# DIY Spiral Compact Fluorescent Fixture



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I posted this on the plantedtank forum a while ago. I'm sure many of you have already seen it there, but I thought it might be food for thought for anyone looking to get light into the tank for cheap. I find myself increasingly drawn to this forum over "the others" for reasons that are probably shared by many of you.

When designing this, the main constraints were: #1 - cheap, #2 - cheap, #3 - cheap, and #4 - enough light to grow plants. I used 1/2" x 2.5" and 1/2" x 3.5" pieces of wood that I found at Home Depot. Conveniently, they came pre-cut in 36" lengths. I spent a total of:

wood $8
screws $0 - had a few lying around
paint $3 - 1 can black spraypaint
light bases $16
wire $0 - had it lying around too
lamp cord $2
fan $20 with shipping
mirror $6 from local glass shop
bulbs $36 from bulbs.com (they're down the street - no shipping)

Total = $91

I got the fan from Allied Electronics, part number OA80AP-11-2WB. $14.22 plus shipping. The main criteria here was something quiet and 120V so I wouldn't need a transformer. It works great and keeps the bulbs nice and cool. The tank doesn't heat up at all during the day.

Currently I have a real hodge-podge of bulbs. Don't be fooled by the reflection from the photo. There are 8 lights total, all 5000K or 5500K and between 23W and 26W. I initially planned for 6, but then decided I wanted eight & kind of jammed the extras in toward the middle. The 46 bow has a center brace so I used that area for the fan, which exhausts out the back & helps to heat my house in the winter.

I used two 36" x 1/2" x 3.5" pieces of wood for the front and back. The right and left sides are 6-3/4" long. I drilled three 1" holes in each end to let air in. The top is made of three 36" x 1/2" x 2.5" pieces.

I did all the wiring before putting the thing together which made it much easier. I also put a plain mirror in the top as a reflector. If I did it again I'd probably just paint the inside white. The light bases are connected in parallel, and I found a lamp cord from a hardware store that worked nicely.


































Please ignore the poor paint job on the thing. I was in my usual hurry and the tank is in a room that is very dark. The only time I've ever noticed how sad the finish actually looks is when taking photos with a flash.

I didn't electrocute myself and still have all my fingers. Besides, it actually works quite well, especially considering what I paid for it. Replacement bulbs are in the $3 to $5 range, very nice compared to the 24" or 36" CFs. I can't find any spirals in the 6500-8700K range, unfortunately.

The total WPG is around 4, but the effective light making it into the tank is probably equal to 2-2.5 WPG of what you'd get with AH Supply's stuff. There is a lot of restrike with spiral bulbs. I'm growing Pogostemon stellatus, Blyxa japonicum, Didiplis diandra, HC, and other stuff with no trouble at all. Everything pearls nicely and the tops of the Didiplis get just a little pink/red on them. The biggest problem is a near-terminal case of colectoritis and keeping the misserable stem plants trimmed back to something that looks ok.

If I did it again, I'd just go with AH-supply's stuff, since it's more efficient and probably safer. My design leaves a few exposed wires that wouldn't be a good idea without a glass or plastic cover. I use a sheet of lexan that the glass store cut to fit. If you try anything like this spend a few more minutes than I did to get the wiring covered up.

The other major advantage is that you can remove or add lights as desired to get whatever light intensity that you're after.


----------



## redFishblueFish (Feb 12, 2006)

Cool hood! I am working on a DIY hood, and am stuck on the problem of whether or not to use a cover. If I don't, shorting might occur. I I do, it would be a pain to lift the glass cover everytime i wanted to do maintenance (or I would have to hinge the glass - not too easy). What are your reccomendations? Oh and btw, what CO2 are you using?


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

On the 46 bow there is enough room for the hinged cover to open in front of the light box. Actually, it's pretty easy to put a hinge in. Either buy two pieces of glass or have a glass shop cut your existing piece lengthwise. The plastic hinge thing just snaps on each side. How to find the plastic hinge? The glass shop should be able to help & I've seen them on one of the internet aquarium sites. I just can't remember which at the moment. I've had too many fish go "over the wall" to not use a cover.

