Help with making a DIY canopy....

[Lonewolfblue]

I went to Lowe's today and priced a bunch of stuff and have a few questions....

1. I was looking at the T-8's and T-12's. The T-8 4' bulbs are 32W and the T-12 4' bulbs are 40W. Which puts out more usable light for the plants? They are the GE F-32 and F-40 bulbs. The F-32's are 5000k and the F40's are either 6500k or 6700k, can't remember which.

2. I was looking at the electronic balasts, and it says to mount the balast about 1/2" from the grounded metal reflector. Any reason for that? I wasn't planning on using any metal reflector, the under side of the canopy is going to be polished mirrors, or I was hoping to use mirrors. But if I have to use metal reflectors, then I will.

3. I was also looking at the bulb holders, as well as the shop light units, and was debating on whether to use the shop light units, or just install holders inside the unit with the mirror top. Any comments on this?

When I get this project started, I'll have some pics. My plans are to build my own stand and canopy, so I can have a matching setup. I am looking at possibly doing it in cedar. It won't be the cedar you usually find in the bottom of drawers that's really red. It's more an off-white with some red in it, and lots of detail in the wood such as knots, etc. Will look nice. And structurally, I plan on using 2x6's for the main framing. So it will be structually very strong.

This is going to be for my 55G first. Then if I get through it ok, then I will plan on one for my 75G, and then my 29G. Then, if I get really crazy, I might sell the setup for the 75G after I create a Dual-75G unit. The lower will be close to the ground, set up with HOB filters, and the upper will be high light under the canopy, and fully planted. And it will have cabinets on both ends as well, for all my fish supplies, etc, as well as canister filter and inline heater and reactor, as well as ph controller if I decide to go back to using it. Also, the canister will be located on one side, and the CO2 bottle on the other side. Either 20lb or 25lb will fit, and completely enclosed. But that's my plans. Gonna try and go as cheap as I can, using wall paneling on the outside of the framework. Real wood, not fake.

Then, if I go and get my 300G wide, will build my own stand and canopy for it as well. Will probably use 4x4's for the structure on it. But this is down the road, no rush now, as I lost my fire eels. So I got more time now.

[MSU Fan]

I think that the biggest advantage of T-8s over T-12s is the size. You would be able to fit more T-8s over that 55g than T12's, and probably make up the difference in wattage. I would probably be concerned with the 5000k bulbs in T-8 - although you could probably find something in a higher Kelvin number if you wanted.

I haven't heard of a need to mount a ballast in that orientation, so I don't believe it is an issue. Most of the people who have DIY'ed canopies don't even use a reflector of any sort, so I think you're ok to just mount it without any metal reflectors.

The shop light units really limit you for designing your canopy, plus you have to deal with mounting those inside the unit. If you just use the holders, you gain the extra space inside the canopy and it would be a little cleaner. I would use just the holders, IMO.

Your structural plans sound fine, and I can't wait to see some pics. Good Luck!

[frostby]

I built a canopy using 1x6's, with thin wooden shim type strips on the inside for a lip. And some angle brackes at just the right hight to have a drop in hinged cover. Very simple, and looks decent when stained. I also use a 4ft shop light with overdriven T8's 6500K(philips). Love it. The (el cheapo/home depot) shop light fits with maybe a 1/4 inch to spare inside the canopy. I removed the stock ballast and bought a 4x unit, mounted that to the outside of the shope light. Not pretty, but you can't see it inside the canopy.

Grounding the ballast within a 1/2 inch is basically for electrical safety of the light shroud. I can only imagine it has to do with the wire size of the provided ground wire - and to also discourage the mess of additional wiring. As long as you ground it 1/2 inch or 6 inches I cannot imagine it making a difference - especially because any unintended current STILL has to travel the length of the power cord in most cases.

One more thing... If you look at the lumens /lux etc, the T8 is considerably better than the 40W T12...

I don't have any pics in my gallery yet. Only pics from my 'algae days'

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by frostby

Grounding the ballast within a 1/2 inch is basically for electrical safety of the light shroud. I can only imagine it has to do with the wire size of the provided ground wire - and to also discourage the mess of additional wiring. As long as you ground it 1/2 inch or 6 inches I cannot imagine it making a difference - especially because any unintended current STILL has to travel the length of the power cord in most cases.

Now, if I get this correct, if I just use the holders mounted to the wood canopy, and just use a highly polished mirror behind the bulb, then I don't have anything to worry about because I'm not using a metal reflector, correct? I think I'm catching on. Just want to be sure. Since there's no metal, then there's nothing to worry about for grounding purposes, other than hooking the ballast up correctly and making sure the bulb holders are mounted securely.

[frostby]

You are correct. The ballast is grounded to the power cord. If you are not using a metal housing, there is no reason to attach a ground cord to anything.

[roka64]

I believe the Ts are best used with individual reflectors.

[squawkbert]

I too would vote for individual reflectors, or maybe double-wides at most. AH-Supply, for example, makes reflectors that do an excellent job of reflecting the light straight down into the tank. I think a mirrored canopy would light up the room, not just the tank (thus wasting light).

