# DIY Large Hood 55g Walkthrough



## NursePlaty

*I can either make a canopy or a regular hood with two legs. But I decided to go with the hood with two legs because I did not want to spend money on plywood. Also, the hood with legs is much smaller and more convenient to move around. 

I am going to start a journal entry of my progress for those of you who dont know how to wire sockets or make your own hoods.. I will teach you how. It is EXTREMELY simple. The only hard part I had was the frame because I am very limited on tools and I dont know how to use most of them around the house, therefore I cut everything with a handsaw. Those of you that have the necessary equipment can do this job in half less the time I am. 

Anyhow this is just the introduction. Once my camera is ready, I will beginning to take pictures of my progress with explanations of what I am doing. 

So far this is the cost of my peices.
Wood - free
8 light sockets $24
2 small bottles of black and white paint - $8
Extension cord $6
5ft of wires of both black and white $4
CFL Pigtail light bulbs 6500K spectrum 23w found at Lowes 11$ for a package of 4 count.

Pretty cheap for a fixture. 8 bulbs will give you 184watts total. Or if it is too much light, you an reduce it to 5 bulbs giving you 115W depending on if you want a low-tech or high-tech setup.

Feel free to ask questions and I will try to help along the way.
*


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## NursePlaty

*Painted with oil-based black. This is the outside of the frame. Mine will be sitting on the top of the tank on the black rims. The middle plastic beam will also support it from falling down. But, if the length and precise, it will be hard to fall in even without the beam. The frame can be any shape you want as long as it is angled correctly to reflect light into the aquarium. Canopy style works good too, however I decided to go with this style.*




*The inside is painted with ultra white paint water-based. I got flamed in another post with my DIY 20g hood because it was made with aluminum foil reflectors. Touchy people . So for my 55g I am using WHITE PAINT! I also hear that it is 2nd closest thing to the best light reflector.*




*These are the items I am using. Notice that the extension cord has 2 wires at the end. There are some sold that are attached to something else like a open socket and you dont want that. You need one that looks like this. *




*Here is an example of how I connect the wires. You simply attach the white wire to the golden screw, and the black wire to the chrome screw. If you screws are a different color you can look to see which is the hot screw and the ground screw. Flip the socket and look inside of it, it should have a square piece in the middle that should touch the bulb when screwed in. The color of the screw that is the same color as this square piece of metal is the hot screw.*




*Here is a demonstration of it lit up. If you want more lights, you simply attach another socket connected to the currect socket that you have. So lets say you want to add 2 bulbs, instead of having 1 black white and 1 white wire. It should have a total of 2 black wires and 2 white wires attached to the extension cord. You add the same color wires together. Dont mix. There is a sample picture in the next post showing 2 bulbs being tested.*





*These 2 pictures are of my 20g tank that I currently have to show you that this method works. However it will look much bigger on the 55g fixture. This hood is sloppy yes. I was in a hurry and just stuck random peices of wood together and was too lazy to paint it. I dont think I even measured dimensions either. I just randomly screwed them together and made this in less than 15 mins. However my 55g will be my masterpeice. I also havent been caring for that tank so everything is overgrown as you can see.*


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## NursePlaty

*Over here, I had to mount the sockets on to something so the bulbs would not touch the paint and the wood. I elevated this by using a plain small peice of wood. The distance from the bulb from the wood is about half an inch or 3/4ths of an inch. As you can see, I used only 2 color wires to make it easier for me to wire. If I had chosen yellow, red, green and etc, I would have gotten confused which wires go together. To test my lights, I connected both the black wire of the bulb and the extension together and taped it off. I did the same to the white one also. Black has to be with black and white has to be with white. *



*Good to know that it works.*


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## NursePlaty

*I decided to switch light sockets from plastic to Porcelain. I just cant get over the fact that the plastic might melt. It is in the same area of home depot and it only a bit more expensive, like 50-70cents more. *


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

What type of light bulbs are you using? They make armored cable that has a black and white wire in it already as well. What you did is effective and very cool. Just a preference Id probably have if I build one due to my kids messing with stuff. Theyd get zapped.


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

How many lights are you using on your 55g? My tank is a 75G so perhaps I could use same amount of lights you used? Thanks!


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## NursePlaty

seventyfivegallonsofun said:


> What type of light bulbs are you using? They make armored cable that has a black and white wire in it already as well. What you did is effective and very cool. Just a preference Id probably have if I build one due to my kids messing with stuff. Theyd get zapped.


