Various DIY Moonlight effects...

[fish-boy13]

Hey guys i've been researching on possible ways of doing some really cool light effects in my tank, instead of buying regular blue acintic lights for $30 a pop. Now i just need some info on these types of methods.

Some people like to use the LED strips and you do most of the installing and wiring stuff yourself, not sure how much these are per strip, and how much it would approx. cost me for a 6ft long tank. If someone can give me a price estimate as well pros/cons of this that would be great.

Another type of method was using cold cathode lights that you can get out of computer mod kits or something, again not sure of what the price of this as well as the difficulty of installing and how many of these i would need to get a decent moonlight effect for my 6ft long tank. Also pros/cons of this would be good.

Now if you think going with the regular blue acintic light is the best way, how long do these lights usually last for, i mean for $30 a pop im hoping they would last a long time. Also thats just the bulbs i would have to buy the parts needed to install this in my DIY canopy as well.

Well if there are any other infos. please share im open to all ideas. Mainly looking for a fairly easy installation/cheap/low maint. and cheap to replace as well.

 

[rallysman]

I'm using a blue neon tube from an under car kit. It works great and I've had it for years.

 

[mackattack702]

my tank came with the real lights ( i bought it used and was a bonus) I was going to do the cold cathode otherwise

 

[fish-boy13]

If i decided to go with the cold cathode, how long do you guys think this would last? Also would replacing it be cheap / easy to do? I still have to figure out how to install this, reading up on it real quick i found that it needs some kind of adapter manually wiring them together. Which one would you guys consider the best blue moonlight effect a 12V or a 9V?

 

[ElJefe]

I'm using a blue neon tube from an under car kit. It works great and I've had it for years.

YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK IF...

 

[fish-boy13]

Anyone care to fill me in of their experience with varieties of moonlight effects?

 

[madwhitehat]

Anyone care to fill me in of their experience with varieties of moonlight effects?

I have a 4' strip of blue LEDs in my 100g which creates a nice blue glow at night. This strip is made by Odyssea and is fully submersible. Should be able to find one on eBay for a reasonable price. I've had it running for about 2 years now and it's still going strong. I also have a submersible cold cathode tube made by the same company on my 40g hex. This one is MUCH brighter than the LED. Honestly, I prefer the LED fixture. It really depends on the brightness level you are looking for.

 

[Mudfrog]

I've got a set of blue cathode lights in my computer that I haven't used in a long time, I'm going to put them in the canopy of the 120 I'm doing. I'm not expecting a TON of light, just enough to be able to see them in the dark.

 

[Dracor]

Just my opinion, but I'd go with the LED lighting. They just seem to last a lot longer no matter what application you use them in. I'm getting ready to build one from scratch shortly. I have all the material and just need to get it slapped together.

 

[mithesaint]

I have the cold cathode lighting in my tanks. I bought the kit off of ebay (don't have the exact link, sorry) for 8-10$ including shipping. I wired it up to an adjustable adapter from Radio shack, which was $15-20. Off the top of my head, it's a 9V 1A adapter. I think the voltage is the adjustable part, and 1A is the constant part. 12V was too bright, and 6V was too dark, at least for my tastes.

A kit includes two 12" long tubes, which was more than enough for my 55 and 90 gallon. Not sure about a 6' tank. I'm working on a 135, and I'll try to let you know if I get it finished anytime soon.

The installation was pretty simple, just a little splicing of wires. IIRC, the tubes are supposed to last 30,000 hours, so life shouldn't be an issue. One set is still going strong for me, the other set went for a swim and didn't do so well underwater.....

The first picture is of my shop light and cathodes in my 55 gallon hood. The second pic is of my 90 gallon with the lights on, and set at 9V 1A