I am going to be getting 2 40 gallon long tanks soon. they will not have lights. I thought this would be a good time to try some diy lighting. the tanks are L48in W12in H16in. the tanks are for african cichlids. i would like to make it so i can use fluorescent light bulb tube(s). I was wondering how much will this cost for the simplest but not pretty and then how much for ones that look ok. i don't have any experiences but have friends who do. any links or suggestions please (i do have back up lights)
cost of lighting
- Thread starter Nate Dogg
- Start date
Wish you were closer. I have a few 48" T5 or 2 48" T8 fixtures I would give you for a case of beer or something.
I agree, between Walmart and the big hardware stores, you can find very affordable 4ft lighting. If you want to delve into LED you can go to Ebay and search LED. There is a vendor "AC-RC" http://myworld.ebay.com/ac-rc&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID&_trksid=p3984.m1543.l2533
They have a an LED driver that power three light. The lights are super bright and three will more than suffice. You can do a DIY rig and save a mint over store bought LED. I did a retrofit with nine of these bulbs http://www.ebay.com/itm/10W-20000K-High-Power-800LM-LED-Lamp-Blub-Aquarium-/270708791645?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0780595d and three drivers (six white and three blue) for a saltwater tank and it was super bright. It was a key seller when I sold it.
For freshwater you don't need as much light and you go with three all white light evenly spaced. In fact, with three bulbs, you will be keeping to the 1 watt per gallon.
They have a an LED driver that power three light. The lights are super bright and three will more than suffice. You can do a DIY rig and save a mint over store bought LED. I did a retrofit with nine of these bulbs http://www.ebay.com/itm/10W-20000K-High-Power-800LM-LED-Lamp-Blub-Aquarium-/270708791645?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0780595d and three drivers (six white and three blue) for a saltwater tank and it was super bright. It was a key seller when I sold it.
For freshwater you don't need as much light and you go with three all white light evenly spaced. In fact, with three bulbs, you will be keeping to the 1 watt per gallon.
if you want real diy i would also recommend LED lighting.
i use to have 4 VHO 4 foot fluorescent lights that ran off a total of 440 watts of power.
i picked up some leds on ebay and a led driver from amazon, and it's at least 3 times brighter plus im only using 60 watts.
i'l admit tho, its a bit more expensive that the traditional lighting.
i use to have 4 VHO 4 foot fluorescent lights that ran off a total of 440 watts of power.
i picked up some leds on ebay and a led driver from amazon, and it's at least 3 times brighter plus im only using 60 watts.
i'l admit tho, its a bit more expensive that the traditional lighting.