*Unfortunately my computer crash so I had to reboot. I couldnt upload the recent pics of the finished project. I found out the light socket had live wires exposed so I had to cover them with hot glue and electrical tape. If I redid this hood, I would drill holes through the back side of the hood and just poke the sockets through to prevent water splashing into the wires. Armored wire would work good too. The bulbs are pigtail CFL daylight 6500K spectrum 23w bulbs. They sell 4 in a package for $11 at Lowes. *


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

It is a very clever hood. I like it so much I will prob make one this weekend. I've thought about drilling holes for the wires to come threw from the top and perhaps make a "false" space btw the light fixtures and the top of the fixture to house the electrical wiring. If it is enclosed in a wood structure protected I'd be confortable with using Romex type wire as well. They even make a grey direct bury in the ground type of romex that is reasonably cheap and much cheaper than the BX armored wire since that type is listed commercial use vs residential only. I'll post pics of what I come up with and thanks for the ideas! This is much more fun that spending $150-200 or more for a replacement fixture that prob wouldn't even be as powerful or effective.


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

Ive estimated I can fit 10 of those bulbs in my hood I am making. Would that be too much or should I go with 8? Thanks!

:animated_fish_swimm


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## NursePlaty

*I used 3 for my 20g and 5 for my 55g. I would think 8 is good for a 75. Too much light would mean you would need to fertilize a lot and add a lot of CO2 to compensate for the high lighting. Also, the slower growing plants that are in the moderate zone would have algae growing on them like how a low zone plant would do in my 20g. 

There really is no accurate way to measure how much light is needed. Its all a trial and error thing. 3 bulbs was 3.45wpg for my 20g. 8bulbs was only 3.34wpg on my 55g but ironically it was a lot more light than expected. *


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## aconrad

Im definitely going to do this, awesome idea!


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## NursePlaty

aconrad said:


> Im definitely going to do this, awesome idea!


*Glad its inspiring others to do it. Also saves money *


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I built the frame last night and sanded / primed. I started from scratch with no wood. Bill from Home Depot was a grand total of $70.00. I'm using a 1X10X4ft pine stock, (2) 1X4X6ft pine stock. Cut them to 4ft. Use the leftovers for the side pieces and a center support for middle. Using wood glue by elmers, they make a waterproof variety of wood glue that water wont break down. Just $1.00 more per bottle. Painting it with gloss back on exterior and gloss bright white interior. I am going to fully wire it for 10 lights which is the max it can hold (might could squeeze 12 but I like a little space btw bulbs just in case). But under nurse platys advice I will only put in 8 bulbs for now. I might add some optional trim to the top to pretty it up depending on how it turns out. But that should only occur maybe $10 more of cost. I'll snap some pictures this evening.


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## archer772

Well then for what about $100 you will have a nice looking top with plenty of light, alot cheaper than a prebuilt . I would think about wireing them up on 2 different switches like 3 on 1 and 5 on the other that way you could use 3 for like 8-10 hours and the other 5 for 4-6 hours.


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

That is an excellent idea. I start to wire tonight. I will pick up a 2nd toggle switch. Thanks.


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## archer772

I would just get the plug ends and then get timers then you dont have to worry about turning them on or off if your not going to be around for the day. I dont have switches for any of my lighting just timers and it is so nice to not have to remember to turn any lights on or off.


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## archer772

Sorry NursePlaty didnt mean to try to take over your thread


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## NursePlaty

archer772 said:


> Sorry NursePlaty didnt mean to try to take over your thread


*It is not a problem . It's all good advice and timers are the way to go, I also use them *


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## mk4gti

you are quite the crafty little female there nurseplatty, im impressed to say the least


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I think I will scratch the toggle and go with 2 plugs. Then I can program the 2 sets of lights with my HAI controller that I have in my house.

http://www.homeauto.com/Downloads/Products/HLC/Model60I00-1UPBApplianceModule.pdf

Its a neat device, It can even adjust the time of sunrise and sunset according to your time zone you live in or others across the world.


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## NursePlaty

mk4gti said:


> you are quite the crafty little female there nurseplatty, im impressed to say the least


*Thanks! I give some props to the home depot employees as I was sort of confused about how this wiring circuit worked. Also some to friends for cutting the wood for me *



seventyfivegallonsofun said:


> I think I will scratch the toggle and go with 2 plugs. Then I can program the 2 sets of lights with my HAI controller that I have in my house.
> 
> http://www.homeauto.com/Downloads/Products/HLC/Model60I00-1UPBApplianceModule.pdf
> 
> Its a neat device, It can even adjust the time of sunrise and sunset according to your time zone you live in or others across the world.


