$10 lighting Upgrade for NANOCUBE

[Juck]

1. Go to WALMART and get one of their Power Compact worklights,, they have a yellow handle with built-in ballast and cost $9.99.

2. Take it to bits,,,, extend the length of the black and white wires where they connect to the bulb, so ballast can be hidden behind tank.

3. Remove the screws on the nano's lighting spashguard and insert new bulb. There is just enough room to place it next to the stock 24w PC in the Nanocube Hood. Run wires/ballast out of the back of the tank.

Replace splashguard and away you go,,, a 50% lighing upgrade that cost $9.99 and half an hour of your time.

The worklight PC bulb is a 13w 6700k daylight but you can get Actinic bulbs in this size as well,, and probably 50/50's (I haven't looked). I believe the worklight ballast could possibly sit next to the stock ballast in the hood,,, I didn't bother trying but I think it could fit in there.

If you played around with the reflector a bit,, it may be possible to get 2 of these PC bulbs into the hood for a 100% lighting upgrade,, I might try it next week.

My digital camera is on the fritz so no photos,,, will get some when I can. The extra 13w really makes a difference in brightness.

 

[brandon4291]

That is valuable input Juck, I'm sure many JBJ owners will take your idea and make use of it. I buy my 50/50 13w's from www.hellolights.com and they work very well. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Juck]

Oh yeh,, make sure you cover any bare wires and connectors with insulating tape if the ballast is going to be hidden behind the back of the tank. I got 110v off a powerhead the other day and my fillings are still tingling.

 

[Kawizzo]

How is the "start-up" on that work light? Does it flicker or just fire-up like the stock 50-50's?

 

[Juck]

The Walmart worklight flickers for a second or so.

 

[Len]

Hey Kawizzo,

Nice info Juck.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I saw a killer little deal on a nice pendant reflector made by westinghouse the other day ( www.westinghouse.com ) It's a pendant with a 22W PC inside that screws into a regular light fixture. I was thinking of just yanking the bulb for use around the house (it's 2700K) and using the pendant with a reef bulb.

 

[Juck]

Matt,,, can you give me a link to the product? Been cruising their site for a while and can't locate it.

Cheers

 

[Juck]

Matt, dood,, I still can't find that pendant you mentioned here,, a little help?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry I didn't see this the first time Juck..

I think the actual link is westinghouselights.com or something. I don't remember the exact addy. I'm headed to the hardware store tomorrow, so I'll try and get the part number.

 

[Surgeon]

hello !!

are you sure the wallmart worklight fits with the 50/50 13w bulb of hellolight ???

thanks

Surgeon :?

 

[Juck]

Yes, they both have gx23 bases and look absolutely identical,,, I'm fairly certain they're all made by the same manufacturer.

 

[Surgeon]

thanks.

and what is the best for the look and for corals between adding a 13w 50/50 or a 10 000k bulb for the nano cube canopy ??

ciao

surgeon

 

[usafresq1]

Surgeon the look is all up to you really
a 50/50 is more blueish and the 10k is more white. As for whats better for the corals it depends on the corals your keeping and at the depth they are at in the aquarium.

 

[Juck]

Yeh,, what he said

 

[Anonymous]

OK Juck, part # 37387, made by westinghouselights. The bulb wattage is 23W, the color is 2700K. I wouldn't use the bulb, but the pendant is very sleek looking.

 

[Juck]

Thanks Matt,, I'll have a look at it.

I've been looking for a cheap halide to put over a 10g frag tank,,, doesn't need to be attractive or anything,, just functional.

I was looking at halide floodlights on Ebay,,, like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=26219

What do you think?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, you might just be buying the fixture with that. I mean, you'll almost certainly have to buy a new bulb, and maybe even a new ballast. If this is a frag tank, and it's not going to have to look pretty, I suggest an open reflector/bulb combo. Iwasaki 6500K bulbs are apparently one of the best for price if you're just trying to get fast growth, and they can be run off of a Mercury vapor ballast which is much cheaper. I have the wiring diagram and parts numbers for the ballast that you can buy from www.graybar.com if you're interested. I made the whole thing with a 250W bulb for around $120.

 

[Juck]

Hiya Matt,

The floodlight has a built-in ballast and comes with a bulb,,,I think it's a 5000k. Should be plenty for a 12" tall 10g.

I'm sure there's a catch somewhere,, I just haven't figured out what it is yet.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I assumed it was an outdoor light, which is usually a much lower K rating. 5000K is pretty much on the lowest end of what's suitable for reef aquaria, but it should do. How is heat dissipated? Does it have a built in fan?