# Light Housing



## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Well time has come for me to start to design my lighting on the new tank. I was thinking of going with a custom built LED fixture by buying the LEDs off ebay/dx... Now with that in mind and knowing my current canopy that is designed for T5 lighting wont work regardless of what I do, I need to come up with a solution. I was hoping to find some decent looking housing fixtures so that I can modify them to contain LED and do away with canopy completely. Unfortunately the only light housings that are just shells I can find are in the states and they charge a arm and a leg for them! ie It would cost me $300+ just to have a empty shell that looked half decent not including shipping and so on and I probably need 2 of them as its a 24x72 tank.

Anyone previously found a source for decent looking light housings or anyone know anyone who works with metal who might be interested in a little project?


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

You can use aluminum extrusion. I found a few place in bc that carries them. Here is the link to one of the places that carries it. 
https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AG...tems/Aluminum-Extrusions/_/N-1ukn?tadsrvrk=16
http://www.apexextrusions.ca/?q=node/8
http://rmmc.net/8020/contact-us/extruded-aluminum-vancouver-bc/

Here is a link to a thread on Planted tank. net where he used aluminum extrusion
DIY Cree XML LED Lighting for 150G

I was going order these for my new set up but my plans have changes. 
.http://www.ledgroupbuy.com/makersled-designer-heatsink-kit-professional-grade-anodized/


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks, I had seen the makersled one... but I'd require 2 72" and at $300 each that is a little pricey!


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## cadillac_jack (Jul 12, 2013)

I just saw a very cool build for a light bar made out of aluminum c channel , granted it was for automotive use but it was absolutly ridiculous the amount of light that came off ,it was originally posted on reddit. my cpu is being extra awesome this last week or so so i cant even log on to post the link I will get joel to put it up for me. but anyways the point was it wasnt "good looking" but it wasnt ugly either it was very basic just painted aluminum c channel but it was BRIGHT. and in the build thread was complete build steps and specs and links to where/what led's were used.. I dunno when I will talk to him next but if you want to search reddit I know it was a fancy new red audi and the light "bar" or wand or whatever was pretty sick and not overly ugly and it was quite small..

I switched my lights from flouresant to led strips I bought my leds in a silicone strip form and they run 12 v I bout 4 x 4 foot strips 2 of what he called "hyper" white <although they are pretty damn blue> and one of his soft white and one of his natural white and |I just stuck them in my old flouresant housing with the 3m strip that was provided.

I put fire-eel on the stuff and he went out and bought some there.. his cost more for some unknown reason than mine but im 100% sure its all the same stuff and mine was $10 for 4 feet its 100 % water proof too because it is cased in silicone

iif you want to see brightness you can look on big petes monsters fs thread and watch the short vid of my tank or if you'd like I can do a vid of mine thay were build for function over form mind you thats why i just reused my old ugly fixtures

The leds can be in lengths up to 40 feet per strand so i used a power adapter off an old modem that said 12v 900mhz chopped it wired it ect and i have had 0 problems. also I bought the different types of leds to try and spread out my spectrum so it "may" support plant growth .. im no plant guy but with only the leds I havent killed any either .. no idea even what plants they are but point being I havent killed them yet so in my opinion my plants are alive because they must at least be able to tolerate what i have going on....

so good luck guy do with this info what you will I will get fire-eel to post that reddit thing if you cant find it , but I put like $50 on my lights . and I still like em and they are cheaper on power than my old 3 x 4 foot t8 set up


kacairns said:


> Well time has come for me to start to design my lighting on the new tank. I was thinking of going with a custom built LED fixture by buying the LEDs off ebay/dx... Now with that in mind and knowing my current canopy that is designed for T5 lighting wont work regardless of what I do, I need to come up with a solution. I was hoping to find some decent looking housing fixtures so that I can modify them to contain LED and do away with canopy completely. Unfortunately the only light housings that are just shells I can find are in the states and they charge a arm and a leg for them! ie It would cost me $300+ just to have a empty shell that looked half decent not including shipping and so on and I probably need 2 of them as its a 24x72 tank.
> 
> Anyone previously found a source for decent looking light housings or anyone know anyone who works with metal who might be interested in a little project?


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Mac you're welcome to post on my threads. Thank you for contributing =)

Couple months back before I decided to switch the tank to salt water I had actually purchased a couple 15' lengths of 5050 SMD as you mentioned, was going to add them to the canopy for moonlighting, unfortunately the ebay user I bought the power supplies off never had the shipment make it through to me 3 times... and finally refunded me my money. So never got to hooking up the SMD strips.

Going salt water now so my thoughts on the whole LED setup has changed, and I'd rather use a casing that in the future can easily be sold when I decided to upgrade from 180g to 1800g... you know go big or go home =)


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## cadillac_jack (Jul 12, 2013)

ok so you need a 12 v 900 mhz plug in... go look at your shaw pvr plug or a modem.. all your looking for will be INPUT 120 VAC AND OUTPUT 12 V 900MHZ. or it will say 9v 750 or whatever but you want one that says 12 v 900mhz, and you just solder them on my strips are "cuttable every 2 inches at the cut mark there is 2 copper dots beside the dot should say + or - or neg whatever you get the idea. The trick i found with soldering the damn dots is the fact that I was using automotive electrical solder which has a high melt point in comparison to circut board electrical solder<never knew there was more than 1 kind/temp> the circut board stuff melts way way sooner and is 100 times easier and cleaner. way better anyways and there is your power supply, christ I must have 20 cords in my shop that would work just remember you want 12v and 900 mhz at least if your lucky you might get a 1200mhz <just means you can run more length.> but with a 900 mhz you can run at least 3 runs of 48 inches I have 4 runs @ 48 inches so I used 2 cords and the lights are in pairs..

does this make sence

point being look in your I might need this ish one day box and see i bet you have had power supplies all along. old cell chargers, pvr's, modems, maybe an old universal you used back in 82 on an electric something you get the jist anyways

sorry about the hieroglyphics I dont get along with punctuation and grammar well


kacairns said:


> Mac you're welcome to post on my threads. Thank you for contributing =)
> 
> Couple months back before I decided to switch the tank to salt water I had actually purchased a couple 15' lengths of 5050 SMD as you mentioned, was going to add them to the canopy for moonlighting, unfortunately the ebay user I bought the power supplies off never had the shipment make it through to me 3 times... and finally refunded me my money. So never got to hooking up the SMD strips.
> 
> Going salt water now so my thoughts on the whole LED setup has changed, and I'd rather use a casing that in the future can easily be sold when I decided to upgrade from 180g to 1800g... you know go big or go home =)


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

At the time I need it I looked in my.... why do I keep this, ohhh its because I might need it one decade box and didn't find any 12v power supplies that would do 8A which I required.


Have scrapped the idea of using SMD for the moment, at least on this tank =)


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## cadillac_jack (Jul 12, 2013)

I was gonna say decade but that ages both of us 10 years... not cool man. haha.


kacairns said:


> At the time I need it I looked in my.... why do I keep this, ohhh its because I might need it one decade box and didn't find any 12v power supplies that would do 8A which I required.
> 
> Have scrapped the idea of using SMD for the moment, at least on this tank =)


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