# my $25 DIY 55g light



## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

*my $25 DIY 55g light with pics*

so hear is the temp light i made for my 55g, cost to make 14$ for new t-8 shop light "LOWES" 6 bucks for two 32 watt daylight bulbs "LOWES" 3 dollars for two ruff cut 1"x4'x8' boards "LOWES" free 8' power cord "took off old hair clippers" and $1.25 for toggle switch "O'reilly auto parts" $1 can of flat black spray paint "WAL-MART" wood putty and sanding blocks "left over from another project" full cost to me $25.25 not bad i'd say, and oh ya i built this with only a drill and a leatherman SURGE multi-tool pocket knife, even cut the boards with it, my truck box was robbed a few months ago and still moving so the rest of my tools are back in oregon, so i will be making a better hood when i get the rest of my tools.

I cut the boards in the sizes i need for top sides and ends then nailed them all together, after that i took wood putty filled in all the knott holes and seam lines so it would not bleed any light out of the cracks then i sanded the hell out of it, then drilled vent holes and then shot it with a few layers of paint, then i took the shop light i bought and tore it apart and cut the housing to fit in the hood i built, i then notched out the side to put the ballest in for better cooling and it wouldnt fit in the house and let the lights clear good, and four hours later this is what i got.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)




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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

hmm not sure if these pics are showing up


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

That's not half bad! Only 3/4ths! :fun:

Seriously though, great job! Do you have any pictures of it on the tank itself?


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

ya ill get some tomarrow, havnt been on in a few months doing alot of traveling showing off the newborn and the rest of my time has been sunk into my project car, its almost done so i have been pumping away at it, even been ignoring my tanks a bit, "their healthy and fine but could use a little time tomarrow need to move the angels out of the twenty they are getting so big and i have two sets of ram's in the tank that have paired off so i want to free the tank up for them, then i think i am going to do some major prunning of plants, since i put the new light on 55g couple months ago the plants have took off in it.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

so heres it on my tank, the tank needs some work done on it, need to rearange things i pulled alot of the plants out cause it was over grown and put them in a little pond things i got going on my porch found a huge cement flower pot probally about 40-50g and am putting lights and plants in and around it, that will be the two gold fish's home.


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## funlad3 (Oct 9, 2010)

What's the purple thing on the back left of the tank in the third picture?


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

ahh its a black light, it shouldnt of been on, i turn it on at night cause a few things in their glow under it plus the tank has a few L.E.D lights in it, so i can still see in the tank but its not a bright light glowing when im trying to watch a movie.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

Looks good for the price. A lot cheaper then the high powered one I built for my tank lol. I personally would of had reflectors and possibly T5's since they sell them at Home Depot now. I also would of left gaps in the top of the wood hood for cooling purposes.


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## Fishy mama (Apr 7, 2011)

Nice setup! Great job on the light!


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

I know this post is old.

But anyways there is vents drilled into the back for vents and I did put reflectors made just didn't have them in yet, had to have a metal shop cut them and bend them, that cost me another 15$ so now I'm into the light 40$ but the reflector actually didn't produce anymore light that I could tell so you don't really need it.


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