Jump to content

Build Your Own Fish Tank Light?


tukituki

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 82
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Started on it last night. Ripped apart an old set of rimu drawers, to make the hood and base. The energy saver fluros have a bunch of diffrent Watts from like 10 to 24, whats best? also some say cool light, day light and warm light. So I'm guessing someone can tell me which is ideal? fingers crossed anyways

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Started on it last night. Ripped apart an old set of rimu drawers, to make the hood and base. The energy saver fluros have a bunch of diffrent Watts from like 10 to 24, whats best? also some say cool light, day light and warm light. So I'm guessing someone can tell me which is ideal? fingers crossed anyways

Cheers

Highest wattage you can get. Though, the 100ish watt ones would probably be overkill.

They aren't cool light or warm light, they're cool white and warm white. Cool white looks best unless you get the really cheap ones with horrible color rendering. Had one in my bathroom for a little while. Was kinda cool, made it look like something out of a horror movie, all washed out...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool daylight is what you're after, 6500k. Cool white is 4000k(ish) and warm white is around 2500k.

Was kinda cool, made it look like something out of a horror movie, all washed out...

I have two Cool Daylight in my room and one regular, I reckon it's wicked and want to replace the regular too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sweet cool daylight it is. I didn't see any 100watt ones? the highest was 24 watt (that i could see) and they start getting abit bulky in size, Ill get 2x 24 watt cool daylights today then and start sanding the rimu for a coat of poly.

The 24w of light is as intense as the 100w bulb they were designed to replace. 2x 24watt is supposed to be equivalent to 100w of incandescent light so you're sweet as.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool daylight is what you're after, 6500k. Cool white is 4000k(ish) and warm white is around 2500k.

I have two Cool Daylight in my room and one regular, I reckon it's wicked and want to replace the regular too.

Cool white is usually around 6500k.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:-? I purchased 2x cool white tubes rated 4100k and 2x cool daylight tubes rated 6500k, maybe Philips has it wrong.

I imagine the cool/warm/daylight/white is completely unstandardised. You can even get differences between bulbs of the same kelvin due to the different spectrum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll check tomorrow, basically I should just be getting whatever is rated at 6500k? From memory its 420mmx280mmx280mm, which means that it’s actually only about 30l?

This is kinda like a test run so I’m comfortable with making a bigger one. Real simple design, no fancy stuff. However it does look quite chunky lol the tank is so small and the rimu is 30ml. Not sure if you know, but ripping 30ml rimu with a skilly is pretty impossible, so next time I might look at some 20ml custom board and just give it a few coats of acrylic to seal it (I have a few of the same sized tanks, used to be in my racks in the fishroom). Is also far more forgiving and easy to work with than rimu, you just don’t get that classy timber finish though.

So would two bulbs for that size tank be overkill? I just want heaps of light so I can grow anything, I’ve never been able to keep anything fancier than crypts, cabomba etc

Cheers

LB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They ran out of the cheaper ones (blue and red box) in bayonet so I had to get Philips. Much brighter, definitely worth the extra $2. 6500k is spot on, look for Cool Daylight (Blue strip?) on the front of their box.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers Sam, so are two 24 watt bulbs going to be too much? I want to grow plants not algae?

I've got some old JBL vert balls I never used that I was going to put in the substrate and I made an old school DIY Co2 bottle thingy mabob, but for the life of me I cant find my little nano diffuser anywhere, nor did I see any at the pet stores down here,

Anyone know where I can purchase one of these? Its a little glass jobby with a white diffuser disk, makes tiny tiny little bubbles, works great I found, better than running the co2 threw a impeller or bubble stone.

Cheers LB

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm thinking one will be sufficient for low-medium tech setup e.g, low-med lighting, unfertilized substrate, possibly DIY or excel. But two would mean you'd need fertilized substrate, heavy CO2 and liquid ferts to keep algae at bay. I'd by two, use only one at the start and build it up.

HTH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm thinking one will be sufficient for low-medium tech setup e.g, low-med lighting, unfertilized substrate, possibly DIY or excel. But two would mean you'd need fertilized substrate, heavy CO2 and liquid ferts to keep algae at bay. I'd by two, use only one at the start and build it up.

HTH

:hail:

Well done Sam. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...