# I have created..... a beast



## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

so i will post pictures soon but i was so excited about my new light canopy/hood 

it is 288w

Break down:
6 x 22in T5 (3 x 6500k 14w and 3 x 5000k 14w) all connected

2 x 27w 6500k spiral bulbs

1 x 150w 8000k mh 

this is all over a 60P ADA tank 
thats about 18gallons 
thats a whopping 16 watts per gallon BUAHAHAHAHAAAAA :rofl:
WOWZERS 

i have no algae or anything normal ferts 
ill post pics soon

everything was hand made and it was designed to sit ontop of the tank and if i wanted to i can suspend it also

it was made from dense fiber board, plumbers straps(metal), lots of screws, black paint, paino hinge,chrome knob, screw in hooks, and two DIY electrical wires.

believe it or not i used very few tools:

el cheapo drill (already had it) $20
small assortment of drill bits $3
small assortment of paddle bits $5
cheap hand saw $8
cheap hack saw $8
and a cheap interchange able screwdriver $4

equals $28 only stuff i paid for 
materials:

wood glue $2
foil $2
roll of plumbing tape $3
screws (coarse dry wall screws) $3 for 100ct
hooks $2
DIY electrical wires x 2 $8per
two 3x5 heavy duty fiber boards i forgot but i think about $10-15
small chrome cabinet knob $3
chrome 30in peice of paino hinge $5 i think
2 x 27w bulbs $4
2 x bulb sockets $2 per
3 x T5 strips $22 per
extra 14 guage wire $2
6 x 14 w 18inch flouro tubes $5 per tube
1 x aqua medic 150w mh fixture (had it laying around) about $300

equals $151 materials only stuff i had to pay for

all stuff bought at home depot (except MH and 14w tubes)

all prices are rounded 

for a total of about $182

if you were to buy a light with this much power from a store or online you would be paying about $400-$500 and up 

enjoy


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

16wpg??? Holy special fishie sungalsses, Batman! Sounds like it'd be great for a reef tank... How long you had it running? I would be interested in how the "no algae" thing lasts...

Hurry up and post pics!!


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## ianryeng (Dec 22, 2008)

wow, I am certainly interested to hear how this turns out but wont you have problems keeping up with the ferts? My main concern would be for your energy bill 

hope it works out well!


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

ill post pics at lunch today i took them last night but was so tired.

anyway i plan to add a 4in fan to it because the heat is crazy i neary burned a hand the other day yikes

ferts dont seem to be a problem keeping up with i have dealt with high octane lights for years now although i must admit i have never had 16wpg before but to remedy this i have always added a UV sterilizer and for all you fert nazis i dont think it impacts my trace elements any. the lights are on a timer and run with the CO2 for 12hrs a day every now and then ill get some specs of green spot algae but that is remedied with weekly maintince and its so minute you really dont notice anyway. 

the reason i did this is because i like to get the most out of my plants color wise and the water just seems to shine when the filter polishes it under bright lights like this. i got some wallachii, stellatus, and aromatica that i want turning deep orange (i have seen wallachi this color), purple and bright pink.

as far as the energy bills goes i have all energy saving bulbs. being that im in the army they give me a certain allotment for that bill but if i go over i gotta pay the diff. this tank has been set up like this for about ummm 2-3 weeks with this lighting setup 

like i say ill post picks at lunch in about 5.5hrs buahaha you will like 
(.....never knew i could fit so much lights under a hood and i still got room for 2-4 more bulbs buahahah)


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

pictures as promised sorry about not getting to it at lunch i didnt really get a lunch break to go home and upload them
needs a water change i think yellowing water
and you dont need all those fancy german reflecters just use foil
enjoy!!!


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## Amiga276 (Sep 18, 2005)

dang!


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## ghengis (Jun 11, 2008)

Nice looking tank...


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

thanks amiga276 and ghengis i knew after posting id get a few one liners "dang!" lol
i like your tanks too ghengis 

enjoy all


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

Post your first electricity bill balance soon  nice tank.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

funny you should say that Qwertus i bought all energy saving bulbs and the ballast for MH is energy efficent

thanks for the comment


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## Qwertus (Oct 14, 2008)

I didn't think anyone would go that extreme with lights, hopefully you can keep up with the ferts and CO2, it will be hell if algea can start.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

well i do all the same stuff anybody else would reg ferts onlly increased as plants grow, reg 50% water change once a week, reg fishie feeding, and the only addition i would recommend for high lights is a UV sterlizer. Other than that i have absolutly no algae (maybe 2 or 3 spots of gsa on glass) and no problems and the high lights is awsome for the plants.


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## CrimsonTsavo (Nov 18, 2009)

Hehehe- I am showing my husband this.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

y are you showing this to your husband?


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I wonder about the heat output. I didn't see ventilation in your hood. Maybe I missed it. How is the heat output?


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## Ovrkill (Nov 18, 2009)

I was wondering the same thing. With all those lights you have to be shooting some serious heat towards the tank.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

well yes heat is pretty intense but.... im installing a 4in fan to curb that. but it gets along fine without the fan and the water dosent heat up to bad at all. stays around 75F so no worries. but in the back of the hood there is a 2"x24" gap that cant be seen that allows air exchange. 

look for my next DIY thread i built a hood for my 30cm ADA cube 

thanks for looking all


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

ok a few days short of a month later my electricity bill only increased a few dollars not much at all. im using power save bulbs buahahaha. and the only down fall to the project is that if you use particle board you need to prime it and then paint it to make it water tight. i made this mistake and i have a few small blisters where the board absorbed the splashed water from trimming and such. other than that the heat output was curbed.

as far as ferts go :
i fert normally as i did before only one addition was i now dose phosphorous because it was causing GSA but after the phosphates were added algae was gone in 2 days and i have a brighter tank and happier plants 

woo hoo

hope this thread helps 

thanks
Elliot


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## tenakoon (Aug 12, 2009)

wowzers!!!
Just a little comment, that thing is as big as ur tank! Another thing do u smell fishsticks when ever ur close by the tank? Hope u can keep up with the enrgy bill!


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## jas1w124 (Dec 18, 2009)

You could also cook your pizza in there.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

there is a 2'' ventelation gap in the back that you cant see. so i have no problems with heat...

Thanks for looking
Elliot


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## Noxtreme (Dec 20, 2009)

can we see some close ups of the tank! I want to see what the plants look like.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

plants are nice and purple and wowzers. this light is no longer for sale as i chopped it and hung it over my new 90*45*45 tank

see my journal (link at the bottom)


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

We need a close up FTS.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

no prob Tex Gal ill get some tomorrow before i tear it down.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

im warning you im no photographer so these pics dont do justice but you get the general idea

i accidentally got a spot light effect going on with my hand light. and my point and shoot camera isnt the best either

but here you go 
in person these pogostegmon stellatus are deep deep purple


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Nice pxs but I'd still like to see a close up of the front of the tank so I can enjoy the entire beauty of it.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

im sorry Tex Gal that tank is long gone now see my journal for my new one. its finshed this afternoone.


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## doubleott05 (Jul 20, 2005)

i should have ttaken a full pic last night grrrr


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