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Wierd DIY lighting/hood question, need some guidance.

4377 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  UNV_Rasta
What I need: Hardware and wiring guidance to rig the following to a single power cord: 2x15 watt T8 tubes (18 inches long) and 1x40 watt incandescent or halogen bulb. What electonic ballast do I order, and how do I wire it up? Any special warnings? If you really want to show off, you can include a light timer and blue "moonlight" LED into the wiring guidance such that all the white lights are on for 12 hours and the moonlight is on the opposite schedule.

Why: I'm expirimenting with growing some plants in my wife's baby turtle tank. They can be pretty destructive, but so far they are ignoring several plant types, so long as these plants are positioned away from their favorite play position (exit of the HOB filter). I need more than the single 15 watt Repti-Sun 5.0 T8 light for the plants, but I need to retain this bulb for the turtles (high UVB concentration = D3 formulation for shell growth). I also need to retain the incandescent or halogen for the basking spot.

What I already have: Slimline single bulb strip light with a Repti-Sun 5.0 15 watt T8 (18 inches). 40 watt halogen desk lamp.

Other options: Yes, there exist some already made combo hoods that would be almost perfect, but they are expensive. Looking for a DIY wiring option.
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