I'll go check out some fish stores next time I go out. So I notice on my 10 gal, the front of the hood opens up, and there is as glass panel where the light sits over it and it just kind of locks in place. If you get a glass top, are they pretty standard as far as lights fitting in place, or do they just lay on top of it wherever there is room?
Wanting to upgrade my 10 gallon tank
- Thread starter jm667
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depends on what fixtures you get. They can lay on top... some have feet that will latch onto the sidewalls of the tank. Both my T5HO fixtures I have just lying on top of the glass top, with a 4" computer fan (the AC version) running across the surface to keep things cool.
Hey fort,
I have decided that since I am building my own stand, I may as wel build a canopy too. According to what I have read in the forums, I can just put regular shop flourescent fixtures in there that I can pick up pretty cheap form the hardware store, and then I should have plenty of light. I think I might even get the larger tank now too (either the 40 or maybe even 50 gal with the 36 x 18 footprint). Since I will be building the most expensive parts, this should be pretty affordable. I will need the plants to grow big to fill up all that space!
I have decided that since I am building my own stand, I may as wel build a canopy too. According to what I have read in the forums, I can just put regular shop flourescent fixtures in there that I can pick up pretty cheap form the hardware store, and then I should have plenty of light. I think I might even get the larger tank now too (either the 40 or maybe even 50 gal with the 36 x 18 footprint). Since I will be building the most expensive parts, this should be pretty affordable. I will need the plants to grow big to fill up all that space!
jm667, certainly you can build your own. Just make sure you get something that will provide sufficient light output, and light in the proper spectrum and color temp. T-8 fixtures are popular for DIY lighting setups because they are cheap and easy to install. Just keep in mind what you want to grow, and make sure you add enough lights to make up for that.
Thanks for the tip, fort. It is not necessary to get T-8 fixtures that are made specially for aquariums, right? I can just get some kind of shop light that holds those and get the right kind of bulbs to match the spectrum and color temp?
Ok I'll go check them out next time I go to Home Depot. I don't remember if shop lights come in 36" lengths or not, but if not I guess I'd have to get 24". And then as someone mentioned in another forum, I suppose you can just leave these exposed lights above open water without anything protecting them. Do you recommend getting a glass top to put on top of the tank, then this canopy over that? Or if I get shop lights with a plastic cover over them will that work? Or maybe even put a glass or plexiglass panel below the lights which will be mounted on the underside of the hood. I hope I'm not driving you nuts yet with all these questions! I appreciate your help.
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