# Building a lighthood..



## weaselnoze (Nov 30, 2006)

this is for a 2.5 planted nano  comments appreciated!

here's the breakdown of the build..

Hardscape










The entire hood is made from plexiglass and painted

building the sides









fitting the sockets









testing the bulbs









it fits!









wiring it up parallel (first in home electrical project, how'd i do? )









omg no one died from electrocution! phew..









genius at work...









seal up that electrical box good!









fitting the top. starting to look like a hood!









sand it down. sorry dont have a picture...









prime it for good stickage!









a few coats of flat black and we're cherry









add a reflector for extra reflectiveness. i used a piece of dryer duct. 2.79 at ACE hardware









and we're done! how'd ya like that? go ahead, critique me


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

:shock2: Nice work.:shock2:
Good luck with the planted nano.:welldone:


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

Yeah, good job. That pic of you looks like you've been sniffing allot of glue. LOL


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## Nick (Aug 2, 2006)

That is a great set-up. Love the step by step photo process  Great job!


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## joeshmoe (Aug 2, 2006)

do u have a slpash peace of plastic so water dosnt go in the lights?


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## SKAustin (Aug 1, 2006)

Nicely done. I've relocated the thread to DIY.


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## weaselnoze (Nov 30, 2006)

joeshmoe said:


> do u have a slpash peace of plastic so water dosnt go in the lights?


no guard in place at this time. may change in the future


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## Brandon (Dec 14, 2006)

WOW get a pic with light on, it looks great. (maby i should do this...)


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## Amphitrite (Sep 8, 2006)

Excellent thread weaslenose! I must say, you do look a bit like a mad scientist in that photo :lol: 

Just one question, the bulbs you are using look like household energy efficient bulbs. If so, would they provide the correct light spectrum for the plants?


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## Brandon (Dec 14, 2006)

Ya i was gonna ask the same thing because i wanna build one to.


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## davethetester (Dec 3, 2006)

Looks great 

I've got two concerns though.

Firstly I wouldn't be happy not having a water tight barrier between the tank and the bulb bases. I think condensation is likely to form on the metal parts when the lamps are off and the fitting cold. This could lead to disaster when the lamps are switched on again. I built a similar project last year and think the use of household power compacts is great but thought must be given to the fact that they are not designed for aquarium use.

Secondly, though you may have no trouble at all, is the fact it's made of plastic and them bulbs are gunna get pretty hot. Time will tell.

Good project & good luck


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## rocky00 (Mar 27, 2007)

look good.


how do you cut them?


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## Age of Aquariums (Apr 13, 2007)

Nice hood!


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

The low wattage bulbs shouldn't get too hot I wouldn't think. Plexiglass takes a fair heat to melt.

I'd be nervous about making it totally watertight but if you think you have - nice one! Looks good!


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

I think as long as the epoxy holds tight the plexi shouldn't bend and deform but it also depends on the plexi used. 

As for sealing the entire unit, just thought would add that if you do you can't get the bulbs out to replace them, 8) .

Looks good, but I do have a couple questions:
First is what type of Epoxy did you use? I have never goten epoxy to stick to my plexi.
Second, do you know the kelvin rating of the bulbs? The bubls work great from what others have said but you need to make sure you have the 6500K ones. I have 8 of them sitting and waiting for me to build a hood for emersed growth. Gonna build one to hold 6 bulbs to use for the emersed part of the plants. That is if I ever catch my dad at home to use his power tools. 

One suggestion also, I would have put an inline switch instead of the one build into the side of the hood. Just easier to deal with in my opinion.


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## joe46galbow (May 23, 2007)

looks cool


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