Cheap and easy aquarium strip lights

AquariumFatasies · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 17

They sell PVC rain gutter in 10 foot lengths for about $5 a section in
most big box stores. It comes in White or Brown. They also sell Left
and Right end caps, which merely snap onto the PVC rain gutter. PVC
rain gutter can be cut easy with a fine tooth blade (hack saw works
great) or even pair of snips, or score with knife and
snap...........anyway you do it, its just plain easay to work with.

YOu can buy el cheapo shop lights (typical 48" long 40watt 2 lamp
fixtures) for $10 to 15 at most big box stores as well, but they lack
a decent reflector and side sheilds, plus they are metal so are prone
to rust etc, and do not lend themselves to being modified very well.
However, using PVC gutter and end caps (a left and right) its easy to
gut a typical shop light assembly and install it in a piece of PVC
gutter which is cut to length to fit bulbs plus sockets as well as
fit on the tanks top frame..........its PVC and its non conductive so
its much safer overall than a metal fixture is.........You can buy
good reflectors that fit inside these PVC gutters and it merely wedges
inside or can be held in place with double faced
tape..............Gutters can be had in widths of 4" or 5 inches and
even a 4" wide can easily be made to hold 2 typcial florescent
tubes............A small muffin (Pancake) fan can be added if
additional cooling is necessary, and these can be bought at Radio
shack or any computer supply place for a few bucks.......they come in
AC or DC voltages so pick one that suits yuor situation the best. They
do make a difference in keeping a light cooler and that helps with
prolonging bulb life and not adding latent heat to a tank............

Archived from group: rec>aquaria>freshwater>misc

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"AquariumFatasies" wrote in message @n20g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
> They sell PVC rain gutter in 10 foot lengths for about $5 a section in
> most big box stores. It comes in White or Brown. They also sell Left
> and Right end caps, which merely snap onto the PVC rain gutter. PVC
> rain gutter can be cut easy with a fine tooth blade (hack saw works
> great) or even pair of snips, or score with knife and
> snap...........anyway you do it, its just plain easay to work with.
>
> YOu can buy el cheapo shop lights (typical 48" long 40watt 2 lamp
> fixtures) for $10 to 15 at most big box stores as well, but they lack
> a decent reflector and side sheilds, plus they are metal so are prone
> to rust etc, and do not lend themselves to being modified very well.
> However, using PVC gutter and end caps (a left and right) its easy to
> gut a typical shop light assembly and install it in a piece of PVC
> gutter which is cut to length to fit bulbs plus sockets as well as
> fit on the tanks top frame..........its PVC and its non conductive so
> its much safer overall than a metal fixture is.........You can buy
> good reflectors that fit inside these PVC gutters and it merely wedges
> inside or can be held in place with double faced
> tape..............Gutters can be had in widths of 4" or 5 inches and
> even a 4" wide can easily be made to hold 2 typcial florescent
> tubes............A small muffin (Pancake) fan can be added if
> additional cooling is necessary, and these can be bought at Radio
> shack or any computer supply place for a few bucks.......they come in
> AC or DC voltages so pick one that suits yuor situation the best. They
> do make a difference in keeping a light cooler and that helps with
> prolonging bulb life and not adding latent heat to a tank............
========================================
Do you have pic of this or know a website with pics?
--

RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }

AquariumFatasies · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 17

On Dec 26, 6:37 pm, "Reel McKoi" wrote:
> "AquariumFatasies" wrote in message
>
> @n20g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > They sell PVC rain gutter in 10 foot lengths for about $5 a section in
> > most big box stores. It comes in White or Brown. They also sell Left
> > and Right end caps, which merely snap onto the PVC rain gutter. PVC
> > rain gutter can be cut easy with a fine tooth blade (hack saw works
> > great) or even pair of snips, or score with knife and
> > snap...........anyway you do it, its just plain easay to work with.
>
> > YOu can buy el cheapo shop lights (typical 48" long 40watt 2 lamp
> > fixtures) for $10 to 15 at most big box stores as well, but they lack
> > a decent reflector and side sheilds, plus they are metal so are prone
> > to rust etc, and do not lend themselves to being modified very well.
> > However, using PVC gutter and end caps (a left and right) its easy to
> > gut a typical shop light assembly and install it in a piece of PVC
> > gutter which is cut to length to fit bulbs plus sockets as well as
> > fit on the tanks top frame..........its PVC and its non conductive so
> > its much safer overall than a metal fixture is.........You can buy
> > good reflectors that fit inside these PVC gutters and it merely wedges
> > inside or can be held in place with double faced
> > tape..............Gutters can be had in widths of 4" or 5 inches and
> > even a 4" wide can easily be made to hold 2 typcial florescent
> > tubes............A small muffin (Pancake) fan can be added if
> > additional cooling is necessary, and these can be bought at Radio
> > shack or any computer supply place for a few bucks.......they come in
> > AC or DC voltages so pick one that suits yuor situation the best. They
> > do make a difference in keeping a light cooler and that helps with
> > prolonging bulb life and not adding latent heat to a tank............
>
> ========================================
> Do you have pic of this or know a website with pics?
> --
>
> RM....
> Zone 6. Middle TN USA
> ~~~~ } ~~~ }- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

