# TexGal's new light



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

TexGal has a 6' long tank that used to have 2 Coralife fixtures with Power Compact bulbs in them. We made an ultra slim housing for five 80 watt Giesemann Midday T5HO. Each bulb has an individual reflector. They can be turned on/off separately (2 front bulbs, 2 middle, 1 back).

The fixture vents from the top - it's covered with fiberglass mesh that allows for excellent ventilation. There is a leg support that neatly folds back when not in use.

The fixture is attached to the plastic rim of the tank with custom made hinges. The ballasts are remote (inder the tank) so the housing is as light as possible. There are no ugly electric cords seen everywhere under the hood. On the left and right there are 2 square pieces of aluminum that cover the end of the reflectors and bulbs so there is very little light spill - mainly from the back where the filter pipes go into the tank.

We expect huge changes in this tank with that kind of light intensity and quality. To start look at the album with details about the fixture:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ddasega/Drinda

--Nikolay


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Wow, that new light system is bright! That looks like a premium setup, can't wait to see how the plants respond.

Great shot of the danio, love the brilliant color to him.


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## fishman9809 (Feb 4, 2008)

is there such a thing as a 12 inch light for a 30c that is hung and about 27-36 watts?

just a crazy thought


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## Pioneer (Sep 17, 2008)

That is a very sharp lighting set up.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

In just 1.5 days since the light was installed the R. Macrandra and the R. Wallichi and R. Hippuris is sprouting new growth - at the tops and along the stems. It's amazing. I haven't seen growth this fast EVER!!! You can take a look in my thread here:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/large-aquariums-ponds/47782-125g-rescape-29.html

I can't thank Niko enough!! He is a real engineer, designer, and builder - all in a very pleasant, kind package!


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## HoustonFishFanatic (Feb 26, 2007)

Niko, Great DIY fixture!

Bhushan


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

That is a spectacular light fixture!


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

Wow. When you said ultra slim, you mean ultra slim...Great Job!! Do you have picture of the building? Super Job NIko.


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

It is a great looking light. Saw it in person in the back of his car. I was very impressed with the fiberglass mesh on top. That should really help with heat dissipation. Great build quality also.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Mulita,

No I don't have pictures of how I built it. But it's so simple that I can't explain why it took me so long to finish it. The enire housing costs about $10. 

Let me know if you are interested in details.

--Nikolay


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## Scouter (Mar 3, 2008)

I know I would love to see some details! What's the housing made out of? 
Thnks,
Scouter


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## mulita (Jul 31, 2007)

niko said:


> Mulita,
> 
> No I don't have pictures of how I built it. But it's so simple that I can't explain why it took me so long to finish it. The enire housing costs about $10.
> 
> ...


That's really cheap for the whole item. I interest to know how was it built. I am not needing one now , just curious. it really look nice.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Scouter said:


> I know I would love to see some details! What's the housing made out of?
> Thnks,
> Scouter


Roof flashing - an L-shaped channel that you can find at any Home Depot/Lowe's. 
Also inside there is a rectangular frame made of electric conduit - also at Home Depot/Lowe's.
The fiberglass mesh is a window screen that you can also find in HD/Lowe's. The frame for it is there too.

The rectangular frame is needed only if the tank is more than 4 ft. long. Drinda is 6' so it had to be there. It provides structural support.

If you have to make the rectangular frame imagine making a rectangle using 4 pipes. Then you make another rectangle using the L-shaped channel. Then you put rectangle 2 over the rectangle 1.

Here is another fixture that I made in a similar way:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ddasega/DaveS

Ask me more if I'm too unclear.

--Nikolay


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Mulita,

The price is indeed around $10 for the housing. But you end up paying more because you have to buy more material than you actually use. You know - you need 6 ft. of something but they sell it in rolls of 25' and so on.

--Nikolay


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## stuckintexas (Aug 12, 2008)

niko! wow!

that puts my light to shame...

well, when i do the light for my 29G we will have to talk because i want to incorporate your hinge into the light.

texgal, thats a wonderful looking tank. nice danio.


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## lildark185 (Jul 7, 2006)

The light fixtures are truly amazing. What if all the wires from the light went into a cheap metal lock box and the plugs came out of the box, it'd simplify the cabinet under the tank. On TexGal's fixture, don't the hinges put a lot of stress on the frame of the tank when the lights are in an upright position?


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## rekles75 (Apr 10, 2008)

Great build I would like to try this on 2 55gal tanks.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

lildark185,

Drinda's tank has a lot of equipment in the stand. I didn't know if a box containing all 3 ballast will fit in there so I didn't buy a box. But in the past I have put a ballast in a box like the one you describe and it certainly makes things look more contained. 

There is very little strain on the plastic frame when you open/close this big light fixture. I tested it many times on a thinner frame that gave in when touching with my fingers (55 gal. tank with the think black cheap frame). No issues whatsoever, I guess it's physics - a hinge movement doesn't produce much twist. Also big tanks like Drinda's have very thick plastic frame. As you may have seen from many posts that it's hell to remove the frame off a 10 gal. tank using knifes, plyers and a lot of effort. I can't imagine removing the frame off a tank like Drinda's. 