It would be a total pain to need to remove the light fixture every time you wanted to stick your arm inside (almost daily for me).

I use pressurized CO2 with a continuous pH meter (not controller) and will never, ever go back.


----------



## Green_is_beautiful (Feb 4, 2006)

> ... I can't find any spirals in the 6500-8700K range, unfortunately...


I just recently found some "Sunlight bulbs" at walmart. They have them in 20W and 40W and are 6500K (printed really small on the back of the package). They look really good !!!! The 2-pack of 20W was only $8.

Great hood/ project by the way!!


----------



## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

Green_is_beautiful said:


> I just recently found some "Sunlight bulbs" at walmart. They have them in 20W and 40W and are 6500K (printed really small on the back of the package). They look really good !!!! The 2-pack of 20W was only $8.
> 
> Great hood/ project by the way!!


were they made by lights of america?


----------



## Green_is_beautiful (Feb 4, 2006)

Unfortunalety i threw the package out - but the next time i go i'll get some more infos on them.


----------



## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

There are some 30w 6500k spiral fluorescents here. There are other 6500K compacts there, too.


----------



## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

Deni said:


> There are some 30w 6500k spiral fluorescents here. There are other 6500K compacts there, too.


nice, thx


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Cool. Looks like I need to plan a little trip to Walmart.


----------



## Green_is_beautiful (Feb 4, 2006)

h4n was right - they are made by "lights of america".

They are also straight instead of spiral - someone said that helps with the restrike issue. Dont know if its true. They look similar to the corallife CF that you can buy from bigals etc - but at a fraction of the cost.


----------



## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

Green_is_beautiful said:


> h4n was right - they are made by "lights of america".
> 
> They are also straight instead of spiral - someone said that helps with the restrike issue. Dont know if its true. They look similar to the corallife CF that you can buy from bigals etc - but at a fraction of the cost.


ya thats what i thought, i got 10 watts there the other day didnt notice anything higher, i'm going back later to check better (i was in a rush the first time)


----------



## Green_is_beautiful (Feb 4, 2006)

Ok i just got back from walmart. Today they had only the 15W and 20W versions - and a spiral 30W.

I have the 10W CF from all glass and corallife and even though they are 6500K too the "sunlight" seems to make the red in my fish look a bit more realistic (pleasing to the eye) where the others tend to make it look more brownish.

Overall i am very happy with this find and wish i'd used them sooner (and not wasted my money on the allglass/ corallife).

I plan on trying 2 of the 40W or 4 x 20W over a 20G to see how that works out.


----------



## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

i also just returned from walmart  got my self 2x25watt 6500k ones 4.85$ a piece nice find Green, thx


----------



## Green_is_beautiful (Feb 4, 2006)

I am glad i was able to help.

I think these "daylight/ sunlight" CFs are becoming more popular (and cheaper) now.

I use CFs exclusively in our house and compared them to these daylight bulbs - and the difference is amazing. From now on i'll only use these - they make everything look so much better.


----------



## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

yup they are cheap. I use the 2x10watt i had already purchased for house use and wow it does make everything look better then typical bulbs haha


----------



## fishcrazy (Feb 15, 2006)

Crazy set up. i like it!!!

do you have any algae problems???


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

fishcrazy said:


> Crazy set up. i like it!!!
> 
> do you have any algae problems???


I had horrible BBA & GSA problems before I got my CO2 system and kept it at a consistent level. Since then, things have been good. I did have one episode of bad green dust that was pretty miserable, but I attribute this to misreading my cheap test kits and I let my nitrates get very high. Since getting Lamotte kits the tank has done great for a few months now.


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I went to WalMart today in search of the 6500K lights. I got two of them (all they had) and brought them home. They're 1/4" too long to fit inside my box ----- ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

Still looking. I'm convinced 6500-8700K would look better.


----------



## h4n (Dec 23, 2005)

the one in oxford Gb? i went the other day and there was a bunch


----------



## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

That's some out of this world light setup! Looks very ingenious and a lot of fun and hard work to built it. However for $91 I think an ahsupply.com kit might have done the trick too. 

