Need Some Ideas on DIY hood

[Justin83]

i just got a new used 36 gal and i want to build my own hood/ light and im not sure where to start i want to do medium lighting because i have some plants in my 10 gal already .. and i have been told that some may not do so great under the low light i have on already.. i was thinking ab out making a LED light but started looking at the cost and its just not possible yet... so im thinking about CFL s whats a good starting point any help is appriceated

thanks again
~Justin~

 

[mfdrookie516]

Have you looked at Big Jims DIY LED thread? He built his pretty cheap IIRC. How tall is that tank? Is it a bowfront or just an odd size?

 

[Justin83]

Just an odd size its about 48" long X 12" deep X 14" High.. and i think i found tops for it but i dont want to spend 60 or 70 bucks on a hood/light assembly.. no not a bow front just a rectangle

 

[Justin83]

i would like to add moon lights ( but are they necessary or just an aesthetic thing).. plus i would like the ability to add a timer on it so the light can be on the same schedule every day

 

[mfdrookie516]

With a tank that shallow, regular old T8's would probably do the trick. I kept several plants in a 55 which is almost twice as tall and all I had was an $8 shop light from walmart and two 'cool daylight' bulbs that were $3 each.

 

[Justin83]

how did you mount them to the tank??...
how did you Protect the lights from splashes??
how did you keep the possibility of the fish jumping out to a minimum??

 

[mfdrookie516]

I didn't. None of my tanks are covered, and they don't splash. If that's a concern, you could always get some glass lids

 

[Justin83]

did you hang the lights from the ceiling on long chain or string hows did you hold them above the tank??

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

does an open tank cause humidity with a mould risk in the room?

 

[Justin83]

it will cause the water in the tanks to evaporate faster and i suppose that it will cause some extra humidity in the room if the rooms ambient temperature is warmer but i dont see a a mold risk... mold is caused by the lack of air movement, warm temps, and high moisture... if you keep the room with the tank in it shut up all the time then i would venture to guess that mold/ mildew might be a problem.. but think of it like a indoor pool.. they haved HVAC units that keep the air moving and pools (most of the time) are pretty much mold free..