My NEW DIY hood

[sasquatch]

I think those straps are nylon and nothing will stick to it, how about some long zip ties under the ballast?

 

[DaBird]

:lisa: :lurk:

 

[rDr4g0n]

I think those straps are nylon and nothing will stick to it, how about some long zip ties under the ballast?

i thought of that, cant do it. the ballast is actually part of the end caps. its one big piece. i will try some kind of epoxy or something. oh and i couldnt wait... i put the cooling fan in...

its sucking the hot air out. im testing it right now to see if there is a reduction in the operating temp. ita regular $2 computer fan with a 12v adapter i had sitting around.

 

[Frankie]

There is a plastic weld on that should stick to nylon. I used it for my kalk reactor.

 

[rDr4g0n]

btw that fan made a huge difference. its barely warm with the fan going.

 

[sasquatch]

There is a plastic weld on that should stick to nylon. I used it for my kalk reactor.

Please Frankie, give it up! which weld on!! that would be really useful, so many plastic things with no way to glue

 

[Frankie]

I'll get the name for you tomorrow when im at loews sasquatch. I used it all up when i built the reactor but the stuff works great.

 

[sasquatch]

Frankie I take back everything i ever said bad about you lol. That would be excellent man Thanks.
John can you use a strip of plastic like you did for the bulb holder?

 

[rDr4g0n]

Frankie I take back everything i ever said bad about you lol. That would be excellent man Thanks.
John can you use a strip of plastic like you did for the bulb holder?

i may have too. it will be kinda tricky because... well its kinda hard to explain, but ill figure it out.

 

[sasquatch]

JOHN!! Thank you for the "Brilliant" idea, just found an old 4' shop light thats just been gutted, im sticking 2 4' vho's and a remote icecap in it, usually i just make a hood or something but this is mucho coolo, oh and for the sake of DIY bonding I really drew some blood, crappo jack knife folded up on my finger

 

[DaBird]

Oh man, now I'm gonna have to go and get all bloody just to hang...

 

[sasquatch]

yup! no blood no good!!

 

[rDr4g0n]

i dunno what happened, but i didnt bleed on this project. im really sorry i let you guys down. *cuts arm off* there we go!!

OH OH OH GUESS WHAT?!?!?!?! one of the lfs employees is going to GIVE me a 250w MH ballast and reflector! for free! can you freakin believe that?!

 

[sasquatch]

NICE!!! grow ops are illegal!! use it on the tank ok

 

[rDr4g0n]

oh ya... the uhh.. tank....

also i swapped one of the actinics out for a regular daylight bulb. the 2 actinics made the display too blue for my taste. i really like the color of just the PC (12000k), but i guess i need some actinic lighting.

 

[rDr4g0n]

well its been a few months, and there is one small problem with the light. the end caps are not waterproof, and that is becoming a problem (as mps9506 predicted). the actinics turn off sometimes because the corrosion of the non waterproof connectors causes them to lose connection. the metal casing itself shows no sign of rust or decay. i think the paint that was used on it by the manufacturer is adequatly salt water resistant.

the fixture stays nice n cool with that one fan on it, the lights are bright, and the corals are happy.

 

[zimboy]

If you can replace the end caps with standard ends, you can use a BMX inner tube to slide over the very end of your bulbs and over the end caps. Slit the inner tube if needed and use zip-ties to secure it. This will prevent corrosion and can be done very inexpensively. (do I avoid the caulerpa whipping now?)

 

[flricordia]

Just an FYI. I used a similar lighting setup when I first got into the hobby. It lasted about a month before rust started showing up all over it. Also the lack of water proof endcaps proved to become troublesome as the pins on the bulbs became corroded from the moisture.
I ended up trashing everything and going with a pendant system designed for use over marine tanks and have been happy ever since.
You may want to consider throwing a few coats of rustoleum over it before using it. and maybe seing about switching out endcaps.

Same for me. Rusts fast. How about the vinyl gutter? It makes a decent light hood with tight fitting endcaps. I used them for my FW tanks years ago. Don't have any pics, but a 10ft peice is less than $10 I think. Been some time since I bought any. Takes heat pretty well too. Never had one warp on me due to VHOs.

 

[rDr4g0n]

Same for me. Rusts fast. How about the vinyl gutter? It makes a decent light hood with tight fitting endcaps. I used them for my FW tanks years ago. Don't have any pics, but a 10ft peice is less than $10 I think. Been some time since I bought any. Takes heat pretty well too. Never had one warp on me due to VHOs.

well like i said, the hood itself has shown no deterioration whatsoever. its just the metal contacts in the end caps taht are corroding. the idea of using a vinyl gutter is a very good one. i had never thought of it, but it seems quite feasable...