lighting issue
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I often go for DIY stuff. Since my fish room is MINE, looks sometimes don't enter the question. How nice do you want it to look? I built these for cheap flexible lighting while I decided what I wanted and so far they are still in use.
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They are not meant to be pretty but they are cheap and easy as well as easy to move around to see what they do for lighting the tank. I used 6500K rated bulbs and temporary construction bulb holders mounted on cheap extention cords. Tie-wrap ties make it easy to mount somewhere if a box is not wanted. I've since built canopies which cover them so I've not changed them out. I have less than ten dollars in each setup if one does not count the bulb price. Bulbs can run 1.50 to 3.00.
They are not meant to be pretty but they are cheap and easy as well as easy to move around to see what they do for lighting the tank. I used 6500K rated bulbs and temporary construction bulb holders mounted on cheap extention cords. Tie-wrap ties make it easy to mount somewhere if a box is not wanted. I've since built canopies which cover them so I've not changed them out. I have less than ten dollars in each setup if one does not count the bulb price. Bulbs can run 1.50 to 3.00.
That'll make it easier to suggest something.
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You'd get a lot more out of those bulbs if you made a reflector for them...PfunMo said:I often go for DIY stuff. Since my fish room is MINE, looks sometimes don't enter the question. How nice do you want it to look? I built these for cheap flexible lighting while I decided what I wanted and so far they are still in use.
![]()
![]()
They are not meant to be pretty but they are cheap and easy as well as easy to move around to see what they do for lighting the tank. I used 6500K rated bulbs and temporary construction bulb holders mounted on cheap extention cords. Tie-wrap ties make it easy to mount somewhere if a box is not wanted. I've since built canopies which cover them so I've not changed them out. I have less than ten dollars in each setup if one does not count the bulb price. Bulbs can run 1.50 to 3.00.
CFL's are awesome though.. They will definitely grow.
That's one of the nice things about DIY. You can get what you want at the time rather than what the market sells. Those two lights are made for two different tanks. The first is for a planted 55 where four lights give me enough light to raise the plants I have. One end is planted more than the other and has more light. The white paint gives me enough. The second light is on a 75 where I have lots of wood and rock but no live plants. I wanted areas of light and dark. Being able to move them around on the cover works as I rearrange the tank. Some are clustered together and one is seperated. The fish tend to stay in the darker areas to spawn but when I want to see them, I put a light on their heads!
Lots more design work could make a very nice looking light but these were built for what I wanted at the time. Cheap, flexible and built with little time or trouble. Since I have about ten dollars in the fixture, I could throw them out without too much trauma to the finances.
Lots more design work could make a very nice looking light but these were built for what I wanted at the time. Cheap, flexible and built with little time or trouble. Since I have about ten dollars in the fixture, I could throw them out without too much trauma to the finances.
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