Shoplight For 48" Tank

[aquaticadmirer]

Has anybody out there used a shoplight for a 48" tank? If so, did you do anything special to modify it and how did you do it?

I'm trying to convert my 55g tank into a planted tank while spending as little money as possible, and I've heard of this as a cheap option for 48" long tanks. I was wondering though how do you attach it to the tank? I have a glass cover on the tank, so can I just put it right on top of that?

Any other ideas for cheap lighting? Thanks!

 

[iairj84]

I am planning on using a 48'' shop light for my 55 gallon. I have a wooden canopy over my tank which I can put the light into. You would need to build something like that in order to make it work. If you arent mechanically inclined and dont want to build a canopy you can buy them, but by the time you do that you might as well have bought a full light setup, as they generally aren't cheap at all! If you wanted to do that you can purchase "Daylight" Bulbs that are the right color rating for growing plants and that would be 6500k. They are cheap and do the job really well for the price.

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

I am planning on using a 48'' shop light for my 55 gallon. I have a wooden canopy over my tank which I can put the light into. You would need to build something like that in order to make it work. If you arent mechanically inclined and dont want to build a canopy you can buy them, but by the time you do that you might as well have bought a full light setup, as they generally aren't cheap at all! If you wanted to do that you can purchase "Daylight" Bulbs that are the right color rating for growing plants and that would be 6500k. They are cheap and do the job really well for the price.

i've just brought the stuff to put two 60w normal house lights in the hood of my tank and then cover the underside in tin foil to make it reflective ! i'm going to take pics and stuff when i do it !

giving me around about 3.5wpg

 

[iairj84]

I would use either a pie tin or aluminum roof flashing rather than the aluminum foil, it's much more reflective IMO and will work better for you.

I have done a DIY for cheap lighting as well, Search my user name for the post. I don't have the link handy right now. It's an easy DIY and cheap as well. If you have space for the shoplight though it's an even better deal

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

I would use either a pie tin or aluminum roof flashing rather than the aluminum foil, it's much more reflective IMO and will work better for you.

I have done a DIY for cheap lighting as well, Search my user name for the post. I don't have the link handy right now. It's an easy DIY and cheap as well. If you have space for the shoplight though it's an even better deal

my stuff cost me £6.45 all together so resonably cheap for me

 

[iairj84]

It's definately cheap, I would just reccomend getting a reflector that's a little more reflective for even more light. The aluminum foil works fairly well though, the roofing flashing is really cheap though so it's worth upgrading. You can get a couple feet of it for less the $1 US.

 

[MadMan-JaMeS]

It's definately cheap, I would just reccomend getting a reflector that's a little more reflective for even more light. The aluminum foil works fairly well though, the roofing flashing is really cheap though so it's worth upgrading. You can get a couple feet of it for less the $1 US.

what are shoplights btw ?

i might not use my idea cos the bulbs are 240volt and obviously being close to water is a no no gotta see what clearance i got rly !

 

[iairj84]

Shoplights are made for use in a garage. They use two 48'' bulbs generally that are each 40 watts a piece. The reflective properties of the actual shoplight aren't quite as high on a regular aquarium light, but are most often painted white for relatively good reflection. You can sometimes find them with aluminum reflector but cost twice as much. In the US we can buy shoplights for $8.00 and the bulbs for less than $5 a piece. Making it a really cheap and effective solution.

 

[aquaticadmirer]

Thanks for the input guys! I'm beginning to think though that changing the tank to a planted one and doing it right is going to be a little out of my price range right now...Sure I might be able to get cheap lighting but it won't match very well and I want it to look nice. I also am not much for DIY so a canopy is out of the question right now!

Oh well, I guess I'll just get a bunch of silk plants on ebay or something for now, and maybe once I graduate I'll be able to afford it!