View Full Version : lighting questions
hello, i was looking to upgrade my lighting, is there any way to DIY? like can i get some stuff at home depot? and hang it over the tank? thanks!
blitzen25bm
01-01-2004, 2:52 PM
you going with live plants? i used a shop light before.
wow ur purdy.. anyways i dont think i really understand the basics of plants and lights, i always thought there were special "sun lamps" that recreate sunlight. but i guess its just watts that matter, not type of light??? is there a link to explain this?
blitzen25bm
01-03-2004, 1:13 AM
umm yea. thats keira knightley. heres a link that was in the other post. http://www.aquabotanic.com/lightcompare.htm i just go with watts and color temps. i dont really know too much because i just do java moss and java fern, and some of the other lower light plants.
jeffro426
01-03-2004, 11:01 AM
If your going to put it over your 30 gallon tank i would suggest a 3 foot dual light fixture(i.e. shop light)...that will give you 60 watts of lighting and 2 watts per gallon which is more than enough to grow a wide variety of plants. Look around at home depot, or lowes, you should be able to pick a fixture up for under 10 bucks and the lights are 5-7 bucks each. You can go this way for pretty cheap(probably no more than 25 dollars and then either make or buy a hood) or, you can go the more expensive route and get power compacts...they are nice, but the bulbs are quite expesive as are the fixtures.
blitzen25bm
01-03-2004, 10:20 PM
yea thats what i did. it gets a little hot under a canopy though.
how do you set them on the tank? it seems it would rest on teh bulbs?
jeffro426
01-08-2004, 10:06 PM
Inside my canopy i made 2 brackets that hold each end of the fixtures up about 4-5 inches off the top of the tank ...keeps any heat from the lights away from the tank. I use a small AC fan to push out the hot air that builds within the canopy...you can get them at radio shack or just about any electical supply store. Just make sure whatever you do that its sturdy, you dont want your lights falling in your tank and possibly frying your fish!
125gJoe
01-10-2004, 12:06 PM
You have a Home Depot over there?
wel its called haus depot, but yes, well anyways i got the thing, it looked horrid, and my parents immediatly scolded me to take it down and return it.. oh well haha