*I would incorporate that into my system, but its looks very complicated lol.*


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## aconrad

Im gonna wire up some night lights as well when i do this on a tank. Any suggestions on how to build the frame for a bowfront tank? I have some ideas but would be interested in your suggestions. Oh and for the night light im gonna use some old blue christmas lights


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I'd try to build a standard square frame and for the front bow use a piece of trim from lowes that is close to 1X4 X(whatever length you need). Take a miter saw and cut into the BACK of the trim maybe 1/8" an inch. Do this small cut every 1/4" or so. The wood will then be able to be bent to a bow. If it is exposed to excess moisture try a $3 can of "Undercoating" for automobles ( still sold at home depot too). Spray the backside of the trim only. After it cures its black. If you want u can paint it any other color, prob white like platys is. Thats what I would imagine for that tank.

"Oh and for the night light im gonna use some old blue christmas lights " is a great idea!


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I gave my new hood a 20 min test run last night with 10 lights in it. It is EXCESSIVELY HOT. To the point where the paint blistered inside it and the plastic trim on the top of my tank was VERY warm. Im going to have to add fans to it somehow and maybe raise it up more as well.


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## archer772

I would use some aluminum roof flashing on the inside and mount maybe 2-100mm computer fans in the top and have them come on with the lights.


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## NursePlaty

seventyfivegallonsofun said:


> I gave my new hood a 20 min test run last night with 10 lights in it. It is EXCESSIVELY HOT. To the point where the paint blistered inside it and the plastic trim on the top of my tank was VERY warm. Im going to have to add fans to it somehow and maybe raise it up more as well.


*CFLs normally dont give off that much heat. Did you do something wrong? Be sure the bulb isnt touching the paint. What gauge size wires did you use for the extension cord and for the wires to connect the bulbs?*


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I used the exact same bulbs you got at lowes for $11.28 per 4 pack. 27w 6500L CFL daylights. I used 12ga drop cord and 14ga wire btw the lights. Ill try to post a pic tonight. I found some small vents in the roofing section at lowes that are 2" aluminum vents i might add in the top. line the inside with aluminum roof flashing around the bulbs themselves. And i found a fan from work that runs on 120v thats 3" diameter. I might install that on the far side of the fixture (side you cant see well against the wall.) Let the air blow in and circulate instead of the heat stagnating in the fixture with no where to go is all I can figure is going on with it.


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## NursePlaty

*Yep those are the same bulbs I got  (I believe they are 23w not 27w). The aluminum roof and fan sounds like a good idea in your situation. I think my setup with 5 bulbs generates less heat not enough for me to notice unlike yours with 8-10 bulbs. 

DIY projects all the way! *


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

Fans made a world of difference! I got 2 CPU fans from work that are 120V. Night and day difference in heat!. I did the aluminum flashing too as it helped also. With the fans I can light up a full run of fourteen 27W bulbs (100W equiv) CFLs. Tank lights up light a christmas tree now 
Working on a DIY CO2 reactor til I can get a real CO2 tank tomorrow.


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

Question for the experts... I can safely run up to 14 of the 27W CFL 6500K bulbs in my fixture now with no heat issues. Big question is should I? Can you do too much light? 75 gallon tank size. I have Co2 DIY canisters X2 running now as well with a Marineland powerhead diffusing it through the tank. I have some water wisteria to start along with some sort of moss that my LFS said wasnt java moss but "some" other closew variety. And another plant that I havent identified yet that is about 6in long with pointed stalk type leaves. I want some good solid growth to fill things in fast. Thanks!


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## archer772

Well to start off with the DIY CO2 isnt going to work very well IMO and with that much light you are going to need CO2 and it should be Pressurized IMO. I would try it with just 5-7 bulbs for now because too much light and low CO2will cause algea problems.


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I defin want a CO2 tank in the near future. But working on the money for one. Since I just set all this up my budget is blown at the moment.


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## NursePlaty

*DIY CO2 only works in small tanks like 10g and 20g because the input is very little. I even hooked up 3 bottles of DIY CO2 to my 20g before I had pressurized and my pH still never changed. It still remained at 7.6. Now when I inject CO2 with pressurized, it goes down to 6.4. For 75g.. you would need definitely need pressurized CO2. 

