# [Wet Thumb Forum]-cheap & simple canopie



## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

It is very cheap and simple, don't laugh :wink:

At home depot, I found the wood, called _bullnose shelf board_
Its laminated MDF 10' x 18" x 1/2" for $9.99 canadian!

4' piano hinge $4.00

5 small *L* brakets $2.50

black paint to cover up ends $ 2.00

Total cost under $20.00

Time to build 1 hour!




























If you have any questions, just ask :wink:


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

It is very cheap and simple, don't laugh :wink:

At home depot, I found the wood, called _bullnose shelf board_
Its laminated MDF 10' x 18" x 1/2" for $9.99 canadian!

4' piano hinge $4.00

5 small *L* brakets $2.50

black paint to cover up ends $ 2.00

Total cost under $20.00

Time to build 1 hour!




























If you have any questions, just ask :wink:


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Ekim,

Tell me about your lights. Are those NO flourescents, and what kind of reflector are you using?

Is that one of those Hagen/Coralife ballast/endcap kits that you're using?

Best wishes,
John Wheeler


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

Hey John,

ya they are NO 40watt 6500K tubes, I put some sticky reflective tape in the top
of the hood, no sure if it helps much though!

I originally built the hood to hole 2 4" shop lights, 
I have since switched to the GLO-MAT electronic balists, for better bulb placement.

I have 5 NO 40watts bulbs in there (250L)
The plant growth is almost to much!


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Wow, Ekim, I was just checking those Glo-Mat things out and wondered if anyone had tried them.

Will they run a T-8? The Hagen bulbs are all T-8's so I would assume that it would run their own bulbs, but the description on Big Al's web site said that it will run T-12's and T10's. It didn't say that it wouldn't run a T-8....

I'm getting ready to set-up a 50g (36x18x18) and I was trying to decide how to light it. I guess I know now









Best wishes,
John Wheeler


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

I think the ones under 40watts run t-8's.
Mine will run t-10 & t-12.

One thing I noticed, I can just put one bulb in and it will light up, 
while the other encaps are just hanging, I don't know but maybe it will over drive bulbes!

I recomend them!


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

So, you're suggesting that the Glomat sold for 30w may overdrive 20w bulbs? I'm 99% going to get them, so I'll be able to report.

Best wishes,
John Wheeler


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## ekim (Jan 31, 2004)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by Wheeler:
> So, you're suggesting that the Glomat sold for 30w may overdrive 20w bulbs? I'm 99% going to get them, so I'll be able to report.
> ...


No, I ment that on my 2 X 40 watt glo-mat, I can just hook up on 40 watt bulb!
I'm not an enginere so I can't really say what is happening, maybe the 80 watts that is supose to go to 2 tubes is going all into 1!

I don't have it set up this way, it was just something I noticed when I was hooking it up!

Still very nice system


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## Wheeler (Feb 8, 2004)

Thanks Ekim.

Coralife sells a similar setup, but it'll run T-8's for sure. They're a little more money, so I'll have to decide which kinds bulbs I want to run, I guess. I could always mix and match them, though, if I wanted to run both T-8 and T-12 bulbs.....

I'm going to try your hood as well. Jeff Ludwig built a very similar one and his looks great.

Thanks again.

Best wishes,
John Wheeler


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