# Looking for the User with raingutter light set up



## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Someone here a while back around winter time had build a light set up for their tank where the light was covered with a white rain gutter.....where is this User cause I can't find the thread any more????

My question is if there was any kind of air vents / holes cut in to the Gutter for ventilation purposes???


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Natalie- Why are you trying to fry my brain cells with trying to remember things like this so early in the morning?? :lol:
Here's the thread:

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...t/adventures-budget-diy-lighting-34614/page2/


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

WHY could you find it and my search returned nadda???? NOT FAIR! But it was beetlez so lemme hunt him down


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

Angel079 said:


> WHY could you find it and my search returned nadda???? NOT FAIR! But it was beetlez so lemme hunt him down


Believe it or not it's just something that stuck in my head because what beetle did with the whole rain gutter thing impressed me. It's funny what you remember and don't remember. I can recall this thread but if you asked me what movie I saw last I'd have to really stop and think. Go figure.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

what can i say, i have that effect on the ladies  lol

just sent nat a pm, but yeah I didnt bother drilling air vents in mine to see if they needed em. no melted parts yet! Actually, I now run... lemme think... 3 of them and im going to make another for my 55 so i can put my strip light on the girlfriends 75g she just got  eventually they will ALL be gutter lights except my 10g betta/cory tank that has a prefab strip light. 

one of these days ill do an actual dollar for dollar breakdown between building one and buying one for kicks. now im ranting.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

beetlebz said:


> what can i say, i have that effect on the ladies  lol
> 
> one of these days ill do an actual dollar for dollar breakdown between building one and buying one for kicks. now im ranting.


Yes you do :lol:

You're not ranting you're just talking aloud. Ranting is complaining, which we know you don't do. Ladies men don't rant. ;-)


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

So lemme ask one more question prince charming :-D

You used CFL screwed them in right? I wanna have this over one 4ft 32w T8....think that'll be alright? I planned on leaving the left side of the gutter open so to say as its close by the wall and you won't see anyway.

I kept putting my hand on the strip light after its been running all day and it get's warmish but not hot by no means :-?


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

so wait, you want to make a gutter light using a 4 foot T8? if so, whats your question exactly? if you need ventilation or not? 

i would say it would be fine. I tried leaving the end cap off one of mine and it shined up the wall like vegas lol


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Yes its for the 55g, its 4ft strip light to be hidden in a gutter (white) and I will leave one end cap off since that's against/ close by the wall anyway for some ventilation. Its housing 1x32w T8.

Think that'll be fine w/out extra ventilation?

Any good tool idea how to best cut the gutter so its gonna be super nice and not cricket?:-?


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

I use whats called a pull saw to cut my gutters, as it makes a more accurate cut. it doesnt need to be PERFECT as the ends get stuffed into a slot on the end cap, unless of course its fit to sit down inside the tank frame, but using a strip light with no glass lid is sketchy lol

it would be fine without ventilation, but i think you will wind up being happier using both end caps (they are sold as a pair anyway) and drilling a few holes in the back if youre worried about it getting too hot


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Pull saw I think hubby has one so that's good. I used these Metal cutters before that sorta look like scissors but that didn't seem to be the right tool really.

I have no glass over the tank that's correct. I have sheet plexi glass over it; over the tank & between it and the lights :-D so that's alright I'd think!?

I also think now I'll go ahead do both ends so if I wanted to move the tank to a different spot a year from now I won't have to work it again. Nop our ACE sells them individual for a few cents each :lol: Gotta LOVE a small town hixville ACE store, they have soooo much stuff for my fish tanks.

PS Thanks for all your help man its REALLY appreciated!!!


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

I think they are called Tin snips among a multitude of other names, sorry I love useless information


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

as long as you got something to keep the light from falling in the water and electrocuting the fish you are good be it glass or plexi lol

tin snips work, i have super duty cut anything scissors i use, saws of most types work, i might even make a jig out of wood to use for a saw just for kicks 

and im happy to help angel!! if you get stick on anything dont be afraid to ask... i can take pictures of my wiring and what not if you need also. and post pics!


