DIY Fishroom LEDs?

Becca

Becca

Members
Has anyone tried using DIY LED tape/strips in their fish room?

I was wondering how hard it is to install something like this -
http://amzn.com/B00B2F3KDQ -

along the bottoms of racks so that they shine into the tanks below?

Is this as easy as it looks or am I in for a load of trouble?
 
Rasta Fish

Rasta Fish

CCA Members
I am sure someone in the club has done this before
last AquaMania there was small a display tank with DIY LED lights setup on it
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
Are you hoping to grow plants? If so, I think you'll need to be more selective about the LEDs you choose.

If you're not worried about plants, then maybe this will work, but I have no idea how easy will be.
 
Frank Cowherd

Frank Cowherd

Global Moderators
Staff member
I bought a couple strings of LED lights in bright white and blue along with a couple transformers for 120V to direct current. Used these to make hoods for a 55 and a 180. You need to have a soldering iron and practice using it a bit before making the hoods. The double sided tape provided with the LEDs to hold the LEDs in place on the wood did not hold in all cases so I had to use regular aquarium sealant.

THe cost was $378 for the LEDs and transformers but the LEDs have stable wavelength light for up to a decade, which is why I thought it was worth it. Also the light supposedly penetrates to over 18 inches deep.

I do like mine and certainly less algae than I had with the 6 T8's I had before.

I got mine from http://www.ecolocityled.com/
And if you want help deciding what to get just call the phone number for this company. The guy I talked with was knowledgeable and patient.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
Frank Cowherd said:
I bought a couple strings of LED lights in bright white and blue along with a couple transformers for 120V to direct current. Used these to make hoods for a 55 and a 180. You need to have a soldering iron and practice using it a bit before making the hoods. The double sided tape provided with the LEDs to hold the LEDs in place on the wood did not hold in all cases so I had to use regular aquarium sealant.

THe cost was $378 for the LEDs and transformers but the LEDs have stable wavelength light for up to a decade, which is why I thought it was worth it. Also the light supposedly penetrates to over 18 inches deep.

I do like mine and certainly less algae than I had with the 6 T8's I had before.

I got mine from http://www.ecolocityled.com/
And if you want help deciding what to get just call the phone number for this company. The guy I talked with was knowledgeable and patient.
Click to expand...

Good to know - so I guess the kit in my first post doesn't look "complete" per-se?

I only have 3 rows of tanks so would need maybe 20-30 linear feet of lighting. I wasn't necessarily thinking of making hoods, I was hoping to just tape it up to the beams of the rack above each row of tanks and keep the lids I have.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
CichlidAddict said:
I bought several of these 48" long LED strips and taped them inside the reflector hoods after removing the flourecent tube. It's only $9 a piece, cheaper than buying replacement T5 tube. You can glued them permanently with silicone, but I just taped them with transparent packing tape. I prefer the white and blue color which give the most realistic effec.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-48-120-L...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item2c7e66f89c
Click to expand...

Did you have to buy any other parts or was everything included?
 
Andrewtfw

Andrewtfw

Global Moderators
I bought a 4 pack of light strips from Ikea some time back. They came with an adhesive for mounting them, which I used to mount them face down on the lip of my acrylic tank. They worked well, were very inexpensive, but cast a yellowish light.

Sent from my VS985 4G using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
JLW

JLW

CCA Members
IF you buy those particular strips, the tape on the back will NOT hold, as Frank said.

AHSupply.com makes some nice replacement bulbs that go into a socket for a power compact bulb, though you do not use the transformer for it. They work great. There are also some nice, cheaper options out there.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
JLW said:
IF you buy those particular strips, the tape on the back will NOT hold, as Frank said.

AHSupply.com makes some nice replacement bulbs that go into a socket for a power compact bulb, though you do not use the transformer for it. They work great. There are also some nice, cheaper options out there.
Click to expand...

They will if I staple them... muah-hah-hah-hah!!! Or maybe gorilla glue. The odds of me actually doing this in the near future are slim. I still have 4 rain barrels to pick up and install, fish to move, etc...

I don't actually have any PC fixtures. All are t8 except for one t5 NO. I'll have to check out what they offer, though.
 
Localzoo

Localzoo

Board of Directors
Becca said:
They will if I staple them... muah-hah-hah-hah!!! Or maybe gorilla glue. The odds of me actually doing this in the near future are slim. I still have 4 rain barrels to pick up and install, fish to move, etc...

I don't actually have any PC fixtures. All are t8 except for one t5 NO. I'll have to check out what they offer, though.
Click to expand...

Staples that hold cable or electrical wire are wide enough.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
CichlidAddict

CichlidAddict

Members
Becca said:
Did you have to buy any other parts or was everything included?
Click to expand...

No, you do not need to buy any other parts. The DC adaptor is included.


The Ikea white light seems to have lower K value than the aquarium white light, so it is not as good.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
CichlidAddict said:
No, you do not need to buy any other parts. The DC adaptor is included.


The Ikea white light seems to have lower K value than the aquarium white light, so it is not as good.
Click to expand...

If/when I do this I think I'll go with an RGBW mix - I like having a little bit of color in my lighting and being able to adjust it a little.
 
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