Eclipse lighting... - Aquarium Advice

adamatic · 07-05-2005, 05:34 PM

Does anyone know if I can upgrade the bulbs on an Eclipse hood? Must I resign myself to a tank with low-light plants? I've seen conflicting information all over about retrofits and bulbs but I just can't get a clear picture of what options I have...

Milan · 07-05-2005, 05:43 PM

How big is the tank, and how long is the stock fixture?

adamatic · 07-05-2005, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milan

How big is the tank, and how long is the stock fixture?

25 [acronym:d6fb7cc746="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:d6fb7cc746] with 2x18" 15W bulbs
29 [acronym:d6fb7cc746="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:d6fb7cc746] with 2x24" 18W bulbs

Milan · 07-05-2005, 06:39 PM

Of course you are not stuck with low lights .... I had that Eclipse canopy on my 29 g tank, and found that the best solution for me price/hassle vise was to replace the canopy with a glass top and then you can put on the top of it whatever you wish.

1. Purchased plastic hinge and back-masking strip from a [acronym:82ab7971fa="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:82ab7971fa] ($15 canadian)
2. Had a glass shop to cut two pieces of glass (dirt cheap)
3. Purchased a Coralife 24"/65W compact fluorescent ($100 canadian)

The bigest advantage of this setup is flexibility to put on the top of it whatever you wish and find convenient. In my case, now I can combine the old and new fixture giving me 20, 65, and 85W options.

greenmaji · 07-05-2005, 10:58 PM

You can replace the ballast to the lights and rewire a bigger electronic ballast for the lights.. check out the 29 gallon ODNO thread..

Milan · 07-06-2005, 01:19 AM

Quote:

You can replace the ballast to the lights and rewire a bigger electronic ballast for the lights ...

Believe me Greenmagi, I went through all that thought process ... It's not worth. First, there is the heat dissipation problem, since the old fixture boxes are not meant to stand more heat (coolong fans, perhaps?), then there is hunting for the right ballast (for how much?), then where is the reflector, how is all that going to fit together, ... time, frustration ...

The setup above cost me ~$120 canadian. How much is the retrofit, ballast ...? How much time are you going to kill to make it working and look decent? How much is your hour worth?

greenmaji · 07-06-2005, 09:22 PM

My hours for a [acronym:404d81654e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:404d81654e] project that intrests me are pretty close to free so take that into account.. (I like making stuff its just another hobby for me).
I wouldnt be able to tell you exactly what you need to do because I have never had one of these eclipse hoods (they were brand new when I last bought a tank and I bought a considerably bigger tank! [acronym:404d81654e="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:404d81654e])..
It depends on how many bulbs are in the hood and how much more light you need to get out of them.. If you need 50% more light you can get those ballasts at the hardware store for $7.50 US if you need 75-100% more light thats were the heat comes in and the more difficult it is to find a ballast.. big hardware stores have them for $40 US and you really do need to know what your looking for..

If you need 50% more light then the ballast would be rated to fire 2 - F32T8 bulbs (in other words two of any T-8 bulbs from 12" to 48", this ballst will also fire T-12's and a single 55watt [acronym:404d81654e="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:404d81654e] bulb) all for $7.50 US!

If you need 75-100% more light the ballast is twice as powerfull its rated for 4-F32T8 bulbs.. and twice as many of all of the above stated bulbs.. this ballast is a little harder to find (you need a big hardware store or a commercial lighting supply company near by) it is $40 US at the big hardware stores and $20 at commercial lighting supply retailers.. with the larger ballast comes a cooling project..