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## Taz (May 3, 2010)

Hi Angel - Hope they answer, sounds interesting. If not, my guess is if your normal light canopy has vent slats, there should be something similar in a homemade version.


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

beetlebz said:


> as long as you got something to keep the light from falling in the water


No thanks I done this many yrs ago in my early yrs during a w/c somehow kicked the lights in the tank and WHAT do I do for the sake of my fish I reach RIGHT IN the water and snatch it outta there cause of thinking *poor fish*....boy did I get a big ear full from hubby on that one :lol: never happened again thou :-D

I still hadn't worked on the lights all there is right now over the 55g is sheet plexi glass and the shoplight...I'm just torn if I should refinish the old wood one (pic's on my log) OR do the rain gutter OR do something entirely else OR to buy a brand new 4ft hood outta plastic :-? Its just non of the options that are on the table are 'the perfect fit' for what I want with the 55g somehow if that makes any sense to anyone but me :lol:


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

Taz said:


> Hi Angel - Hope they answer, sounds interesting. If not, my guess is if your normal light canopy has vent slats, there should be something similar in a homemade version.



yes and no. on my 20L planted i had 4 18 watt CFLs with no vents and it got a little warm, no big issues though. i would worry about the plastic getting warm and discoloring over time, but it isnt going to burst into flames lol


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

In my non- technical brain I'd think that the normal black plastic hoods that always house t8's that have the vent slots on the top VS a metal rain gutter that doesn't really require it as it won't deform under heat like the plastic does.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

I use plastic rain gutter actually. its cheap and all the parts snap on  and the inside is white too, so it doesnt have any reflective hot spots.


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## Taz (May 3, 2010)

Hi beetlebz;
Any pics of your rain gutter light? Is there special voltage attachments or what? Mmy hubby just gave me a lecture on how it would be cheaper to buy a new light cap then fix my old rusty ones & I just did the eye roll thing, and said maybe you could fix me up one then? How did you happen to think of rain gutters? That's a great idea.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

someone else gave me the idea, ill have to review the old thread and see who it was to give credit, ill get back to you there.


If you have old aquarium strip lights it costs very little and is VERY easy to swap them over to screw in bulbs! all you need is a few tools and a little yankee know how. i can take pictures when i get home tonight of the various ones ive built out of rain gutters, one of these days ill do a picture journal of gutting and old strip light and rewiring it with new sockets


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

Awesome I want to do the rain gutter setup with some night time LEDs too, I can handle the DC portion but hate tinkering with AC


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

OMG! i totally forgot about this thread!!! i promised you pictures and pictures you shall all have. Ive been super busy with work and my volunteer activities its not even funny... but i feel sooo bad for leaving you guys hanging. ill get on it!

the following pic is of the wiring on the 20L planted tank I built. Its the original ceramic socket setup i started with, and had to build my own brackets. when i take pics of my others i switched to a different style socket to simplify mounting. 

the reason i used CFL screw in bulbs from home depot was 1) cost, 2) availability and 3) ease of wiring. They screw into a standard light bulb socket which makes life very easy  

The preassembled lamp cord I used has 2 wires inside, a smooth and a ribbed wire. ribbed wire goes to switch, and the other side of the switch to the black wires for the sockets. the smooth wire gets tied to all the white wires. In my lights with metal brackets I use a 3 prong grounded cord but thats not necessary to make it work.


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

Well I've already built my own with a double light socket, its been working well the past couple of days in fact I plan on building another one with the left over rain gutter later in the week for my new 20 gallon.


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## beetlebz (Aug 2, 2007)

woot! 

and just a general FYI, I have been taking note of how warm the fixtures all get lately, of the 3 fixtures ive built and still use one has one bulb, one has two and one has three bulbs in it, none of them get hot to the touch at all and I was waiting a few weeks for observation to cut vents in mine. im not going to bother 

so do we get pics zof?


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

yup I will post them on the next build this week as I didn't take any from the last.


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