I built it myself!

[Blinky]

Hi guys :D
I'm very happy tonight. A while ago I bought an inexpensive two-bulb fluorescent fixture at Home Depot, not realizing the one on the wall and the one in the box weren't exactly the same thing. When I got it home, I realized I'd need not only a reflector/cover, but also wiring and a plug! I was bummed out, thinking there was absolutely no way I could do it. Then I decided that just because I hadn't done it before, didn't mean I couldn't do it now.
I got some white coated shelf board cut to size, screws, glue, the wiring, and I did it! I wired the light (soooo easy), put the cord on, made a box from the boards, installed the fixture, and it works! I didn't install a switch because the light will be on a timer, so it doesn't really need one.
I just wanted to say to anyone who's unsure of doing a small project themselves - if I can do it, you can too. The guys at HD seemed to think that a woman couldn't do this, and I doubted myself, but it's on the tank, it works, and while it's not the prettiest thing (it's just a white box) it's mostly hidden behind my PC fixture and will eventually be installed in a hood (plan to make it myself) so I'm not worried about it - the important thing was to get some more light on the tank ASAP for the plants.
:D

[Dwarfnut]

Congrats! Where are the pictures?

One thing I have found out over the years is that custom/increased lighting for plants usualy means a DIY hood or canopy if you are going with DIY lighting!

I have ended up making most of the lids/hoods on my tanks so I could add the DIY lighting I came up with... have also made most of the stands.

You can do it if you just try.

Good luck,
Bill C.

[Swimfins]

Sounds good. I'm tired of those cheap aquarium kits that come with the crappy hood and miserable lighting. I'm gonna get my tank and do it my (or your ) way :bowing:

Blinky my hero.

[Remmy]

could you go into a little bit more detail about the wiring?
i looked at some fixtures and they have a little plastic part with 3 screw ins where you put in the wires, a positive negative and ground i imagine
is it simply a matter of stripping a cable with a plug on the end, and wiring the cable wires into the fixture??
oh and, does the DIY reflector work ok? im pretty much looking to do what you did, a custom hood with DIY lighting, and dont really want to fork out $$bling$$ for a reflector
another thing, does wood need to be treated against moisture if its going to be above the tank

[beviking]

Congrats Blinky! You're a female? Don't know why, I always assume everyone is male (unless they have a cartoon character as an avatar!).
When/if I go to Home Depot, I look for the females to ask for help b/c I know they know their stuff. (No, it has nothing to do with the fact that most of them are good looking!)
If you're interested, somewhere in the Tank pics link below you will find detailed plans for the hood I made. Oh, here it is... http://community.webshots.com/photo/66733948/67041321sRbRzB
I originally made it so the shop light would fit, metal housing and all but since I went planted, I just pulled the endcaps out of the fixture and secured them to the frame. This involves a little more wiring since I placed the ballasts under the stand but I could fit 8 bulbs in the hood...I only need 4.

Hey Remmy, flat white paint on wood reflects light well enough. So if you made a basic box hood, painted the interior white and installed lights, you'd be good to go. As long as you have a glass lid on the tank, you won't have to worry about moisture. Especially if you paint the interior. I used KILZ primer.
HTH
Bill E.

[Blinky]

could you go into a little bit more detail about the wiring?
i looked at some fixtures and they have a little plastic part with 3 screw ins where you put in the wires, a positive negative and ground i imagine
is it simply a matter of stripping a cable with a plug on the end, and wiring the cable wires into the fixture??
oh and, does the DIY reflector work ok? im pretty much looking to do what you did, a custom hood with DIY lighting, and dont really want to fork out $$bling$$ for a reflector
another thing, does wood need to be treated against moisture if its going to be above the tank

You're basically describing the wiring I did. I stripped the cable end and twisted the wires together with the black and white wire coming from the ballast. You can just attach them using the plastic things (don't know what they're called) that are designed for this - they're orange, look like a small marker lid with copper threads inside, and you twist them onto the wire to secure the ends together. There was a teeny diagram on the ballast of how to hook the ballast and end caps up, and the cable was sort of a no-brainer :)
The box I built seems to work pretty well - I'm sure it's not as good as a factory built light, but the entire thing including glue, screws, board and having it cut to size cost less than $20CDN - all together with the two-tube fixture it was less than $50 after taxes, so I'll take it for now :D
I got white coated boards because I read it's the best colour for reflecting light.
beviking - thanks for the link! I'm always happy to learn more DIY stuff; I'm turning into a DIY nut! And yep, all girl ;)
Swimfins - :laugh: Thanks for the giggle! You may want to wait till you see a picture of this monstrosity before you decide to make one - like I said, it's not the most aesthetically pleasing thing and I'm only okay with it because the area behind the tank is white so it sort of blends in, and it's mostly hidden behind the PC fixture.

I've taken some pictures, I'll get them into the computer and post later on tonight

[Blinky]

Okay gang, here are some photos. I didn't take the box off the tank - it's quite heavy and awkward and it's turned on right now, so it was easier to just take pics of the top. It's really nothing more than you see - just a box made of three boards with small pieces over the ends (they're actually smaller than they should have been, but I wasn't going to argue with the HD man, he was giving me the cuts for free ;)). The fluorescent fixture is screwed to the underside of the top board.

