DIY Compact Fluorescent (CFL) Strip Light Retrofit

[CrazyAirborne]

how bout a pic of it on the tank?

Well this is on a vivarium, so not quite what you guys are all about

Mini forest

but the lighting worked out great, and i thought about putting 3 in there, but 2 is enuf for my application, and i didnt want it getting too hot in there. its going to house a Whites Tree Frog once I let it grow in a bit.

 

[BoredAgain]

Looks good.

 

[shadow_cruiser]

Just wanted to say thanks BoredAgain for the nice write-up. You saved me quite a bit of money and I'm now retrofitting all my tanks. I did things a little differently as I couldn't find some things here in Canada. In this video, you can see how bright the setup is on my 55 gallon (also some nice pearling). I used 8 x 13w 6500k's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOUUaxuZDlo

 

[BoredAgain]

Nice looking tank...plants look great.

 

[Ramphonic]

Just wanted to say thanks BoredAgain for the nice write-up. You saved me quite a bit of money and I'm now retrofitting all my tanks. I did things a little differently as I couldn't find some things here in Canada. In this video, you can see how bright the setup is on my 55 gallon (also some nice pearling). I used 8 x 13w 6500k's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOUUaxuZDlo

Wow you must have a good CO2 system

 

[AngeloG]

Sweet! Is there a lid on your tank?

 

[shadow_cruiser]

Nice looking tank...plants look great.

Last thing left is the moonlight. I didn't end up using an aluminum reflector as it's quite tight when everything is in.

Wow you must have a good CO2 system

I get too much growth actually. I'm giving away free plants left and right to local hobbyists every week. I'm using the pre made C02 setup from Rex Grigg

Sweet! Is there a lid on your tank?

It was open top when I had the T5. Now it's closed top with those black plastic hoods

 

[lake_tuna]

I'd like to know how you would attach the socket under the hood. Do the sockets come with mounting "fixture" or some kind? I have this 20" hood that I want to convert to one of these! TIA!

 

[BFrola]

Not to revive a super dead thread here, but i felt it necessary. This is an awesome writeup. Especially for those of us with freshwater tanks. This is exactly the type of supplimental build I'm looking for until I get enough cash gathered for my LED fixtures. I've been scouring the internets trying to find something just like this. Thanks to the OP and all those who provided pics of their setups. Now, is anyone still using these setups? And if so, what's the long term results here? Cause that's what this hobby is all about.