When I didnt have pressurized with high lighting, I had a hundred species of algae growing. BBA, fuzz, Hair, Staghorn, Cladophora, etc. I had so much staghorn that my cryptocoryne was basically a fern. At that time I had to lower my lighting. When I upgraded to pressurized, I also upgraded my lighting to what it used to be, and I now only battle a few types of algae at this moment. 

Pressurized is cheaper in the long run too. I used up 6 cups of sugar every 2-3 weeks with DIY... now I only refill my 5lb tank every 2 months for only 11 bucks.

Check craigslist for systems. A new tank and new regulator can be as much as $300 or more. I got my entire setup for only $80 off of CL.

If you look at my albums, you can compare my 20g DIY CO2 to the 20g Pressurized CO2. Big difference I must say.*


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## NursePlaty

*I actually had the finished projected already uploaded into aquariumforum but I forgot. Here is the finished project. Lights off and lights on. I did make a small adjustment with it though. The gap that the light shines through, I took a peice of wood and covered it. The red/pink pieces are small pieces of natural red clay. I sprinkled some below my Eco-Complete to let it release iron over time for my plants. I used clay for the first layer, sphagnum peat moss for the second layer and eco-complete for the third layer. I might add a plain black inert sand over my eco-complete to keep some nutrients from being released into the water column but its a maybe.
*


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## jrman83

Wow NursePlaty, I took you to be a little older. 

I see how it sits on the tank, but what are you using to keep it there so it doesn't get nudged off the edge somehow? Are you using canopies?


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## NursePlaty

jrman83 said:


> Wow NursePlaty, I took you to be a little older.
> 
> I see how it sits on the tank, but what are you using to keep it there so it doesn't get nudged off the edge somehow? Are you using canopies?


*Asians just all look young for some odd genetic reason. Im almost 24 but look 15. The frame of the fixture fits perfectly into the black rims of the tank. Also there is a middle piece of the tanks black frame that comes across the tank in the middle. Im guessing its a support bream to support 2 stock light fixtures on both sides. But I am using only 1 fixture and its not a canopy. It is quite impossible for it to fall into the tank.*


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## mk4gti

ROFL u do look 15


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## NursePlaty

*Ill take that as a compliment lol. When I'm 50, I'll look 21.*


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## mk4gti

Lol i look reallly young too, its a mixture of being short and having a baby face. Lol im 24 as well and i often get mistooken for a 15 year old, thank god for facial hair.


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## jrman83

I think those lights are 26w by the way....at least the ones I saw were.

What kind of wpg are you shooting for? This tank I got today has nothing in way of lighting (other than single strips), and it's planted, and it has CO2. Although it needs to be rescaped badly I do plan to keep it planted. 

If I were to shoot for 3wpg, that's like 14 CFLs lined across the top of my tank...just seems a little much to imagine. Do you think 3wpg would support a moderately planted 120g tank?


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## NursePlaty

jrman83 said:


> I think those lights are 26w by the way....at least the ones I saw were.
> 
> What kind of wpg are you shooting for? This tank I got today has nothing in way of lighting (other than single strips), and it's planted, and it has CO2. Although it needs to be rescaped badly I do plan to keep it planted.
> 
> If I were to shoot for 3wpg, that's like 14 CFLs lined across the top of my tank...just seems a little much to imagine. Do you think 3wpg would support a moderately planted 120g tank?


*Mine are 23w CFL equivalent to 100w, says on the bulbs. The wpg rule I believe doesnt work for very small tanks and very large tanks. I put a 13w T5 tube over my 2.5g, according to that, it's 5.2wpg but it doesnt look that bright, it looks bright enough to grow low light plants maybe some moderate only. 

I put 3x 23w over my 20g to get 3.45wpg. 

I put 8x 23w on my 55g to get 3.34wpg, it is less wpg than my 20g BUT it seemed a lot brighter than my 20g so I lowered it to 5x bulbs. The 55g tank didnt seem that much different than the 20g. Its only 3 inches taller and twice as long. And my 20g lights are also too bright which is why I lowered the photoperiod to 5hrs. So technically, I only need 5x-6x bulbs for my 55g instead of 8x. 

I would rather have a longer photoperiod than stronger light intensity, so that way I can enjoy looking at my tank. My photoperiod on my 20g is so short that I have to manually turn it on to look at it majority of the time. My plants are also still growing fast with a 5 1/2hr/day photoperiod. I might lower it to 4 1/2 or 5....

