Behold
Member
NOTE: Im not responsible for electrocution or injury that may arise from attempting this…… :?
Ok I am a little bored tonight so I thought I would type this up fully as it should have some use for those needed a bit more light.
This is for my 5ft Tank but can be made for any size tank really. My issue was there are few lighting bars that are available for use inside a hooded tank. The RENA bar is only T8 and the arcadia I-Bar is not cheap at nearly 100 quid with no bulbs.
My issue is my tank has a thin cover not a hood so im having to mount using the glass ridges that are built in on the tanks sides to hang my lighting on. This design can be easily modified to fit a proper hood with ease.
The first bonus I found was my RENA T8 bar is 7 inches at the widest point. My T5 bar is only 3.5 Inches wide…. This would mean I COULD put 4 in my tank giving a total of 432 watts…… realistically 3 bars is better as I would not need to remove the light bar to alter/prune my tank.
I was shocked how bright the extra 18Watts per bulb really was…… I burnt my eyes looking at it!
The first thing I sourced was the T5’s. after reading up on this there is many thoughts to the temp to get. The range was between 6700K to 10000K so I visited WF Electricals. There brochure was limited but after they surfed there system there we fount Natural light bulbs colour 880 which have a colour temp of 8000K.
The overall cost was 6 quid for 2 bulbs as they were on offer but normally 5-6 quid each.
The next was the ballast. I got a Osram Cool Running Ballast from eBay. There advertised for about 30 quid delivered but I have just found out if you mail him he will remove the unneeded T5 connectors and charge only 17.50 delivered. (Note you still want the 4 clips and screws)
The next bit was T5 IP64 rated end caps. I found some that cost 10 quid for 2 pair. But since I have found arcadia replacement ones are only 12 quid and look a bit more robust. It will make the bar a little wider but not much.
Finally I went to Wickes an bought a length of waste pipe. The same stuff for sink drainage. It cost 1.50 for a length and the osram ballast fits in with about 1 ml to spare.
You need a plug and some cable long enough to reach from the middle of the light bar to the plug socket when mounted in the hood. (Scrapped Hoovers have a good length of cable)
Finally you will need some Aquarium Silicone (price unknown as I have some. But eBay sell it cheap in the large gun size)
All in all its about 45 quid all in Plus what ever you need to seal the end and mount to either your hood/tank. I had some bits that I had lying around but some blanking caps for the waste pipe could be used.
Im not going to detail the wiring as im not going to be responsible for you all electrocuting yourself but the wiring is on the ballast and not hard to follow. The ballast has push in connectors to wire it up. I tested it on the floor first then started to fit it all together.
Take the waste pipe and cut to length. Remembering on how its to be mounted. I had to make it nearly the full length so it could be clipped on to the tank.
Measure up the T5 tubes lay them central to the cut pipe and mark. Drill a hole both ends inline with each other about 1-2 CM’s further out than the end of the T5 tubes big enough to fit 2 of the end caps wires through.
Feed them through and make them run out of one end of the pipe.
At one end drill a hole for the power. When drilling point the 2 existing holes up as if it’s the top if mounted on a tank and down if mounted in a hood. Make sure you drill it 90 degrees round from the 2 holes on top and pointing to the back of the tank when mounted. Feed in the wire out the same hole as the other wires and wire them all in to the ballast.
As the Ballast is thin there is room above and below the ballast for the wires to run.
Once done make sure the ballast is in the centre. Mark up the 4 lamp clips about ¼ in from the end caps and using the self tapers mount them in to the pipe. Remove and cover the screw and under side of the clip in silicone and refit to make water tight. Clip in the tubes and fit the ends. Tuck in the excess lamp holder wires leaving a little slack to aid replacing the lamps. Silicone the wires and hole to make it water tight.
Finally fit the desired end caps with mountings and seal with silicone to make water tight. (If it fails and need maintaining you will need to cut and reseal)
Leave to dry for 24 hours and then plug in to test. Once tested Fit….. DONE!!!!!
Time Taken about 2 hours of fiddling and checking wiring is right
………………PICTURES………………
Here is the 2 bars i have the rena one is t8 and as you can see is convertibly wider.
and the ends that clip on and power cable to show you how its all fitted.
its not super pretty but is water tight from the 8 months its been in.
The plan is to do another T5 twin in tropical lighting and another twin if i wanted (For moon light!) so i can do staging over the 3 lights from none to tropical to daylight to tropical to moon light to none.
I think of making a bar to hold 4 light with 2 ballasts if i add another so i can turn of the middle two and the outer two rather than in pairs so it is more even lighting when reduced.
