# How to add T8 shop light to tank?



## Orador223 (Apr 12, 2011)

I bought this from home depot Lithonia Lighting All Season Shop Light 4 ft. 2 Light T8 Strip Fluorescent-1242ZG RE at The Home Depot

and am using dual 32w 6500k T8's in it. This fixture is intended to replace the current t12 fixture that i have on my 65 gallon because the WPG is way too low. The problem with this is that it's too wide to fit in the spot that I currently have my hood light. I could take the entire hood off and put it on the plastic but I have two worries: 1- the water evaporating into the fixture, 2- the fixture melting through the plastic (I don't know how hot it gets.) I don't want to hang the fixture from the ceiling so that isn't an option. Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If your fish aren't "jumpers" pull the cover off and add a spacer(anything ;wood,legos,anything) to seperate the fixture.I really don't think the light will melt or effect your tank so maybe you don't need the spacers,but thought I'd throw out some of the ones I,ve used.
The light should be fine (being open to the water) as long as you are not running an air stone,which would put more water on your lights.At worst you may have to wipe off your lights with a water wet cloth every month.Look into all glass cover in the future(digging the budget).
Good move upgrading your light it should do better for you!
And don't worry about evap as you should change water regulary enough that it should never be a really noticeable issue.(I'm saying pull some out every week and fill it back up to the top).


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

I have the Lowes version of this light and I have non of those issues. You will be fine! And way to save yourself some cash!


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

For the budget minded...Loew's sells(and I therefore believe that Home Depot also sells) a GE "Daylight" fluorescent bulb at $7.63 from the store near me which
has a couple more letters behind the "Daylight" name like L-15...actually I remember the 15 but it's the letter I forgot. On the package it says "6500K". I use
two 18" on my ten gallon tanks and one is one of these bulbs. It has good visible light. The "Power Glo" by Hagen has more but cost twice as much most places.
So far I can't tell any difference in plant growth with these over what I replaced with it which was a Zoo Med Ultra sun.
All these bulbs which I'm speaking of are T8.
After trying a few names/brands of bulbs for plants I think that the Zoo Med "Flora sun" works best for plant growth.
But it's been a long time since I've tried a "Power Glo" for the plants so don't remember which is better. But by far the most visible light was from the Power Glo.
Next was the Zoo Med "Ultra sun" and then the Ge "Daylight"
But because I've read that the 6700K is best for the plant growth I have never tried the Zoo Med "Ocean sun" 10,000K (or any other brand of 10,000K bulb)
I am strongly favoring using the T8's on the 55 I'm eventually getting because of using two fixtures and two timers, but may try one Power Glo
and one 10,000K on it due to the higher tank. 21"(about 18-19" above the gravel) is a big jump from the 10.5" I now have in the ten's so I'll need more
light than before. My biggest concern is that now since I have two 18" at 15W each I'm running 3W per gallon and with the two 48" by 32W each only
gives me 64W for 1.16W per gallon. And going/w the T5's only increases it to 2W per gallon.


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## Orador223 (Apr 12, 2011)

Ok I just put the fixture onto the edges of the tank, i have 1 1/2cm moving space on each side before the fixture falls into the water, how do i secure the fixture to the edges so it can't move around from side to side but that I can still move it back and forth?


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## jshiloh13 (Dec 12, 2010)

I screwed a strip of sheet metal on each side of mine to keep it from moving from side to side.


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