You would have to experiment with your 120g. I usually just guess from looking at how bright it is, I dont use any math. If I guess wrong, Ill adjust it with the photoperiod or light wattage. If the difference is too large, I would remake my fixture with less sockets or more sockets. It doesnt take long.*


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## seventyfivegallonsofun

I made one with 14 bulbs on my 75G fixture so its very easy to fit them on a 120g. though my fish were getting a suntan and you could whiten your teeth with it so I reduced it to 8 bulbs.


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## jrman83

seventyfivegallonsofun said:


> I made one with 14 bulbs on my 75G fixture so its very easy to fit them on a 120g. though my fish were getting a suntan and you could whiten your teeth with it so I reduced it to 8 bulbs.


Think I'm going with 12. That is proportionally the same as you did - 2 per foot. Got another one of those fans laying around? I have a about a dozen pc fans from building them, but they are 12vdc. Found only one place online for a 3" 120v fan. That I'd be willing to pay for anyway. Surprising how expensive a little fan is.


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## HookMeUp

hi, your cute :animated_fish_swimm


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## Indiana Hurricane

reading this thread gave me the courage to build my own. Thanks


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## NursePlaty

seventyfivegallonsofun said:


> I made one with 14 bulbs on my 75G fixture so its very easy to fit them on a 120g. though my fish were getting a suntan and you could whiten your teeth with it so I reduced it to 8 bulbs.


*Happened to me too, I used 8 bulbs on a 55g and it was too bright. It would have probably worked, but my photoperiod would have to be limited to only 1-2 hrs a day or so to prevent algae. So I reduced it to 5 bulbs.*




Indiana Hurricane said:


> reading this thread gave me the courage to build my own. Thanks


*That is a very nice canopy and very bright . Im glad its inspiring others to do it. A very cheap setup to make I must say. Frames can be modified in any way to suit the hobbyists preferences such as your canopy 

Not to mention the bulbs are very cheap to replace since they are mass made, unlike the T5 bulbs that are $20 apiece. *


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## jrman83

I put 12 on one of my 125gal tanks and have been getting lots of algea growth (the bright green stuff) and the photo period is only 4hrs long. Just going to unscrew a couple of lights and see how that works. Right now the tank is slam full of Wisteria and not much else. Not a real light hungry plant to begin with. Going to re-scape it after I get my other 125gal done, but have to replace my substrate and get my CO2 hooked up and going this week for that. Got 160lbs of eco-complete going in with 50lbs of aquariumplants.com's custom substrate. Still need to make the light for it also.


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## NursePlaty

jrman83 said:


> I put 12 on one of my 125gal tanks and have been getting lots of algea growth (the bright green stuff) and the photo period is only 4hrs long. Just going to unscrew a couple of lights and see how that works. Right now the tank is slam full of Wisteria and not much else. Not a real light hungry plant to begin with. Going to re-scape it after I get my other 125gal done, but have to replace my substrate and get my CO2 hooked up and going this week for that. Got 160lbs of eco-complete going in with 50lbs of aquariumplants.com's custom substrate. Still need to make the light for it also.


*Sounds like either too much watts or the photoperiod is too long, since your photoperiod is only 4hrs, I believe its the watts . The WPG rule I dont think applies to big tanks or small tanks. I have my 20g set to only 5hrs and I still experience a small amount of the bright green algae like yourself. I might need to lower it to 4hr/day also which I am doing now. I might go buy 13W bulbs for the 20g instead so I can leave the photoperiod on longer. I want to view my tank and 4hrs/day isnt going to cut it lol. Is the CO2 pressurized? If you are not using pressurized CO2, I would reduce the wattage. I remember having a plant similar to Wisteria.. grew like a rain forest.*


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## jrman83

Yeah, I think wisteria would grow in your toilet if it could anchor itself down from the flow. 

CO2 is pressurized. When I moved my period to 4hrs I noticed the algae growth slowed down quite a bit and it hasn't gotten any worse. I have been doing so much work with my other tanks that I haven't even scrubbed it off. I have to remove the light fixture this weekend to finish with staining, etc. and will screw out two of the lights toward the center. My fish aren't complaining, lol.