Thanks
Ok I am a little bored tonight so I thought I would type this up fully as it should have some use for those needed a bit more light.
This is for my 5ft Tank but can be made for any size tank really. My issue was there are few lighting bars that are available for use inside a hooded tank. The RENA bar is only T8 and the arcadia I-Bar is not cheap at nearly 100 quid with no bulbs.
My issue is my tank has a thin cover not a hood so im having to mount using the glass ridges that are built in on the tanks sides to hang my lighting on. This design can be easily modified to fit a proper hood with ease.
The first bonus I found was my RENA T8 bar is 7 inches at the widest point. My T5 bar is only 3.5 Inches wide…. This would mean I COULD put 4 in my tank giving a total of 432 watts…… realistically 3 bars is better as I would not need to remove the light bar to alter/prune my tank.
I was shocked how bright the extra 18Watts per bulb really was…… I burnt my eyes looking at it!
The first thing I sourced was the T5’s. after reading up on this there is many thoughts to the temp to get. The range was between 6700K to 10000K so I visited WF Electricals. There brochure was limited but after they surfed there system there we fount Natural light bulbs colour 880 which have a colour temp of 8000K.
The overall cost was 6 quid for 2 bulbs as they were on offer but normally 5-6 quid each.
The next was the ballast. I got a Osram Cool Running Ballast from eBay. There advertised for about 30 quid delivered but I have just found out if you mail him he will remove the unneeded T5 connectors and charge only 17.50 delivered. (Note you still want the 4 clips and screws)
The next bit was T5 IP64 rated end caps. I found some that cost 10 quid for 2 pair. But since I have found arcadia replacement ones are only 12 quid and look a bit more robust. It will make the bar a little wider but not much.
Finally I went to Wickes an bought a length of waste pipe. The same stuff for sink drainage. It cost 1.50 for a length and the osram ballast fits in with about 1 ml to spare.
You need a plug and some cable long enough to reach from the middle of the light bar to the plug socket when mounted in the hood. (Scrapped Hoovers have a good length of cable)
Finally you will need some Aquarium Silicone (price unknown as I have some. But eBay sell it cheap in the large gun size)
All in all its about 45 quid all in Plus what ever you need to seal the end and mount to either your hood/tank. I had some bits that I had lying around but some blanking caps for the waste pipe could be used.
Im not going to detail the wiring as im not going to be responsible for you all electrocuting yourself but the wiring is on the ballast and not hard to follow. The ballast has push in connectors to wire it up. I tested it on the floor first then started to fit it all together.
Take the waste pipe and cut to length. Remembering on how its to be mounted. I had to make it nearly the full length so it could be clipped on to the tank.
Measure up the T5 tubes lay them central to the cut pipe and mark. Drill a hole both ends inline with each other about 1-2 CM’s further out than the end of the T5 tubes big enough to fit 2 of the end caps wires through.
Feed them through and make them run out of one end of the pipe.
At one end drill a hole for the power. When drilling point the 2 existing holes up as if it’s the top if mounted on a tank and down if mounted in a hood. Make sure you drill it 90 degrees round from the 2 holes on top and pointing to the back of the tank when mounted. Feed in the wire out the same hole as the other wires and wire them all in to the ballast.
As the Ballast is thin there is room above and below the ballast for the wires to run.
Once done make sure the ballast is in the centre. Mark up the 4 lamp clips about ¼ in from the end caps and using the self tapers mount them in to the pipe. Remove and cover the screw and under side of the clip in silicone and refit to make water tight. Clip in the tubes and fit the ends. Tuck in the excess lamp holder wires leaving a little slack to aid replacing the lamps. Silicone the wires and hole to make it water tight.
Finally fit the desired end caps with mountings and seal with silicone to make water tight. (If it fails and need maintaining you will need to cut and reseal)
Leave to dry for 24 hours and then plug in to test. Once tested Fit….. DONE!!!!!
Time Taken about 2 hours of fiddling and checking wiring is right
………………PICTURES………………
Here is the 2 bars i have the rena one is t8 and as you can see is convertibly wider.
and the ends that clip on and power cable to show you how its all fitted.
its not super pretty but is water tight from the 8 months its been in.
The plan is to do another T5 twin in tropical lighting and another twin if i wanted (For moon light!) so i can do staging over the 3 lights from none to tropical to daylight to tropical to moon light to none.
I think of making a bar to hold 4 light with 2 ballasts if i add another so i can turn of the middle two and the outer two rather than in pairs so it is more even lighting when reduced.
Thanks