This is the right side of the box from two angles:
http://webhome.idirect.com/~cuwvdhif/Amy/forum65a.jpg

http://webhome.idirect.com/~cuwvdhif/Amy/forum65b.jpg

As you see, it's pretty hidden when you look from the front (it actually sticks up about 1" above the black fixture)
http://webhome.idirect.com/~cuwvdhif/Amy/forum65c.jpg

Here's the entire tank in it's nook. Forgive the look - I literally shoved the plants back into the tank when I was done setting up without worrying about how it looked; it was midnight. Tonight I'm going to prune and aquascape a bit. That's one of our cats, her name is Purrfect :)
http://webhome.idirect.com/~cuwvdhif/Amy/forum65d.jpg

[beviking]

[QUOTE=Blinky]... using the plastic things (don't know what they're called) that are designed for this - they're orange, look like a small marker lid with copper threads inside, and you twist them onto the wire to secure the ends together.
...this monstrosity before you decide to make one...
QUOTE]

Wire nuts is what they're called.

If you use a frame with smaller dimensional lumber (like 3/4"X3/4") and then use luan (luan plywood - which is very thin and light) for the outside, it would be much lighter. It takes a bit more time and precision, predrilling holes so as not to split the smaller framing material when screwing it together, making sure the frame is square when put together, but it's fun and not any harder to do. Plus, there's plenty of helpers here at AC! :)

[Blinky]

I'm thinking I will rebuild it - it was a case of getting something that was available and getting that light on the tank as quickly as I could, but now that it's on there I could take my time building another box and when it's been built, painted and dried it would just take a few minutes to transfer the fixture over. The wood I used only cost a few dollars, and it was a good 'trial run' so if I make a new one I wouldn't consider this effort a waste :D
Wire nuts... that's logical! ;)

[beviking]

You forgot to mention that it doesn't look that bad either! ;)

[Blinky]

Ugh! I'm losing my mind here! I'm not sure what's going on, the light is randomly turning itself on and off. No kidding. It will be on for a few hours, then turn off, and then after a few hours it'll turn on again.
I'm wondering if I have a flaky ballast, or if it's overheating (would that make it turn off?) or something else altogether. I took the cover off last night, checked the wires - they're tightly wound together, so I don't think that's the problem.
I can take it back, and I can build a new box if the fixture needs more room for air to circulate - it's no problem if that's what I need to do, but if it's something simple hopefully someone can tell me so I don't have to spend my Saturday at Home Depot just to have the same thing happen again.

[maaltan]

It sounds like the ballast is overheating in the florescent fixture. It overheats, shuts off to prevent fire whatever, cools down and comes back on.

Maybe you can try running it in a cool room set a fan up to blow through it or outside the box (if possible, I admit i skimmed over portions of your post :) ) . If it works then you need more ventalation.

Otherwise it might have been bad or has been perminantly damaged by the heat. I'm not a wiring expert im just repeating my own experiences. Running a shop light in a tiny lawn building in 100deg weather = same behavior.

[Blinky]

Thanks for the reply! I wasn't sure that a ballast had the capability of shutting off if it overheated - I thought it might be that, or it might just be 'flaky'. I'll devise a new box for it that's more open , and see if maybe I can sort out how to hook up a fan inside. More DIY, yippee! :D

[beviking]

You may want to try simply putting the ballast on the backside (outside) of the hood. You should have some vents for heat to escape for the bulbs too. They lose efficiency when they get hot...a cooler bulb runs more efficiently.

[Blinky]

This morning my hubby and I took the light apart, popped out the holes in the metal part that holds the ballast and end caps, drilled some large holes for heat to escape through the top of the box, and put it all back together. Now the heat from the ballast won't be trapped in the box, it's got lots of places to escape. There are additional holes in the wood directly over the ballast area, so if the metal between the ballast and wood heats up there's not so much wood there to trap the heat. I'm hoping that will do the trick, but we're prepared to do a minor construction project if it doesn't.
I did some research, and ballasts do have a switch inside that shuts them off if they overheat so that is indeed what's been going on.
I learn everything the hard way - I'll get it right eventually :D

[beviking]

...I learn everything the hard way...

I thought that was "a guy thing"...at least that's what my wife says...TOO often! :D

[Blinky]

*giggle* I don't think it's gender specific - it's just the way some of us learn :D
The light's working perfectly now that we've put holes in the lid. There's a piece of white metal between the bulbs and the wiring, so while the heat from the ballast above can escape, none of the light is lost. It's not the prettiest thing, sure looks homemade, but not bad for a first project. The next one's going to be a proper full hood, that should be fun :D

[gsk177]

Blinky, I know this is an old post, but perhaps if you haven't solved your overheating problem yet this may help.
Why not get a fan? I just bought a couple fans for my home theater system on Ebay. They are basically a larger computer fan type setup with a regular plug that plugs into the wall. It even has a sensor wire on it that automatically turns the fans on when the heat reaches a certain degree.
Type in aquarium fan in Ebay and you will see what Im talking about.

[crax]

Congrats on the DIY light fixture, it looks good. Ive built a few canopies in the past and I usually mount ballasts on the back.

[beviking]

Going along gsk177's idea, you could ask around copier/computer repair shops to see if they have any used fans. The copier repair guy came to our office and replaced the noisy fan in the copier and was going to junk the old one. A little spray grease (powder graphite would prob work too) and it was absolutely quiet. Put it in my hood after wiring it to an old cell phone adapter/charger/transformer (you know, the black sqaure box plug thing - yes, I like using jargon like that!) and it has worked beautifully! Never know if they might have some old "noisy" fans around.