The rewiring takes 20 min. or less if your keeping the same bulbs in the same configuration that there in.... If you want to try this I have good information on the subjet.. and wiring the ballast remotely is an option to get it way from your eclips hood.. it could be done through the power cord to the current light if the cord only powers the light.. I dont know how they are wired..
doesnt the eclips hood already have a reflector? you dont have to change the reflectors out..
the ODNO project is more complicated then converting a eclips hood.. the eclips hood already has 2 bulbs in it.. his lightstrip only had one 24watt T-12 bulb... the eclips hood already has 2 T-8 bulbs that can just be rewired.. if you want high light you would need at least 3X(+75%) but 2X(+50%) would give you almost 2wpg that would be nice for a non-[acronym:404d81654e="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:404d81654e] injected medium light tank.. and they are still cool at 2X heat really isnt an issue.. you could always install fans if you want to this would be good for the stock fixture though..[acronym:404d81654e="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:404d81654e]

greenmaji · 07-06-2005, 09:48 PM

by the way.. if anyone reading this wants to get rid of there eclips hood because it doesnt give you enough light for live plants and you dont want to try to over drive it.. just pm me.. Im intrested in ODing one of these for myself..

Actually I have 2 or 3 tanks that could use the smaller ones.. 5 and 10 gallon but i might be getting a 29 here soon.

07-08-2005, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milan

Quote:

You can replace the ballast to the lights and rewire a bigger electronic ballast for the lights ...

Believe me Greenmagi, I went through all that thought process ... It's not worth. First, there is the heat dissipation problem, since the old fixture boxes are not meant to stand more heat (coolong fans, perhaps?), then there is hunting for the right ballast (for how much?), then where is the reflector, how is all that going to fit together, ... time, frustration ...

The setup above cost me ~$120 canadian. How much is the retrofit, ballast ...? How much time are you going to kill to make it working and look decent? How much is your hour worth?

This doesn't make sense to me, all the filtration for the Eclipse is in the hood, why would you toss all that out and buy a cheap glass hood instead? At least add in the cost of a new filter into your price calculations.

malkore · 07-08-2005, 02:01 PM

Tony,

I didn't see where anyone recommended scraping the hood and getting a glass top...? However all this 'self contained in the Eclipse hood' stuff is exactly why I'll never ever own an Eclipse. Proprietary equipment always equates to 'extra expensive' when it doesn't need to be. Plus, I know what filters, heaters, light kits I like, an none of them would fit in an Eclipse hood.

Milan,
It really boils down to whether you love to build stuff and would enjoy the [acronym:770919dd4e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:770919dd4e] project, or whether you simply want a functional hood with proper lighting with minimal time spent...I think that's what greenmagi was getting at.

I'm somewhere in the middle...I value my personal time at $150...so unless I feel competant in the [acronym:770919dd4e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:770919dd4e] project, I'm likely to get something off a store shelf instead. 3 of my light fixtures are [acronym:770919dd4e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:770919dd4e], 3 are factory made.

07-05-2005, 05:34 PM	#1
adamatic Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 55	Eclipse lighting... Does anyone know if I can upgrade the bulbs on an Eclipse hood? Must I resign myself to a tank with low-light plants? I've seen conflicting information all over about retrofits and bulbs but I just can't get a clear picture of what options I have...

07-08-2005, 02:01 PM	#10
malkore Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Nebraska, USA Posts: 6,540	Tony, I didn't see where anyone recommended scraping the hood and getting a glass top...? However all this 'self contained in the Eclipse hood' stuff is exactly why I'll never ever own an Eclipse. Proprietary equipment always equates to 'extra expensive' when it doesn't need to be. Plus, I know what filters, heaters, light kits I like, an none of them would fit in an Eclipse hood. Milan, It really boils down to whether you love to build stuff and would enjoy the [acronym:770919dd4e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:770919dd4e] project, or whether you simply want a functional hood with proper lighting with minimal time spent...I think that's what greenmagi was getting at. I'm somewhere in the middle...I value my personal time at $150...so unless I feel competant in the [acronym:770919dd4e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:770919dd4e] project, I'm likely to get something off a store shelf instead. 3 of my light fixtures are [acronym:770919dd4e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:770919dd4e], 3 are factory made. __________________ Visit my aquarium pages - see specs on my tanks, and photos of how they've evolved My other passion: TheNinja 500R - updated 9/18/05

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07-05-2005, 05:43 PM	#2
Milan Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 62 Images: 2	How big is the tank, and how long is the stock fixture?