[Lonewolfblue]

I went to the AH Supply site, and they only have reflectors for CF bulbs, and the longest one is 34.5" for the 96W setup.

[roka64]

I did a google on T5 Reflectors and found some other sites, that might have different lengths...

[Ziggy953]

www.hellolights.com or diyreef.com

[Lonewolfblue]

Well, I looked at some of the reflectors, and they aren't really what I like. The ones that are 48" are flat with a 90 degree angle for the sides. I can easily do that with cut mirrors and have no metal, and actually have the sides angled rather than at a 90 degree angle for the sides, like maybe 45 degree angles. And can even do a more parabolic type reflector using mirrors. Wood is easy to cut, and would be easy to secure the mirrors as I like them. And getting the cut mirrors is probably cheaper than the almost $40.00 for the single 48" reflector. Either way, it's still in the thinking process, and can't wait to start drawing it up on paper.

Edit:
Here's other things I'll be doing as well....

I'm also looking at some assorted bulbs online as well. If I put in 4 bulbs, I'd like 2 to be either 5000k or 6500k-6700k, and the other 2 to be the 8000k bulbs used by other well known planted tank pros. Or even do a 5000k, a 6500k-6700k, a 8000k, and a 10000k. But since my first project will be the 55G, which I want to be under 2w/g, I'm only doing a 2 bulb canopy for it. The 75G will have either 6 or 8 bulbs. And 4 in my 29G. But one project at a time, lol.

As for the fans, it's going to have 3 very large, quiet fans, run off a DC Adapter. And I'll have vents in both the sides of the canopy for fresh air to flow into the canopy, as the fans are blowing the warm air up and out the top. And yes, the entire canopy is going to be sealed in a clear coat, as well as the stand. That way it will look nice, with a nice finish. Also, just above the front doors that will be installed for doing maintenance and feeding, I'll have a piece of glass mounted just above that so there's no chance of water being splashed up on the bulbs, ballast, etc.

As for hiding the trim on the tank, I'm going to make the framework of the stand and canopy so it's the exact same dimensions as the tank top and bottom. Then when I install the side paneling, it will be installed so that all the trim on the tank is covered, and will be rounded with a router so it looks nice. That way, when the tank is set in the base, none of the tank trim will be showing. And it will all be in Cedar.

[MSU Fan]

Originally Posted by Lonewolfblue

As for the fans, it's going to have 3 very large, quiet fans, run off a DC Adapter.

When I researched mod'ing a canopy and adding fans, the best cfm/decibel ratio I could find were with Silenx computer case fans. Very, very quiet for the amount of air they moved. When I build the canopy for my 125, that is what I will be putting in there - then you can direct wire a AC to DC adapter and you have very good ventilation with little noise. HTH

[Lonewolfblue]

Originally Posted by MSU Fan

When I researched mod'ing a canopy and adding fans, the best cfm/decibel ratio I could find were with Silenx computer case fans. Very, very quiet for the amount of air they moved. When I build the canopy for my 125, that is what I will be putting in there - then you can direct wire a AC to DC adapter and you have very good ventilation with little noise. HTH

Cool, will definitely check them out....

[Ketso]

I built my canopy recently. I used the DIY shop light method as well. If you are looking at trying to save some money, by all means, buy the entire 2 bulb shop light! They are $7-$8 for the whole thing. The ballasts, if bought seperately are like $28 a piece! Even if you dont want to use the entire shop light inside your canopy, you can scavenge all the parts from them. I had to remove 3 or 4 screws total to remove all the guts of mine. Then you have all the hardware needed (for 2 lights) for under $10.

Personally, I mounted the hardware from 2 T8/T12 kits under mine. I got lucky that with one kit I can remove a bulb allowing me to only use 3 32w 6500K bulbs. The other kit, if I remove a bulb, both go out. However, they do sell single bulb units if you want to go that route.

You can get 32w 6500k bulbs in a 2 pack at Home Depot for $6. $3 a bulb compared to $20 a bulb at the LFS is a steal!

I used a PC fan for cooling. Brand new it was $5. I already had a 12v power supply from an old VHS tape rewinder. Otherwise, that would be the most expensive part of the project.

The unit I built, I painted the inside white and the outside black. The outside didnt turn out so good. This gives me an excuse to rebuild! LOL. When I do, I plan to use a mirror in it. A long door mirror is $5 at home Depot.

So, for a 4 bulb unit running 128w of 6500k lighting, all the hardware would cost about $40, bulbs included. Shop Lights $14, bulbs $12, fan $5, mirror $5. Add another $20ish if you need to purchase a power supply.

And, to top it off, it's so easy it's not funny.

[Lonewolfblue]

I looked at the shop lights at Lowe's and they are $22.99 or something like that here, for the 2 bulb unit.

[Ketso]

I bought my 2 bulb units last month for about $7 each at Home Depot. I cant see them being that much more expensive there if you have an HD nearby.

[Lonewolfblue]

We just had a Home Depot put in last year I think it was. But it's way on the other end of town. Will check it out if I ever get over there.