DIY CFL upgrade for 36 bowfront

[clb2196]

I told the story in another thread- my tank cracked, I needed a new one ASAP, and none of the ones available could handle the 2.4 WPGmy plants were used to.

So, I set out to upgrade the lights myself, with some help from people on here, and also generally following this article, except doubling it- which I still did for only $25!

Before pic (I mean really before, this was just after I stuck everything in there the first night. the aquascaping needs some help still!)

Equipment:

-4x 20 watt CFLs (75 watt replacement) - $10.98 (for all 4, not each!)
-1 tube 100% silicone - $3.94
-2x 6' double sides extension cord - $0.69 each
-4x socket adapters - 2.09 each
-electrical tape $0.82

Inside of the hood, with bulb removed

The wiring after taking off the fixture:

I unscrewed the caps, so the wiring in the fixture is intact. The cord I had to snip off, but it could easily be reattached. I detached the cords where they attach to the On/Off switch, also.

I siliconed aluminum foil to the inside for better reflection

I attached the bulbs to the adapters

Then attached 2 to each cord

I put the bulbs in the hood, the 2 sets next to each other were just about the perfect length.

I had been planning to use the electrical tape to hold it in, but that wasn't working. so I folded the tape in half, and ran it through the vents in the hood, and tied it on the outside. Seems to be working well.

And that's it! It doesn't sit completely flat with the cords, so I'll probably make some openings at some point, but it certainly works.

End result:

It seems a little warm so far, but not to the point I'm worried.

Comments? Suggestions? I haven't done much DIY, so I'll take whatever feed back I can get.

 

[Ace25]

May be acceptable for the FW world, but I would definately not suggest that in the SW side. Biggest worry would be salt creep would kill those sockets and wiring quickly. Next concern would be that it isn't the right spectrum of lighting for a reef tank and the bulbs get much too hot. You also loose a lot of the light coming off the bulbs from the spiral and the foil reflector. While the foil may help dispurse the light, it not doubt will actually cut the light output from certain wrinkles reflecting light places not pointing into the tank. For DIY quick and cheap reflector I would recommend foil tape or thick mylar and carefully glue that to the inside of the hood, using something like a credit card to get it smooth and even. I have a 10G tank with a light/hood that looks almost exactly like the one you made, and I put in 50/50 bulbs and made it a SW frag tank, it did not end well, salt ruined the light quickly, it was obviously made for FW.

As for your light.. zip ties to replace the tied electrical tape. Last thing you want is the bulbs falling down (I am assuming you have a top on that tank). Also, 3 prong/grounded extension cord on a GFCI outlet for the wiring.