No, its just sopmething that I have done with some of my tanks that I
have. I wanted a housing that was easy to make to house lights, and be
mainly rustproof and easy to make.......and one day I seen rain gutter
in a localbuilder supply and the idea hit me. I aquire lots of tanks
here and there and most do not have hoods or lights, and this was one
way I was able to add lights and keep em looking decent and keep the
cost factor down. They are super easy to make............and if yu
just go to HOme Depot or Lowes and look at the PVC gutters and end
caps that they have, and just snap an end cap on the gutter it will be
readily apparent just how easy they are to make. Even the shape of the
gutters is similar to some strip lights. I had bought a heap of
jewelry store glass display cases (J.C.Penny was the store and they
sold their old showcases when they moved to new location) What I had
was a heap of glass display cases, with electronic ballasts and Power
compact florescent lighting in them. I stripped out all the PC lights
and ballast. There was also some with regular florescent tubes in them
as well. I installed the ballasts and sockets and made a bunch of
strip lights for the tanks I have. No matter what wattagae bulbs I
have yet to melt or create a hazzard with the PVC gutters as a
housing. I do add small fans on one end to pull cooling air through
and also pull any accumulated heat off the water itseklf by
accelerating evaporation. I get fans from various electronic devices
or old junked computers. MOst fans are 2 x 2 inches or 1.5 x 1/5 or
even 3 x 3 inches, and run on DC voltage. Yuo can always find wall
transformers at places like Goodwill or Salvation army etc for a buck
or two and they will power the fans just fine. Even a 6 VDC will power
the fans ata reduced air flow and this in turn makes the fans much
quieter and so far even at slower speeds they work just fine ata
keeping lights etc cooler. Power compacts are probably the worst at
adding latent heat, and reg NO florescents are not bad at all and I
rarely ever use a fan in those housings.

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"AquariumFatasies" wrote in message @x29g2000prg.googlegroups.com...

No, its just sopmething that I have done with some of my tanks that I
have. I wanted a housing that was easy to make to house lights, and be
mainly rustproof and easy to make.......and one day I seen rain gutter
in a localbuilder supply and the idea hit me. I aquire lots of tanks
here and there and most do not have hoods or lights, and this was one
way I was able to add lights and keep em looking decent and keep the
cost factor down. They are super easy to make............and if yu
just go to HOme Depot or Lowes and look at the PVC gutters and end
caps that they have, and just snap an end cap on the gutter it will be
readily apparent just how easy they are to make.

* I know exactly what you're saying but would be clueless as to how the
lights and ballast would be installed safely. The 2 bulb shop lights wont
fit inside even the wider gutters. The 2-bulb strips are too wide.

Even the shape of the
gutters is similar to some strip lights. I had bought a heap of
jewelry store glass display cases (J.C.Penny was the store and they
sold their old showcases when they moved to new location) What I had
was a heap of glass display cases, with electronic ballasts and Power
compact florescent lighting in them. I stripped out all the PC lights
and ballast. There was also some with regular florescent tubes in them
as well. I installed the ballasts and sockets and made a bunch of
strip lights for the tanks I have.

* But you know how to work with electrical things... most of us women do
not. And the fit would have to be exact or the bulbs would fall out or not
light at all.

No matter what wattagae bulbs I
have yet to melt or create a hazzard with the PVC gutters as a
housing. I do add small fans on one end to pull cooling air through
and also pull any accumulated heat off the water itseklf by
accelerating evaporation. I get fans from various electronic devices
or old junked computers. MOst fans are 2 x 2 inches or 1.5 x 1/5 or
even 3 x 3 inches, and run on DC voltage. Yuo can always find wall
transformers at places like Goodwill or Salvation army etc for a buck
or two and they will power the fans just fine.

* I have to pass on this Roy. You're close to, if not an expert on these
things, so it's nothing for you to make them. I'd be blindly working with
something I know nothing about........

Even a 6 VDC will power
the fans ata reduced air flow and this in turn makes the fans much
quieter and so far even at slower speeds they work just fine ata
keeping lights etc cooler. Power compacts are probably the worst at
adding latent heat, and reg NO florescents are not bad at all and I
rarely ever use a fan in those housings.
--
RM....
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }