Inside a Juwel hood

[daza]

In case anybody had ever wondered what it was like inside their Juwel Rekord 70 hood, here is a pic with the rear glued down flap removed.

Curiosity got the better of me so I thought I would share the pic to save others the trouble!

I think the DIY section is more appropriate than pictures because the info is most likely beneficial to those looking to make some mods (like I am).

 

[BigC]

Hi daza,
Obviously you had more guts than I had when trying to fit another light tube to the hood. How did you manage to get it off, did you use heat?. Looks like you could remove the ballast entirely and place it outside some where. and fit another tube that way. Else rip the whole lot out and fit a double starter unit.

 

[daza]

Hi BigC,

It was quite easy to get off actually, it wasn't glued down tight all the way around, so I found a corner where I could slip a stanley knife under and went from there.

I haven't glued it back down, but it fits back in quite tightly anyway.

The ballast looks like it would be quite easy to remove and discard or put in an external box. I've still not decided what approach I am going to take, but I'm not in a rush.

I'm now thinking of getting T5 power compacts, so my options are to keep the existing tube and install one T5, or install two T5's and discard the original (might be best as it is probably due for replacement now).

I also want to install some computer-case type fans in the hood before the real hot weather gets here like last year, some moonlights and an automatic feeder! So because of all that I am also thinking about making a custom hood out of wood to match the beech stand.

Most likely, I will buy the T5's and fans, bodge them into this Juwel hood (hence exploring the compartment above) and see how well they work before making a hood to house it all neatly.

But then the more I think of these options, the more I think about forgeting it and waiting until I have the space for a larger tank (no space in my flat for MTS to take hold!!)

I'm still pondering it all at the moment

 

[BigC]

Good luck with the hood project. A whole lotta ideas in yer head at the moment eh. Seriously though, you'd think Juwel would have woke up to the idea of an alternative hood to match their stands by now. There's gotta be a market for them.