Lighting ideas...

Any thoughts on lighting for my setup? Old light strip is slowing fading...just too many years of exposure to moisture.

Right now I have a simple glass cover with a single bulb 48" flourescent light. Really want to find a dual bulb 48", but no idea if or where one exists. Who knows might just break down and make me one.

I don't want or need to grow anything, so nothing fancy like the salt boys.

Any suggestions or thoughts from anyone?

Build a canopy and pop a dual bulb shop light fixture under there. I'd spend my money on a canopy and get a cheap light rather than the other way around.

Yeah...may go that way. I know I can get something alot nicer that way. Wanna keep it minimalistic. Really don't want a massive wooden hood on top of the tank!

Yeah... I'm back and forth on my canopy thoughts. I really like my look right now... suspended over a rimless. But sometimes I see those canopies and they look really good!

onegoodie wrote:Yeah...may go that way. I know I can get something alot nicer that way. Wanna keep it minimalistic. Really don't want a massive wooden hood on top of the tank!

i came up with this solution for lighting my 55



20 dollar 48" shoplight from lowes. i got some 40 watt plant & aquarium bulbs for it and my java moss and japanese mossballs thrived under it.

You could go for a couple pendant lights. Not halide or anything. Just something that has a medium base socket in it. Then you can paint the inside of the shade bright white and put a 6700k cfl bulb in there and you are good to go. 2 or 3 will be enough for a 55g tank.

I went the hood route for my 75g and rigged 4 medium base sockets under it, though three would have worked just fine. Works great I wouldn't go back to regular fluorescent. The nice thing about it is you can change the wattage for each lamp across the tank which creates different lighting effects. Here is a pic with the lid up.



The natural wood strip in the middle is where the old shop light used to be before it crapped out on me. Like I said I will never go back. This is the same type setup I have on my 120g.


Oh, and the total cost WITH bulbs is less than $20. Breaks down to being a 10' indoor 2 wire extension cord(less than $2) 4 medium base sockets ($1.39ea), and a 4 pack of 18w 6700k bulbs(between $10-$12 at Lowes)

you know they make those 6700k bulbs with their own reflector right? they look like flood lights. much more efficient as they dont waste any light going up or out... its all reflected down into the tank. its the same cfl in a floodlight housing sorta... i use them in my saltwater tanks to light my fuges.


edit: i think the ones i got are 18w 6500k bulbs, not 6700.

+1 Win... Those lights are great for the fuge!

http://www.lowes.com/pd_296864-75774-LBP18R40/65K_0__?productId=3197109&Ntt=compact+fluorescent+&Ns=p_product_price|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNs%3Dp_product_price|1%26Ntt%3Dcompact%2Bfluorescent%2B%26page%3D4


thats the one!