Cheap Light And Lid Ideas Neeeded

[kbod]

I have a 200 litre bowfront its 3ft 3" (l) x 1ft 1" (w) x 1ft 7" (h)

it doesnt have a lid or light .......plz see pics

seen clip on light £120... Way over my budget

any ideas what i can use ? Preferbly not expensive

many thanks xx

INSIDE SURROUND THAT IS DETATCHABLE,

 

[Leaky]

Try making a simple tank lid out of a covered wood, then slice in half, hinge, stick a nob on and youve got a working lid !!!!

thats basicaly what mine is like !!!

 

[kbod]

THANKS LEAKY BUT IM USELESS AT DIY AND HUBBYS EVEN WORSE MANY WONKEY SHELVES + I DONT EVEN HAVE ANY TOOLS .

ARE THERE PLACES OR PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP STUFF FOR TANKS ?

 

[Leaky]

there are a couple of websites that sell lids specific for different shaped tanks, but im not sure about your shape ...

do you know the company you got the tank from in the first place ?

if you do you may be able to email them about getting a new tank lid ?

 

[tom_os]

for all my tanks i use 3mm clear acrylic. it can be cut with scissors to the perfect shape and it lets light shine through

 

[heartworm]

for all my tanks i use 3mm clear acrylic. it can be cut with scissors to the perfect shape and it lets light shine through

I always need something stronger, I have cats.

 

[hunter001]

You said about a clip on light, did you mean something like these http/www.cupargardencentre.co.uk/acatalo...LUORESCENT.html You can get a 39watt double tube for £60 although you have got the cost of tubes extra on that. Im ordering a couple of the 54W ones next week.

 

[kbod]

thanks hunter yes those are the type but im told it must be 3ft 3" extendable unsure of wattage needed ?

ive decided to get some perspex as a lid /condensation tray....

unless i can swap some spare stuff ie( clearseal 4ft tank and stand and light , and another tank 60 litre +) for a handy man any takers lol x

 

[hunter001]

thanks hunter yes those are the type but im told it must be 3ft 3" extendable unsure of wattage needed ?

ive decided to get some perspex as a lid /condensation tray....

unless i can swap some spare stuff ie( clearseal 4ft tank and stand and light , and another tank 60 litre +) for a handy man any takers lol x

Those are extendable, so you could still go with your perspex lid/ condensation tray. With your size tank you could get either the 24w or 39w single or double tube, although if it were me i'd always go with the double. Where are you based as i could do with another 4ft tank.

 

[hunter001]

http/www.aquariasupply.com/v/vspfiles/as...lo%20lights.jpg

Theres a pic of one on a tank, those metal bits you see holding it on extend so you can adjust it to the length of your tank.

 

[kbod]

cheers hunter001 for link , im at mablethorpe lincs ,just added pics to thread with 4ft tank on,open to anything for it ..

 

[kbod]

hi im still having probs ..i brought 2x 2ft clip on hai yong light units (unsure if got name right) ...but a great deal i thought at £30 each ..got them home but they didnt fit due to the slight curve on the aluminium/wood brace surround thingy (as you can tell im not very knowledgable lol)..

so ive decided im gonna try getting lid/light made

i have a light unit from the 4ft spare tank incl bulb but just slightly bigger so i was wondering can i reuse the unit old but working ,use a smaller length bulb say 3ft and attach to a reflector then attach to some kind of wooden lid ,would this be safe ?

ps got me some tools ... stanley knife ,blades ,and a little hand sawy type thing ..is there any hope for me ?

 

[hunter001]

hi im still having probs ..i brought 2x 2ft clip on hai yong light units (unsure if got name right) ...but a great deal i thought at £30 each ..got them home but they didnt fit due to the slight curve on the aluminium/wood brace surround thingy (as you can tell im not very knowledgable lol)..

so ive decided im gonna try getting lid/light made

i have a light unit from the 4ft spare tank incl bulb but just slightly bigger so i was wondering can i reuse the unit old but working ,use a smaller length bulb say 3ft and attach to a reflector then attach to some kind of wooden lid ,would this be safe ?

ps got me some tools ... stanley knife ,blades ,and a little hand sawy type thing ..is there any hope for me ?

Have you got any pics of the new clip on lights? There may be a simple solution to attach them. Im having to attach a few bits of acrylic to my tank to hold my new luminaire on because the rim round my tanks to fat for the brackets

 

[kbod]

thanks hunter but when i rang the lfs where i got lights from they said if i took straight back would get refund so thought best as didnt want to loose

£60.

however i did take pics of it so will post later,but we did try everything but because of rim surround having curve and inside lip the bit that tightens

wasnt wide enough ,the light kept dropping forward and the screw that tightens was too large for lip and started to bend so didnt want to push it

incase it broke.

hard to explain but pics of tank show what i mean (i think ?)

 

[hunter001]

thanks hunter but when i rang the lfs where i got lights from they said if i took straight back would get refund so thought best as didnt want to loose

£60.

however i did take pics of it so will post later,but we did try everything but because of rim surround having curve and inside lip the bit that tightens

wasnt wide enough ,the light kept dropping forward and the screw that tightens was too large for lip and started to bend so didnt want to push it

incase it broke.

hard to explain but pics of tank show what i mean (i think ?)

I think i get what you mean but post some pics up of the lights. So are you going for a d.i.y solution now then?