I was thinking about the wattage/photo period solution for reducing algae....what if you lowered your watts to fight the algea and the light penetration was now not deep enough or watts not high enough for your more light demanding plants? Would a longer period make up for reduced watts and less light penetration? I don't have those demanding plants for the time being and wouldn't see any effect....was just running thoughts through my head.

Building one for my 75gal tank in the next day or so after I finish the one I am working on. Had planned on 8-26W lights. Wonder if that is too ambitious. Think I will build with 8 sockets and use 6 and see how that works and adjust from there. Only a few plants (14-15) in there right now.


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## NursePlaty

*I thinking it has to be enough to penetrate the lower area to consider it high tech for the high light requirements plants but also not on too long for algae growth. So not too low or else it would not be considered a high tech tank. But not too high to where benefits the algae

I believe I thought about the same thing before. To lower my watts. But I was just unsure because some plants like my HC and Stargrass require bright light. Maybe I should just put 1hr/day LOL. I'm just kidding.*


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## NursePlaty

*The method I used was Parallel wiring. But there was an easier way to do all this which i did on my third fixture. Instead of individual wires to the screws, I just used 2 long wires, one black and one white with each wire connecting all same color screws. Such as white wire connecting all gold screws and black wire connecting all chrome screws. Its also Parallel wiring, but an extremely easier way and less wires to be used. Also convenient.

In the picture, the top method is the easier way. The bottom method just requires more wires. The loose ends of the wires dont need to be attached to anything else but the screws. I believe it is because it is a closed circuit. *


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## automatic-hydromatic

I wish I was handy with wood working... the single tube light fixture on the hood of my 30 gallon is pathetic, and I'm dreading dumping the money to get a good new one...

I'll have to see what I can do to make my own


thanks for posting this


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## Hutch

Nice work with the custom lights. I am considering some diy lights but my current focus is on a plastic or aluminum housing. Wood is certainly much easier to work with and cheaper but I'm concerned about using wood around water. Have you had any problems with the wood retaining moisture and warping? Or mold growing on the wood? Thanks.


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## James0816

Actually getting ready to build my first canopy. Quick question for ya.

How did you attach the sockets to the wood risers?


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## mec102778

Yup, this is a new project for me for sure. And I looked at lights like these at home depot the other day 11$ for 4 is a good price.


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## jrman83

James, did the sockets you bought have a metal tab coming off of them?


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## mec102778

Hutch said:


> Nice work with the custom lights. I am considering some diy lights but my current focus is on a plastic or aluminum housing. Wood is certainly much easier to work with and cheaper but I'm concerned about using wood around water. Have you had any problems with the wood retaining moisture and warping? Or mold growing on the wood? Thanks.


i believe nurseplaty noted she paints the entire thing and uses water tight glue.


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## James0816

jrman83 said:


> James, did the sockets you bought have a metal tab coming off of them?


Haven't bought them just yet. I've been researching at the moment. Probably will get them tomorrow or Saturday.


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## jrman83

Back when I built mine the easiest ones were the ones that had a single metal tab coming off of them. The tab has a hole that I assume is to be used to mount using a screw. There were two types, slightly different, but easy to screw down using the hole that is in the tab. One of the types they have is like one of the ones in Nurse Platy's pics. They come in ceramic or plastic. There may be other options that are better, but it was the easiest way and it worked so I was happy with it.


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## mec102778

anyone thought of using the metal reflectors sold at home depo or lowes?


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## mec102778

For those wondering here is the CFL Bulb at Lowes.

Shop Bright Effects 4-Pack 75-Watt Equivalent Daylight Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (ENERGY STAR) at Lowes.com


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## pringleringel

Pretty cool setup. I've been thinking about making one similar.

One tip I have is make sure you mount your bulbs so they are laying on their side, not hanging down. You Get the max light output that way. Also if you want to use a reflective material inside use mylar, stay away from aluminum foil. It's reflective properties aren't as great as it seems and it can get hot-spots.

Also since the red spectrum penetrates the water the best for plants, I would reccomend mixing up your daylights with a few Soft White bulbs. They have the red spectrum you wish for.

Cheers


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## retiredsemi

well nurse platy you sure took me by surprise what a good looking young lady and smart too. I have a twenty five gal tank without a hood just setting here begging to be set up but was dreading buying a new hood for it. Getting the wood is no problem and doing the wireing is a joy for an old ham radio operator and aquariast (sp).I have also got a nice thick piece of blue plexiglass that I might use for the light cover.. Thanks for the idea and the walk through..

*old dude when I need a nurse can I call on you *r2


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