 

[Scouter]

I know I would love to see some details! What's the housing made out of?
Thnks,
Scouter

 

[mulita]

Mulita,

No I don't have pictures of how I built it. But it's so simple that I can't explain why it took me so long to finish it. The enire housing costs about $10.

Let me know if you are interested in details.

--Nikolay

That's really cheap for the whole item. I interest to know how was it built. I am not needing one now , just curious. it really look nice.

 

[niko]

I know I would love to see some details! What's the housing made out of?
Thnks,
Scouter

Roof flashing - an L-shaped channel that you can find at any Home Depot/Lowe's.
Also inside there is a rectangular frame made of electric conduit - also at Home Depot/Lowe's.
The fiberglass mesh is a window screen that you can also find in HD/Lowe's. The frame for it is there too.

The rectangular frame is needed only if the tank is more than 4 ft. long. Drinda is 6' so it had to be there. It provides structural support.

If you have to make the rectangular frame imagine making a rectangle using 4 pipes. Then you make another rectangle using the L-shaped channel. Then you put rectangle 2 over the rectangle 1.

Here is another fixture that I made in a similar way:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ddasega/DaveS

Ask me more if I'm too unclear.

--Nikolay

 

[niko]

Mulita,

The price is indeed around $10 for the housing. But you end up paying more because you have to buy more material than you actually use. You know - you need 6 ft. of something but they sell it in rolls of 25' and so on.

--Nikolay

 

[stuckintexas]

niko! wow!

that puts my light to shame...

well, when i do the light for my 29G we will have to talk because i want to incorporate your hinge into the light.

texgal, thats a wonderful looking tank. nice danio.

 

[lildark185]

The light fixtures are truly amazing. What if all the wires from the light went into a cheap metal lock box and the plugs came out of the box, it'd simplify the cabinet under the tank. On TexGal's fixture, don't the hinges put a lot of stress on the frame of the tank when the lights are in an upright position?

 

[rekles75]

Great build I would like to try this on 2 55gal tanks.

 

[niko]

lildark185,

Drinda's tank has a lot of equipment in the stand. I didn't know if a box containing all 3 ballast will fit in there so I didn't buy a box. But in the past I have put a ballast in a box like the one you describe and it certainly makes things look more contained.

There is very little strain on the plastic frame when you open/close this big light fixture. I tested it many times on a thinner frame that gave in when touching with my fingers (55 gal. tank with the think black cheap frame). No issues whatsoever, I guess it's physics - a hinge movement doesn't produce much twist. Also big tanks like Drinda's have very thick plastic frame. As you may have seen from many posts that it's hell to remove the frame off a 10 gal. tank using knifes, plyers and a lot of effort. I can't imagine removing the frame off a tank like Drinda's.

Another thing is the overbuilt of American tanks. The glass is usually way thicker than it needs to be. I knew a LFS owner that literally stepped and stood on the edge of some of his tanks to service the tanks above them!

--Nikolay

 

[taekwondodo]

I put together a MH tanks using ballasts from ballastwise.com - I noticed that they have something very similar to the Advance ICN2S39 54 watt ballast... at half the price:

http://www.ballastwise.com/images/upload/Documents/DXE254HO5.pdf

Hmmm.... my diy itch is starting up again...

Now, If I can just figure out how to fit 4 of these (60" bulbs & Reflectors...) in with my 150W MHs...

 

[supersmirky]

That's amazing. I am guessing T5HO lights are better?? I currently have a setup like she used to have....PC lighting (6x96watts)