# question about diy lighting



## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

If I bought an electronic ballast could i just make my own aquarium lighting system?

And i'm afraid i don't fully understand what all the specs on the ballasts mean... for example...



> Lamp Type
> (4) F32T8


I'm guessing that means 4 32 watt t8 lamps(bulbs)? does that make sense?

Can someone please give me a lil guidance?

another example...



> (2) F40T8


Would this mean 2 40 watt t8 lamps?

Anyhelp would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Yes, if you bought your own ballast (and end caps, for the bulbs), you could construct your own DIY lighting system.

Your interpretation of the coding on the ballasts is correct.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Hey thanks Darkblade! another question... when it says that let say 32 watt... does that mean that i can plug in lamps up to that wattage or do i have to plug in lamps that are that exact wattage?


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## coryp (May 28, 2008)

up to the wattage


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## cablemike (Jan 7, 2009)

I bought the electronic balast from home depot for 27 dollars and made my own power compact unit. Used a 65 watt straight pin bulb. I used 4 female pins i found on my old car stereo harness. Works like a charm. I think it is over driving the bulb though as its much brighter then my current usa unit of the same wattage.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

ok my friend is an electrician and he's looking into ballasts and stuff for me also through his supplier. From what he says tho, is that these aquarium fluorescent lamps may need a different type of ballast then your standard fluorescent lamps. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this on this site... I'm basically going through all kinds of electrical talk and trying to understand whats going on. Has anyone else ever made their own t-8 lighting system? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

breeze905 said:


> From what he says tho, is that these aquarium fluorescent lamps may need a different type of ballast then your standard fluorescent lamps. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about this on this site...


The only type of fluorescent lamp that would require a different type of ballast is if you were using a different type of bulb completely (i.e. if you are trying to use a T5 bulb, then it's best to get a ballast for T5 bulbs, and not for T12 bulbs, for example).


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## cablemike (Jan 7, 2009)

The elctronic ballast at Home Depot is for 2 or 4 t8 bulbs. It worked absolutely fine for over 2 years in my setup.. I first bought one to replace the ballast in my coral life unit as i didnt want to spend 100 for it at big als.. it worked so i took my el cheapo hood from my fresh water tank and added the same ballast, removed the end caps.. and found the female pins that matched a straight pin compact flourescent bulb. And voila it works.. been going strong for over a year as well. the ballast is 27 dollars.. only tricky part is finding the female pins to go over the male pins on the compact flourescent bulb.


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

coryp said:


> up to the wattage


Actually it's only that wattage, not up to. If you plug in a 20W bulb you will be overdriving it. Some ballasts can do all sorts of wattages cause they have sensing ciruitry in them and they adjust the amperage accordingly, other's only work with certain wattage bulbs. If your ballast only lists a 32W bulb, then it will only power a 32W bulb properly. Any bulb rated at a lower wattage will be over driven (which is a fire hazard) and any bulb with a higher wattage will be under driven or possibly not light at all.

Harry


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

well... my friend who is an electrician helped me out and got me some stuff for really cheap. He got me a double t8 36 inch fixture. the ballast is electronic and does a wide range of wattage... from 17 to 32 watts. I went to home depot and bought two cool white 36" lamps for a total of $6. anyway... the fixture he got me is like the one you would have on your ceiling in your basement or kitchen... so i had this and i was thinking of how i can stand this up on the glass top of my aquarium... i thought i need brackets and stuff to mount to the side of the aquarium and the side of the fixture... i tried to think of all different ways of doing this.... I also had to figure out a way to just light the aquarium and not the whole room...

Well alright.. I'm farely broke as i just started my new job and am behind on bills and just spent like $60 at als the other day so i really needed to figure out something that will work for now until i can buy/make something more practical. BUT... I did end up creating a temporary fix that is absolutely ghetto fabulous! LOL! Um, i'm at work right now so when i get home this morning i'll take pictures of my homemade reflector and cover! I am ready to hear all the jokes... you'll see tomorrow!


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## Jonathan (Oct 16, 2009)

Harry Muscle said:


> Actually it's only that wattage, not up to. If you plug in a 20W bulb you will be overdriving it. Some ballasts can do all sorts of wattages cause they have sensing ciruitry in them and they adjust the amperage accordingly, other's only work with certain wattage bulbs. If your ballast only lists a 32W bulb, then it will only power a 32W bulb properly. Any bulb rated at a lower wattage will be over driven (which is a fire hazard) and any bulb with a higher wattage will be under driven or possibly not light at all.
> 
> Harry


I agree with Harry completely. I get very nervous when people start playing with electricity around plastic and water. At the very least spend a few bucks to get a GFCI receptacle to feed your DIY fixture so that you won't electricute yourself or your fish-PLEASE!


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*diy lighting*

i agree with last comment , please be careful making electronic components like that , some times u need to spend money to make things safe . i am a mechanic and at work we havae tonnes of lighting products , and i have been trying to figure out how to make and convert a lamp housing from 24volts to 110 ..hheheheh 
also have an awsome led board that works but just on 24 volts ... have to find a way to convert it . have even contemplated making huge tank for on top of my tool box , but not quite sure what the boss will say


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## damianrosario2000 (Nov 3, 2009)

*DIY Lighting*

I did my own lighting for my small tank (4 gallons) because any t5 or t8 was too long and was more expensive (yes, i'm cheap) than my own LED lighting. So far it has been working awesome, my plants are growing fine and it only took me 30 dollars to do the whole thing and is incredible how much it lights up the room.
I bought 18 full spectrum illumination (not decorative) LEDs of 0.5W each for about 15 dollars, then a power supply to convert 220V to 12V for 10 dollars and then a supporting structure or plastic for 1 dollar and some cable and glue.
I welded the leds and the power supply (I used a thermo-contractible cable to cover the weldings) and then glued them to the plastic structure. As simple as that. It took me like 3 hours (not that good at welding so it took a few tries).


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Well i see i never updated this... i can assure you the contraption i made was safe... but not easy... creating a casing/reflector outta thick cardboard and plastic and tinfoil... worked out well. I will say tho... using cool white bulbs was a big mistake. i bought life glo's when i found some at 36" and they made a world of a difference. the plants were almost thriving. 

i have since taken it down when i got the 90 gallon and put everything in there.  the ballast i still own and the lights i would imagine still have lots of life left in them and i still have the cool whites also. I'd sell it if someone wants it... send me a pm...


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