Another thing is the overbuilt of American tanks. The glass is usually way thicker than it needs to be. I knew a LFS owner that literally stepped and stood on the edge of some of his tanks to service the tanks above them! 

--Nikolay


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## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

I put together a MH tanks using ballasts from ballastwise.com - I noticed that they have something very similar to the Advance ICN2S39 54 watt ballast... at half the price:

http://www.ballastwise.com/images/upload/Documents/DXE254HO5.pdf

Hmmm.... my diy itch is starting up again...

Now, If I can just figure out how to fit 4 of these (60" bulbs & Reflectors...) in with my 150W MHs...


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## supersmirky (Oct 22, 2008)

That's amazing. I am guessing T5HO lights are better?? I currently have a setup like she used to have....PC lighting (6x96watts)


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## SpeedEuphoria (Jul 9, 2008)

taekwondodo said:


> I put together a MH tanks using ballasts from ballastwise.com - I noticed that they have something very similar to the Advance ICN2S39 54 watt ballast... at half the price:
> 
> http://www.ballastwise.com/images/upload/Documents/DXE254HO5.pdf


That ballast looks crapy to me, the BF is lower than Advance and it lacks Program Start. Then the THD is 2-3x+ higher than good ballasts and its less efficient.

BTW, the Advance ballast you listed is for 2x 39w bulbs, the ICN2S54 is for 2x 54w T5HO bulbs.

The ICN2S54 costs $38.29 locally for me + tax, so $40.59

The one you listed says $29.99 + shipping, not a deal and I would not buy it.


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## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

SpeedEuphoria said:


> That ballast looks crapy to me, the BF is lower than Advance and it lacks Program Start. Then the THD is 2-3x+ higher than good ballasts and its less efficient.
> 
> BTW, the Advance ballast you listed is for 2x 39w bulbs, the ICN2S54 is for 2x 54w T5HO bulbs.
> 
> ...


Are we looking at the same thing? The DXE254HO5 is listed as a 54 watt ballast - where did the 39W come from? Additionally, for $29.00 plus shipping, I get TWO ballasts (I wasn't clear), not one.

For DIY'ers on a budget (e.g.,... moi), this could be a great thing. Afterall, isn't this the goal of DIY? I made it smaller/cheaper and save more money than "X" guy? 

That said, I'm not sure how to compare as I did google for a ICN2S54 datasheet and couldn't find one to compare (but it was a cursory search - at work and do have to pretend I'm not surfing the web  ).

That, and I'm not really sure the benefits of the BF (Ballast frequency, I assume) or Program Start over Instant Start... It would be great if you could explain.

Not exactly related, I do have their e-ballasts for my HID lights, and at the price, I couldn't be happier.

- Jeff


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## SpeedEuphoria (Jul 9, 2008)

taekwondodo said:


> where did the 39W come from?
> 
> Additionally, for $29.00 plus shipping, I get TWO ballasts (I wasn't clear), not one.
> 
> ...


 The 39w came from you saying ICN2S39, which is for 2 39w T5HO bulbs.

For 2 then thats something to consider, I guess it depends on your tanks size or if you have multiple tanks. Like for a normal 4' tank 2x 54w bulbs with good reflectors is plenty. Even 1 bulbs grows "high light" plants from what other members have experienced.

BF= Ballast Factor. Basically its a measure of how much wattage gets to the bulbs. So most brand name T5HO ballasts have a 1.0 BF which means that each bulb gets the stated 54W. With a .92 BF you would get ~54w x .92=49.68W to each bulb.

The normal BF for T8 ballasts are .88, but they do have some lower like .78 and some GE ones are higher at 1.15 so they overdrive the bulbs some.

The way the bulbs start, light up has been improved on many times. Like the old magnetic ballasts for T12's tend to flicker at start up till they get warmed up. So they went to "rapid start" which gives a large amount of power at start up to keep them from flickering. Then they changed/improved to "instant start" which is similar, then they have "programed rapid start" which is an in between. The newest technology is "program start", which gives voltage to the bulbs to let them warm up before turning on, instead of a large amount of power. Basically it can extend bulb life.

For advance ballast specs, go here, I wish I could just link you to the PDF, but its a funny setup. Anyway that catalog is nice and easy to use, just select the bulb type and how many.
http://www.advancetransformer.com/ecatalog/FLB_LookUp.asp


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## SpeedEuphoria (Jul 9, 2008)

Oh and how do you get 2 ballasts for $30?

And this one is better and same price:
http://www.ballastwise.com/images/upload/Documents/DXE2HO5U.pdf


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## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

Awesome...

But I'm still stuck - I need to figure out how I get 3 150DEs AND 4 54 W T5HOs under the hood of my 125!!!

I know - Rebuild the hood!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHRRRRGGGG!!!!!


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Taekwondodo,

Rebuilding the hood is easy! I built TexGal's ligh housing in 25 minutes!

(...plus about six months of trial and error to learn how to do it...)

