From: mattk@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (matthew.kaufman)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: New Aquarium Thoughts ...
Date: 9 Apr 92 14:44:55 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

In article <1992Apr9.035336.8367@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> erno@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu writes:
>Now, on with my other questions.
>
>1. Has anyone built their own aquarium lighting systems from scratch? In my  
>quest for the Do-It-Yourself Aquarium, I don't plan on spending the $100+ to  
>get a 4 - 40 watt 48" bulb light system when I can build one myself. I figure  
>I can make the canopy out of 1" x 6" pine with a hinged top and open back for  
>ventilation, and just install the sockets on the inside. I figure I can save  
>lots of money by using regular bulb sockets instead of the $5/piece  
>waterproof caps. By using 6" tall wood, the bulb should be about 5-6" from  
>the water's surface, high enough to escape any splash. For extra assurance,  
>I'll wrap a piece of electrical tape around the ends to be a little more  
>sure. The ballasts are available for $25 for one that lights 2 - 40 watt  
>bulbs, which is about $15-20 cheaper than those in the magazines. From seeing  
>a hand built one in the pet shop, I think I should be able to build one  
>myself. Again, has anyone got first hand experience doing this?

I helped a friend mount a shoplite in a hinged hood. Works great. Cost is
negligible - a shoplite cost like $7 and gets you 2 48" bulbs. You could
do the same with 2 shoplites if your tank is big enough (I believe a 75
gallon tank would do it.)  If its not a tank in a display area, you can
hang the shoplite above the tank from the ceiling. I do this for many tanks.

George Booth's built some nice hoods. He occasionally posts his hood design -
I think he attaches shoplites to a hinged hood, the hinge being a piano
hinge.
>
>2. On a similar subject, if the ballast says it can light 2 - 40 watt bulbs,  
>can I assume it would be safe to hook up 4 - 20 watt bulbs?
I don't believe so, but others may want to comment. Different sized starters and
what-not probably means it won't work. Besides, 4' bulbs are cheaper and
more widely available.
>
>3. Again on a similar note, what is the general requirement for a good plant  
>tank light bulb. I've been told to make sure I get a full spectrum,  
>tri-phosphorus bulb like a TRITON, or ULTRALUME, or Tri-LUX as a main bulb  
>and a regular full spectrum bulb like a VITA-LITE as a supplemental bulb.  
I do just fine with PL/AQ and Agro-lite. Combined they cost less than
1 triton. Depends on a lot of things, like what kind of plants you're growing.
But a triton on sale is still $20, and an Agro is $7. Up to you.

>Almost everyone has said that just wide spectrum bulbs and bulbs that aren't  
>made specifically for aquariums aren't good enough, and to get more than one  

Nonsense. I've got Hygro stricta that's 4' long growing emersed up to the
ceiling, flowering as well. JJ's got crypt bushes growing in the tank with
the hinged hood and i think all he has is just PL/AQ's for bulbs. I've
used tritons. I wasn't impressed. I'm going to be setting up a plant tank
real soon now and I plan on PL/AQ, Agro and probably UltraLume just to see
how they work (I do like ultralumes, they seem to work well, and they
can be had for less than tritons.)

>light for a tank, for larger tanks even three or four bulbs. Is this right?  
>Must my main bulb(s) be a full-spectrum, tri-phosphorous bulb? Which bulb is  
>recommended by nine out of ten aquarists? TRITONS looks like the best one to  
>me right now.
It's your $.
>4. I was fooling around with one of my 30 gallon tanks with only one Penguin     
>660 power head and decided to drill holes in a spare 5/8" ABS pipe and add it  
>as a spray bar to the power head. I used a small piece of surgical tubing to  
>connect them and extra suction cups to hold it about an inch below the water  
>surface aimed 45 degrees up at the surface. At first I drilled 44 - 1/8"  
>holes but found that the back pressure was forcing water out the venturi, so  
>I enlarged the holes to 3/16". Now the flow is uniform and smooth accross the  
>top and the gentle current really moves the debris around so that the Whisper  
>power filter can suck it up. It really works a lot better than without a  
>spray bar. If I get the chance, I'll retrofit all my tanks with a spray bar  
>on the power head. 

Lots of current means lots of CO2 loss. 
>
>5. Can anyone recommend a good book of aquarium plants, or one with a good  
>section or on waterplants? 

I like the one by Scheurmann published by Barron's, the Tetra one by James and
a german one that has nice pictures, 'Pflanzen im Aquarien' or some such
Rataj and Horemann has good encyclopedic-type info but useless culturing info.
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