fluval edge 5.5g upgrade lighting?

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bobsaget

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Feb 19, 2011
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so i know some of our fellow hobbyists due some crazy awesome upgrades to their tank. i would love to upgrade my lighting on my first gen fluval edge. but i am not inclined to start digging into electrical componets and retrofitting things. is there a cheapish way and easy way to upgrade the lighting on this tank? like a swap or something?

i was looking at these: http://www.amazon.com/Ledwholesalers-Brightest-Angle-Lumen-1113WH/dp/B002L2AIIE is this a "plug-n-play" sort of thing? any other ideas to make the lighting more appealing, and yes..maybe even grow some low light plants?
 

vwill279

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Oct 7, 2011
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Real Name
Vanessa
The only issue with those light bulbs is that they are NOT water safe and the condensation and splashback from the filter will destroy them quickly. Even when I used 3 coats of clearcoat to cover the bulb's face they only lasted me around 4 months each and the light, while bright, was still concentrated only in the center. If you want to grow plants throughout the tank, you will probably have to invest in an additional light mod. I bought cord wall channel and used self adhesive strip LED's to make an additional light around the cover. The only issue with it is you need to cut and solder the LED strips together, so if you dont have a soldering iron, you'd need to find someone else who does. The extra lighting, all told, cost me about $40 in parts but my boyfriend had the soldering iron and wire and knew how to use it.

If you just want brighter lighting for your fish and are not trying to grow plants, you can look into waterproof MR16 LED bulbs. You can find some here: http://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-Landscape-Glass-Lense-Equivalent/dp/B00GUOXLRY at only $7 per bulb. However, I would seriously recommend ditching the MR16 light fixture and buying one of the new LED fluval edge fixtures. More expensive in the short term, but way better. Definitely brighter and dont need any extra lighting mod if you're not going planted. Plants would even work in the center of the tank with this light. I know my old 6 gal fluval edge had the MR16 light and the whole thing corroded and shorted out after only 2 years. You might even be able to find a used LED fluval edge tank for cheap on Craigslist and either swap out the lights and resell the new tank, or just use the new tank and sell your old one.
 
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