# Any help on making a 36" shoplight reflector?



## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

I may go the DIY route and get a double tube 36" shoplight but after checking Home Depot and Can.Tire I sem to be only able to find the 48" with a reflector.

I want to do something like this video here. And open up my coverage to cover the whole shelf the light is mounted on. If I need more lighting for plants then I may get another double tube lamp setup and chain it.

Any ideas to get a reflector thing made for that? Or links to people who have done it? I did a few google searches and didn't find much other then CFL pictures which is not what I'm looking for.


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

You are probably looking for a 2 lamp 3 foot T8 fixture. You can also get single lamp fixtures as well. All I can think of is to call Nedco, Wesco or Westburne and ask if they sell to the public and if you can order a single fixture from them. Also how much. They are electrical wholesalers and probably have more than what you are looking for. 
Hope that helps.

http://www.nedco.ca/Ontario/Branches/params/NavID/397/CultureCode/en
http://www.wesco.ca/branch.htm
http://www.westburne.ca/Ontario/Branches/params/NavID/560/CultureCode/en


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

For anything but the standard 4' fixture, fluorescent tubes are expensive, and 3' fixtures are even harder to find than 2'. Note also that the fixture is a bit longer than the tube, so a 3' fixture is too long to stand on the lid of a 3' tank.

I like CFL's for shorter tanks. If you don't have any old incandescent aquarium lights around, buy a two-bulb incandescent fixture and use white metal eavestrough or a piece of dryer vent for a reflector. Add a couple of 25w CFLs, and voila. 

Or you can hang a 4' fixture over the tank and put some houseplants on the sides.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Yah I checked out Canadian Tire and Home Depot today after meeting up with Conix. I'm thinking I may have to go 48" as I saw one at Home Depot for $47.xx something that was a dual 48" with smooth shiney metal reflector. 

IIRC it also had a cord with plug attached to it saving you the need to wire a plug into it. 

Then again for ~$19ish you could get a dual 36" with what appeared to be a mini white reflector that I saw at Canadian Tire. That reflector was probably 1/2-1" max eyeballing it on each side so really not much spread as much but the price is the thing. You can buy 2 units and still be under the price of that 48" unit with shiney wide reflector with enough extra to buy a plank of wood, some cheap plastic chain rope, and some single screw mounts to mount those two light fixtures to the board and have 4x the lighting power with an adjustable chain so when your plants grow you can raise it. Yes you'll have a shotgun wide light spread which could be good or bad. I'm thinking of getting some of those car windshield reflectors as they're going cheap at the end of season and use it around the area as a light reflector or roll out the aluminum foil and tape to cardboard.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

You can put the fixture inside white vinyl eavestrough and close it off with endcaps.


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