Try and you will see it's easy!

--Nikolay


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## taekwondodo (Dec 14, 2005)

yes, and your's (TG's) looks great, but that won't support BOTH the MHs and the T5HOs...


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## JERP (Feb 4, 2003)

That is a great looking light. I think I'll borrow liberally from that concept. I only have two comments.

1. Do you have any concern with the cable tensioner putting a moment arm on the glass rim? It looks like it could snap the glass or the rim. Perhaps replacing the green cable with a rigid bar that absorbs the tension would be better.

2. What do you think of replacing the kickstand with a screen door (or even car trunk) piston? That way there's no chance of the hood accidentally crashing down during maintenance.


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## Outsane (Dec 1, 2008)

you both seem to know alot..

I want about 2.5 watts per gal on my 30 gal, I have 30 in wide tank.

Whats a cheap ballast to use to for this set up?

thanks


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

JERP said:


> That is a great looking light. I think I'll borrow liberally from that concept. I only have two comments.
> 
> 1. Do you have any concern with the cable tensioner putting a moment arm on the glass rim? It looks like it could snap the glass or the rim. Perhaps replacing the green cable with a rigid bar that absorbs the tension would be better.
> 
> 2. What do you think of replacing the kickstand with a screen door (or even car trunk) piston? That way there's no chance of the hood accidentally crashing down during maintenance.


Now did you have to go and ask those ??? !:-s I was perfectly content until question #1. The light has been working like a charm. It is very very light. While I'm not a physicist I would be surprised if there was enough torque to cause any issues. I do hope Niko sees this question!


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Jerp,

The stainless steel "clamp" that I made actually doesn't exert a lot of pressure on the plastic rim. There is a screw that holds the "clamp" tight horizontally. The green tension cable is only to keep the "clamp" from slipping. Both the screw and the tension cable are under very little torque/tension.

In addition the plastic rim of this and similar sized tanks is very thick. This thing does not brake snapping, it's not fragile at all, it's more "plastic-like".

I considered gas springs but I've never worked with them before. I looked them up and was fascinated with the idea of being able to open the light and leave it open in any position - half way up or full or anyway you want - like a car trunk. But Drinda lives hundreds of million of miles away from me and I had to make the fixture as simple as possible so there are no last minute complications when I install it. I just saw the following few days ago and I have to say - gas springs have a very sleek look and seem easy to install:










--Nikolay


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

O come on Niko!!!... hundreds of millions of miles.... we're practically neighbors! :tea: Remember this is Texas!! Everything's big is Texas!:biggrin:


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## c4cache (Jan 21, 2009)

talk about inspired to build, Tex gal and noki I hope no one has a pat pending on the lights, I have been combing the forms for just this kind of a set up, i have a 210 converted from salt to planted with two 72" vho's AquaSun 160w and a 96w PC 6700k/colormax, = 1.9wpg, if i do this with 5 bulbs like you have that will still be 1.9wpg but it will give me a better control for the length of the tank as the setup i have now i have the two vho's on one timer and the PC on one in the center. i need to think about this a bit as i am at work right now, i might be able to get 6 lights (2.8wpg ) over my tank, but it is mounted in the wall so ???? 

Tex gal what can you tell me about the sides, did that ever become a problem in any way? 

and if you could change any thing on the lights or the hood what would it be? and yes the answer "nothing" is expected. your tank looks grate i hope to bring mine to this level soon.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

We are working on adding two 20" T5HO bulbs on each side of the fixture (4 bulbs total). That will provide complete coverage of the tank. 

The four new bulbs will be on 2 timers. So you can only adjust the light in the corners to full or 1/2 power.

--Nikolay


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## c4cache (Jan 21, 2009)

Tex Gal said:


> maybe if the lights had been staggered then he would not have had to do extra in the sides.... but I don't know if staggering them is possible. I also don't know if that would have made the difference or given me other issues.


could you have done this with a mod to the frame?


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## c4cache (Jan 21, 2009)

hello again Niko, sorry to be such a pain but in looking things up for the lights i have come up with some questions, do you buy parts separate or as kits like this one i found from horticulture source, the reason i ask is the lights you set up for tex gal are a odd number (ya i know not much gets buy me ha ha) but she runs three and two or is it 2-2-1 ??? maybe more research is in my future? if you could point me in the right direction with a link or two (hint hint) i would be most thankful.
i am going to try and do 6 lights but would like to control them independently as i think i will run a mix of Giesemann midday and aqua flora bulbs.


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## kevdu69 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hello,

it's very interesting but i have a few questions:

How did you set the 4 L-shaped channel?

Where did you set the hinge on lighting?

I'm sorry for my english, because i'm french.

Thank's


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## kevdu69 (Sep 14, 2011)

Hi!

Can you put some pictures about the fixation in the housing please?

And some one of the fixation of the 2 rectangular?

Thank's


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## kevdu69 (Sep 14, 2011)

I'm sorry but i have a new questions:

How did the ends capps hold with the pipe?
Can you put a picture about it?


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## kevdu69 (Sep 14, 2011)

No , idea?


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