t5 light, how many bulbs?
- Thread starter tangov559
- Start date
I got my 4 bulb tek from Seeds Etc. and it was the best price I could find and I looked for quite a while. He also carries the Giesemann D&D bulbs and gives you a very good deal on them when you buy the fixture. I have nothing but good things to say about Seeds Etc. I am still amazed at how bright these are compared to my old pc's. I made my legs out of wood, it cost me under$5, I couldn't see spending the $60.
I didn't get the acrylic shield, I have heard some problems with them melting. I have a glass cover on my tank, I may remove it after my tank has time to get accustomed to the new light. The picture of the legs will give you the basic idea behind it. There are two nylon bolts that go thru the top of the legs and go into a small depression that I ground, with a dremel, into the top plastic rail of the tank. The end of the tek light sits into an 1/8 in groove cut into the top of the legs. If you have a table saw, or access to one, it was a very easy project. Glad to answer any questions.
It's on a standard 55, just the glass cover, no acrylic shield. It is really easy to make I could talk you thru it. Not sure I want to make one for someone else, I would hate to have it fail, I've only been using it for a few weeks. The height is adjustable, I plan on lowering it some as the tank get accustomed to the light and maybe removing the glass top.
All of the wood I used was pine that I already had. To buy it you would need 1inX2inx8ft. I used 4 nyoln bults and wing nuts. On the first side I used the wing nuts on the bottom side of the rail that you can see the bolts sticking out. On the second side I drilled the holes just a bit smaller than the bolt diameter. The pine was soft enough that the nylon bolt actually threaded the hole in the pine. If the legs will be removed frequently putting the nuts on the underside is probably a better idea. I will draw a diagram today and post it for you that might make the process a little easier. If you don't plan on using a glass top you could alter the legs a little and it would be even more stable.
I think if you put it directly on the glass the heat would build up too much and you would probably burn out the bulbs prematurely.
You could just put a piece of 2X4 on each end of the tank for the fixture to sit on but I'm not sure that would get it high enough either and you would probably loose some light from the ends. Another concern is salt spray getting on the reflectors if the fixture is too low.
These lights are an amazing upgrade from my previous pc's I'm sure you will be happy with them.
You could just put a piece of 2X4 on each end of the tank for the fixture to sit on but I'm not sure that would get it high enough either and you would probably loose some light from the ends. Another concern is salt spray getting on the reflectors if the fixture is too low.
These lights are an amazing upgrade from my previous pc's I'm sure you will be happy with them.
Depends on what the width of your tank is and the dimensions of the plastic top rail on the tank. What kind of tools do you have, hopefully a table saw, some of the cuts have to be pretty accurate. My tank has a width of 13 1/4 in. You will need to figure out how high off the water you want the light.
werew
New member
RE: TEK vs AQualux vs Icecap reflectors...
It seems to me that the TEK reflectors aren't polished as well as the other 2. The TEK reflector's profile shape is almost the same as the IceCap's... Isn't it?
I'm thinking.... A little bit of elbow grease and some Mother's Aluminum polish might make those TEK reflector's work better?
It seems to me that the TEK reflectors aren't polished as well as the other 2. The TEK reflector's profile shape is almost the same as the IceCap's... Isn't it?
I'm thinking.... A little bit of elbow grease and some Mother's Aluminum polish might make those TEK reflector's work better?
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