• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

DIY Nano Hanging Lights

D

DRillo

Member
Joined
12 Jul 2011
Messages
52
Location
Clevedon
Hi,

Looking for a little advice for lighting on a 30x30x30 rimless cube in a tight space.
The space I have for this tank is 35x35x60 and is in a good old Ikea book case, kind of difficult to explain but it has no back to it and is against a wall, so the tank will be almost flush against it on both sides with a gap above.
(I would link a picture but its been discontinued)

I would like to hang a light(s) that run off 240v on the inside of the bookcase without them getting too close to the top of the tank so that I don't have to remove for maintenance. I am thinking along the lines of kitchen down-lights that are sealed in an enclosure of some sort.

Does anyone know of an off the shelf product like this that would be suitable for a CO2 planted tank or have any alternative suggestions? Hope this makes sense.
 
Hi hotweldfire,
Those look great in terms of fitting, would they put out enough light though?
 
Hi all,
I've used "link light" T5 8/13/14W for this sort of situation, and they are fine if you don't mind a bit of DIY. You can fasten them to a gloss white painted board as both reflector and "luminaire" and I just hung mine using a cheap "picture hanging kit". Mine were fairly utilitarian, but you could improve the look of them.

The major problem I had was that the plastic body of the link light photo-degraded and they started snapping after about 2 years (these came from "Screwfix"). I've also got some 8W "Eterna" link lights and they are more robust, and some cheap unswitched metal bodied 14W ones from Ebay, but the ballasts fail fairly regularly in these..

3 x 8W T5 Eterna link light would give you plenty of light. You could also try GU10 fitting with either a CFL or an LED, but this would need a wide angle of light spread. I think 2 x 11W Megaman GU10 CFL would be enough light, and again potentially you could use ceiling "down lights" DIY mounted in a box.

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,
Not for those with any interest in aesthetics, but this is a cheap and cheerful DIY GU10 2W LED light that I made as a "cold growlight". We've actually used it a bit for photosynthesis practicals, as stereo dissecting microscope light and also for illuminating some bacterial plates during time lapse photography.

gu10_led.jpg

cheers Darrel
 
Hi all,
Cute lights. Where did you get the holder?
Click to expand...
It is an old Ikea cereal storage tub, but made of a rigid plastic. When I tried to buy some new ones they don't make them any more. It is not quite so good in the side view.

The holder for the GU10 fitting is a disposable screw top pot, we use 100's of them in the lab and they were about the right size.

gu10_led_body.jpg

cheers Darrel
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top