Eclipse 12 Lighting

[bobioden]

I have the Eclipse 12. I just purschased the CSL 32W Smartlite Retrofit. The question I have is this. What is anyone doing to cover the bulb? I get alot of water splash now, should this be a concern? What water level do you keep your tank at? I usually keep my right to the bottom of the black plastic rim. Is this too much ???

[kennerd]

Doesn't the Eclipse 12 have a splashguard over the current light? I had an Eclipse1 hood and the smartlight fit right under the acrylic guard. in fact, I crammed two 32w bulbs in there.

[gixxerryder]

I snugged two 36 watters under my Eclipse 1 , only had to cut wire exits in the splash guard.

[SuperflyFanatic]

I trashed the lid on mine, and covered it with a custom fit plexiglass lid (I cut it myself, with an openable flap for feeding and chemicals). Then I can set a nice big 130watt light on top with no splash issues. I have a Coralife Deluxe 65x2 (10,000k/blue bulbs). I too was worried about splash and general humidity, but no more.

[jgt246]

I'm considering a similar setup with a custom plexiglass cover on an Eclipse 12. Sorry but I'm a DIY newbie; would you mind telling me how you went about making the cover -- where did you get the plexiglass, what thickness, how did you mark the pattern to cut, what did you use to cut it, etc?

[SuperflyFanatic]

I got the plexiglass sheet from Home Depot. I think it was 25" long, 18" deep, and 1/8" thick. I would recommend getting the 1/4" thick. the 1/8" has warped even with no heat on it. I think that 1/8" sheet cost like $20 or so.

 

I pulled off the black ring off the Eclipse, flipped it upside down, and traced the shape onto the plexiglass with a permenant marker. The plexiglass has a greenish plastic on both sides to protect it during shipping, leave that on while you trace the outline and cut, and tear it off when you're done. That will prevent scratches on the surface.

 

I used a Dremmel to cut the lines. Make sure you cut on the inside portion, since your trace will be larger than the area it will sit in. Basically you want it to sit where the old lid did, on top of the black ring inside the lip.

 

You could use a hand saw or a jig, just make sure you get a blade that says it's made for slow speed plexiglass cutting, and take your time when cutting.

 

You should have some left over, so you could cut off a piece from the end of the large sheet and do some test cuts to see how it will feel and turn out. If you cut too fast it will shatter on the cut, cut too slow, and it could catch on the upstroke and possible shatter some there too. It's not too hard to cut, just get a good medium/slow speed and keep constant pressure on the cut.

 

Also be careful when you take the black ring off the Eclipse, because of the bowed front, it will sag out a good bit if your tank is full of water and stuff.

[jgt246]

Incredibly helpful Superfly -- many thanks.