stoneys DIY behind the rear glass fuge light.

[stoney waters]

I just finished designing and building a behind the rear glass refugium light for my Nano-Cube. Its kind of a spin-off of the palm light mod only it virtually eliminates any backwash light, and since it is fan cooled it can be placed directly against the glass without fear of overheating. It is IMO a better alternative to top light refugiums in Nano-Cubes because more surface area of the chaeto is exposed to the light. It can be placed behind any chamber of the JBJ or the upcoming Aquapod. Here's the How to's.

 

Parts used in project. The box is a 1 1/2" access box from Lowes. The bulb is a 13w two pin compact. The ballast was removed from a 13w screw in fluorescent.

 

Ballast and fan wiring.

 

 

Reflector and bulb clips. The reflector was cut from some parabolic reflector material from a past lighting project.

 

 

Wired up and ready to shine.

 

 

Attached and functioning on the 3rd chamber of my Nano-Cube.

 

 

Since my 3rd chamber also housed a pump I had to make a dividing wall to separate the pump from the refugium area. Pretty basic, egg crate and fiberglass screen.

 

 

 

 

There it is. Not to tough, about a couple hours work once I had all the parts to start. I don't know the full cost of the project because I had most of the parts sitting around the house. I kinda worked with what I had.

 

Just thought I'd share.

 

-Stone.

[reefinnewb]

beautiful idea. What is the reflector made out of? I need a reflector for the inside of my hood but dont feel like paying 30 bucks for a prefab one when i can make it myself.

[Snoop]

Pretty sweet

[stoney waters]

beautiful idea. What is the reflector made out of? I need a reflector for the inside of my hood but dont feel like paying 30 bucks for a prefab one when i can make it myself.

 

I made it out of some reflector material I found on ebay few years ago. It came in a 2' x 5' roll. When peel of the clear protective covering its the shiniest stuff I have ever seen. I have used it for many lighting projects. I paid about $30 dollars for it although I cant remember the seller.

[manicfish]

Very cool! Didn't know you could just yank the ballast out of an ordinary screw-in pc and use it for straight bulbs ... is there a wiring diagram for that somewhere on the 'net that I could look at? I'm having trouble figuring it out from your photos exactly what's going on. I need some light for the 'fuge on the 2.5gal I'm designing ... this would be perfect.

[manse]

Nice clean Mod stoney!

 

Do you have it on a reverse lighting schedule?

 

What kind of veggies are you growing in there?

[stoney waters]

manse

 

Yes, I will have it on a reverse lighting schedule once I get some chaeto. I am going to use chaeto because I think it will do well in such a small space. It stays more compact and doesn't grow all wild like some macro does.

 

manicfish

 

This ballast bulb combination is just experimental for now. I am a little concerned about bulb life, because the bulb seems to be burning brighter than it does when it is fired by a magnetic ballast. Soon I will be rewiring the ballast to run a 13 w 4 pin bulb with a 2GX7 base. This bulb is designed to be run on an electronic ballast and would be a better alternative.

 

-Stone

[halfpint]

I like what you have done. I think I might have to try that out myself.

[djitchy]

How do you wire the fan? Do you wire the fan directly to the ballast? and if so, what type of fan can i use?

[RP Beesh]

good research . yoou don't wire the fan striaght to the ballast. you need a 12v and whatever amp the fan is running to match. woow this is a old thread. hahahah

[ls7corvete]

Awsome Idea!

 

Those screw in bulbs are cheap as dirt if you find them on sale. Might be a great idea for general tank lighting as well. Have you made anything using the screw in ballast and CF for reef lighting over a nano?

 

What about other bulb formats? t8, HO VHO?

 

Best fuge light ever.

[stoney waters]

How do you wire the fan? Do you wire the fan directly to the ballast? and if so, what type of fan can i use?

 

Beesh is right. The fan is wired to a 12 v power supply, and the ballast runs on 110 and is plugged into the bypass outlet on the adapter. This way the entire unit will operate when used with a single outlet timer.

 

This has been the most reliable mod I have done to this tank. It has run daily with no issues for a year now.

[Qwank]

wow! i just came across this post. this is a nice clean looking DIY fuge light! i think i have all those parts lying around the house and garage too. i guess i wont be going with the LED light from nanotuners now. now i got a project to do.

[duderubble]

OK so maybe I'm dense. What is the advantage of doing this over just making a very basic fixture to hold a self ballasted 10W coralife bulb(probably could fit in the same access box)?

[stoney waters]

It wouldn't be as much fun.

[United_Poseidon]

I followed this guide almost a year a go and it is still running strong. Stony is right though, fun is the most vital element.

[stoney waters]

In fact there have been many variations of this project since the original post. Many of them have used twist type CF's. I think many of them are posted in steelhealers fugelight thread. I just chose to take it one step further.