DIY idea for light fixture

[dr_girlfriend]

I'm trying to get decent lighting for my 90 gallon without spending a :butt: load. I saw a 2x110 watt T-12 fixture for $50 at lowes and was thinking of somehow incorporating it into a diy hood. The only problem is, is that my tank is 76" and the light is 96". I looked around and couldn't find anything comparable with the wattage in a smaller size. So, do you think it would look crappy having it hang out a foot on each side? Or any ideas on how to "mask" it into looking better? Or does anyone know of any other ways to get comparable wattage for cheap? TIA

 

[jsoong]

Personally I think it would be butt ugly to have light s hanging out that much, plus you are losing 1/4 or the light.

You can try 3 - 2x36 T12 shoplights - here in Canada, Canadian tires has them for about 20 each (HD about 35). The ones I've seen are fairly narrow (about 4") so you can prob fit 3 into the canopy. They are 48" long so you'll need to stagger them for more even coverage.

Failing that, you can try a mix of 4' T12 & 2' T8 (have never seen 2' T12).

Also check out PC kits from www.ahsupply.com - they are suprisingly affordable.

 

[dr_girlfriend]

yeah, I think it would probably look pretty bad too. I'll look around for the 2x36 48" fixtures. Actually just 2 would work for about 2.4 wpg. Maybe get a single tube 36 watt for a third? I don't remember if they had them or not, I'll double check. (Probably a canada only thing with my luck) As for ah supply, it would cost just as much to buy whole light fixtures new for the size and wattage I need.
Thanks for the suggestions!