Anyways, I think it's really cool. On second look I thought you had a zillion CF bulbs in there, but it looks like your using a mirror for a reflector. Cool.  What kinda tank is that, 46 gallon bowfront? It looks great, and obviously this setup is work for you!

-John N.


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

The AH kits would have either given me 96 W (2 wpg) or 2x96 W (4wpg). I wanted a little more than 2 so I would have gone with 2x96 and run each for for 6 hours during a 10 hour period (2 hours of overlap). Cost for that project would have been:

$115 - AH kit 2x96
$66 - 2 x 96 W bulbs
$40 - pre-made enclosure

$221 - plus shipping.

replacement bulbs for me = 5$ x 8 = $40
replacement bulbs with AH = $66 + shipping.

I think I saved a few $$, had some fun, learned a lot, it works fabulously and now that I've accomplished that, I'll go with AH's kit next time for sure 

Better reflectors = less wasted electricity


----------



## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

For anyone who is a bit handy with DIY projects...

If you decide you want to upgrade your lighting, you could always go with ODNO (do a quick search on ODNO) lighting. 

The cost for nearly 4wpg (48w x 4 bulbs =192w) on my 55g (not including the the canopy) was:

(2) 4x32 electronic ballasts - ~$60
(8) regular end caps ~$16
(4) 32w, T-8, 6500K Phillips lamps ~$16

Total ~$92

By simply removing two of the bulbs I can drop the wattage to ~2wpg. Replacement bulbs are dirt cheap.

For more flexibility, you could go with three 2x32w ballasts and have the ability to simulate a dusk to dawn type lighting schedule.


----------



## dawntwister (Sep 29, 2007)

I want to do something similar to what guaiac_boy did for my 29 gallon tank with 4 bulbs. Just 4 bulbs for now, for I have a light strip made by lights of America that I am going to put a Philips daylight bulb in. The stip will go behind the line of 4 bulbs. I am uncertain about the wiring. I would like some more info about the wiring.


----------



## Bk828 (Mar 25, 2008)

very nice, nothing beats a diy


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Thanks.

For an update, this fixture is still going strong and the tank it is over is incredibly stable. The bulbs are lasting about a year on average. Not too bad. I certainly don't see any reason to upgrade or replace this.


----------



## rangersnoopy24201 (Feb 7, 2008)

walmart has liquid electrical tape, find it in the automotive section by the regular tape. use it to cover screws near water


----------



## newbie314 (Mar 2, 2007)

Or use Nylon Screws.


----------



## junior10476 (Feb 7, 2008)

Looks really good ,the cover just needs to be sanded a little and the corner's rounded off smoothed out and filled to give it a finished look . But it really looks good and a real good idea starter I am going to do my 30gal like that this weekend thanks for the idea


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

No! It needs to be sanded a lot. This project was done quickly and my goal was only for functionality. If I did it again I'd use a better quality hardwood, make it with a precise fit, and sand and finish it to bring out the natural grain & color of the wood. As it is, the roughness of the fixture really isn't that noticiable. The flash on the camera brought out details that you don't see in real life. The light from the aquarium overwhelms the dark coloration of the box.


----------



## Patchworks (Dec 20, 2008)

Question, did you hook all your light fixtures up to one cord? I'm doing something simliar but don't know how many light fixture can be on 1 cord?

Ideally, I would probably like to stager the bulbs on 2 cords so I could do a sunrise/sunset stage.

g


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Yes, just hook them up in parallel. You could probably use up to 500 or 1000 watts through a single cord, depending on the gauge of wire you use. At 26 watts per bulb, that's certainly way more than you'd need.

It would be very simple to run 2 or even more separate circuits. It's all in how you wire it.


----------



## Patchworks (Dec 20, 2008)

BryceM,

How many lights would you think I would need for a 150 Gallon tank?

g


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

If you're doing a tank that size, I'd strongly recommend a fixture with greater efficiency. You can still DIY it if you'd like. Try http://www.ahsupply.com.

You could always do it with spiral CF's, but you'll be wasting tons of electricity.


----------

