Hood retrofit

[tcyiu]

I picked up a free hood from someone who posted it on Craigslist.

It is a really nicely made, heavy gauge anodized aluminum hood. This thing is really sturdy. It was custom fit to an aquarium which apparently cracked and was discarded.

There are a couple of things wrong with this hood which is why the owner gave it away.

1. The tank and hood have proprietary dimensions. Meaning the hood will require some modication for it to to fit another tank.

2. But more importantly, the electrical stuff is all made for a 220V system so it cannot be used in the USA without a converter which I don't want to use because of the efficiency loss.

So this last weekend, I finally had a chance to rip everything out to begin a retro fit of the lighting system. I looked around for parts to create a new 110V T8 system. I am not looking to do a planted aquarium so the lighting is not going to be super important for me. My main oibjective was to keep the costs within reason, since this was a "free" hood after all.

After shopping around, if I used discrete parts from Home Depot, I would have needed 2x ballasts ($35 ea), 8 tombstones/endcaps ($1 ea), and 4 lamps (4x $6). Approx $100 (before tax).

If I get the fancy water proof end caps from aquaria websites, I'm looking at an additional 4x $16 (+ S&H).

But then I chanced on these undercabinet fluorescent strips at Walmart:

http://www.esplighting.com/fluoresce...et-lights.html

(item number is 7020)

There is a "Grow Light" version for plants too. Not clear what the color temp is for either.

Anyhow, I bought one just to check it out. I like what I see. It is not heavy at all - I think it has an electronic ballast. It turns on instantaneously with no flicker. And best of all, it was only $8 ea.

With 4 of the time, I'm only out $40 (tax included)

These are really cost effective and I can bolt these into my hood very easily.

The downsides are:
1. I will need to think about water proofing them a bit.
2. Whereas the original fixture had 2x 2ft and 2x 3ft, if I were to use these fixtures, I would end up with 4x 2ft. I basically lose 2 linear feet of lighting. But I don't mind since I am not doing a planted aquarium.

Has anyone used used these before? Can anyone see anything I should be concerned about?

Thanks,
Tim

[phidelt85]

Good find, Tim. I haven't used these particular fixtures but for the price I may pick them up to install in my racks. What size bulbs are they? I would presume 24" T8s. I would check home depot you may be able to pick up replacement bulbs in the 6700K color temp not just for plants but the fish look better when it's time to replace.

Honestly, I don't know how much you have to worry about waterproofing. I have a standard shoplight over my 55 for over a year with no problems or signs of corrossion. Then again the light is about 8" over the water not right on top of the glass.

[tcyiu]

Good find, Tim. I haven't used these particular fixtures but for the price I may pick them up to install in my racks.

It was pure luck. I was at Walmart for something else. The link I included is obviously not Walmart. But Walmart's website did not include this item.

What size bulbs are they? I would presume 24" T8s.

Yup. 2ft T8. 17 watts each.

I would check home depot you may be able to pick up replacement bulbs in the 6700K color temp not just for plants but the fish look better when it's time to replace.

Thanks. I'll do that.

Honestly, I don't know how much you have to worry about waterproofing. I have a standard shoplight over my 55 for over a year with no problems or signs of corrossion. Then again the light is about 8" over the water not right on top of the glass.

Depending on where exactly I drill the overflow, the water level could be 4-6 inches away. My discus get frisky and splash the surface once in a while so I would want some sort of shielding.

Tim

[phidelt85]

Depending on where exactly I drill the overflow, the water level could be 4-6 inches away. My discus get frisky and splash the surface once in a while so I would want some sort of shielding.

Better safe than sorry. My lights over a 10" oscar who does like to hit the surface hard during feeding time.