07-05-2005, 06:39 PM	#4
Milan Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 62 Images: 2	Of course you are not stuck with low lights .... I had that Eclipse canopy on my 29 g tank, and found that the best solution for me price/hassle vise was to replace the canopy with a glass top and then you can put on the top of it whatever you wish. 1. Purchased plastic hinge and back-masking strip from a [acronym:82ab7971fa="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:82ab7971fa] ($15 canadian) 2. Had a glass shop to cut two pieces of glass (dirt cheap) 3. Purchased a Coralife 24"/65W compact fluorescent ($100 canadian) The bigest advantage of this setup is flexibility to put on the top of it whatever you wish and find convenient. In my case, now I can combine the old and new fixture giving me 20, 65, and 85W options.

07-05-2005, 10:58 PM	#5
greenmaji Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 5,937	You can replace the ballast to the lights and rewire a bigger electronic ballast for the lights.. check out the 29 gallon ODNO thread..

07-06-2005, 09:22 PM	#7
greenmaji Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 5,937	My hours for a [acronym:404d81654e="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:404d81654e] project that intrests me are pretty close to free so take that into account.. (I like making stuff its just another hobby for me). I wouldnt be able to tell you exactly what you need to do because I have never had one of these eclipse hoods (they were brand new when I last bought a tank and I bought a considerably bigger tank! [acronym:404d81654e="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:404d81654e]).. It depends on how many bulbs are in the hood and how much more light you need to get out of them.. If you need 50% more light you can get those ballasts at the hardware store for $7.50 US if you need 75-100% more light thats were the heat comes in and the more difficult it is to find a ballast.. big hardware stores have them for $40 US and you really do need to know what your looking for.. If you need 50% more light then the ballast would be rated to fire 2 - F32T8 bulbs (in other words two of any T-8 bulbs from 12" to 48", this ballst will also fire T-12's and a single 55watt [acronym:404d81654e="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:404d81654e] bulb) all for $7.50 US! If you need 75-100% more light the ballast is twice as powerfull its rated for 4-F32T8 bulbs.. and twice as many of all of the above stated bulbs.. this ballast is a little harder to find (you need a big hardware store or a commercial lighting supply company near by) it is $40 US at the big hardware stores and $20 at commercial lighting supply retailers.. with the larger ballast comes a cooling project.. The rewiring takes 20 min. or less if your keeping the same bulbs in the same configuration that there in.... If you want to try this I have good information on the subjet.. and wiring the ballast remotely is an option to get it way from your eclips hood.. it could be done through the power cord to the current light if the cord only powers the light.. I dont know how they are wired.. doesnt the eclips hood already have a reflector? you dont have to change the reflectors out.. the ODNO project is more complicated then converting a eclips hood.. the eclips hood already has 2 bulbs in it.. his lightstrip only had one 24watt T-12 bulb... the eclips hood already has 2 T-8 bulbs that can just be rewired.. if you want high light you would need at least 3X(+75%) but 2X(+50%) would give you almost 2wpg that would be nice for a non-[acronym:404d81654e="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:404d81654e] injected medium light tank.. and they are still cool at 2X heat really isnt an issue.. you could always install fans if you want to this would be good for the stock fixture though..[acronym:404d81654e="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:404d81654e]

07-06-2005, 09:48 PM	#8
greenmaji Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: May 2005 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 5,937	by the way.. if anyone reading this wants to get rid of there eclips hood because it doesnt give you enough light for live plants and you dont want to try to over drive it.. just pm me.. Im intrested in ODing one of these for myself.. Actually I have 2 or 3 tanks that could use the smaller ones.. 5 and 10 gallon but i might be getting a 29 here soon.