90 Gallon Tank Lighting?

[calebringabell]

I have been scouring the internet for a good light for my 90G. It’s obviously 24” deep and that’s my problem. My nicrew aren’t getting the bottom plants.

 

I was wondering if the CO-OP lights would? The video he showed was apparently 24” tall confirmed my Candi.

 

Anyone have experience with the light at deep depths?

 

Also should I get one 48” or two smaller ones?

[JMP]

You’re basically going to need more lighting as in Watts / lumens to get that deep. I’ve done it with metal halide in the past but you can go with LED now days. You could go DIY with LED lighting to get more lighting to the depth of your tank. I have  LED strip lighting over my 75 gallon tanks without breaking the bank. I’ve got recommendations if you are interested in going this route. It’s easy to assemble with Home improvement store components.

[calebringabell]

Yes please, HMU somehow. Id love to do a DIY if I can but I always get flustered at what I have to come up with or how to put it all together

On 1/26/2023 at 8:21 PM, JMP said:

You’re basically going to need more lighting as in Watts / lumens to get that deep. I’ve done it with metal halide in the past but you can go with LED now days. You could go DIY with LED lighting to get more lighting to the depth of your tank. I have  LED strip lighting over my 75 gallon tanks without breaking the bank. I’ve got recommendations if you are interested in going this route. It’s easy to assemble with Home improvement store components.

 

[JMP]

On 1/26/2023 at 8:23 PM, calebringabell said:

Yes please, HMU somehow. Id love to do a DIY if I can but I always get flustered at what I have to come up with or how to put it all together

 

Here's a few pictures of what they look like assembled. Here is what you'll need for tools and parts.

Tools

* Snips - for cutting the rain gutter

* Drill and a bit for drilling mounting holes in the rain gutter

* Sharpie pen or something to mark the gutter for cutting and drilling

* Tape measure for measurement

 

Parts

* 4 foot LED strip shop lights - they come in 4 packs. I use a combination of the 5000k and 6500k bulbs. I got mine from Amazon. They come with mounting clips, power cords (with switch), and pigtails to daisy chain lights together. I got mine from Amazon.

* Rain gutter - they come in 10 foot lengths so you would need a single piece for two light fixtures. I used the K style metal because the vinyl was out of stock. I would go    with vinyl if its available.  If you only have a car you can use the snips to cut the rain gutter to the length you need in the parking lot then it will fit in your car. Or, you could ask if the store could cut it for you. Home improvement stores carry them.

* 4 K-style end caps - metal or vinyl for whichever gutter material you go with.

* plastic screws, nuts, and washers for attaching the light clips to the rain gutter. I got an assortment box from Amazon. This is what I got.

 https://www.amazon.com/Readytosky-Plastic-Machine-Assortment-Organizer/dp/B07Q3W65FV/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2RBPETEKEGCFJ&keywords=plastic+screw+sets&qid=1674789896&sprefix=plastic+screw+sets%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-4

 

Pictures

In the first picture the main light on the tank is not on (they're on timers). The light you see is a single 4 foot LED strip light sitting on the glass top behind the light fixture. The top of the tank is covered with red root floater. So the light you see is through the completely covered tank.

The Light fixture 1 picture shows the underside of the light fixture with 2 LED strips installed. There is a pigtail connector that provides power to the second bulb. 

The Light fixture 2 picture shows the black plastic screws and nuts that hold the strip lights to the rain gutter.

I can get more pictures of the fixtures and one partially built tomorrow along with detailed instructions. I can measure where I drilled the holes to give you a better idea of where to mount them. Remember the golden rule = Measure twice, cut once.

[JMP]

Here's more info on the Lights. Reference the attached pictures.

 

Picture 1 shows one retaining clip installed and a second hole drilled for a retaining clip for the second bulb. Notice they are offset to allow the bulbs to fit within the small width of the gutter. There is no specific offset, a couple of inches will work fine. I would install the retaining clips about 4 to 6 inches from the ends of the bulbs. You'll have two clips on each bulb.

Picture 2 shows the K-style end caps. Note one is left side and one is right side for the gutter ends. You'll need one pair for each light fixture.

Picture 3 & 4 show the retaining clips that come with the LED shop lights for mounting the bulbs. The accessory kit with the bulbs will have metal screws but I prefer to use plastic screws with nuts. You could use the provided screws but you'll have the sharp end sticking out of the top of the fixture. This could be covered if you want to simplify the installation a bit. The screws should fit slightly loose within the clip mounting holes. Once you get the bulbs you can take one of the mounting clips and get mounting screws that fit properly in the hole size. I just bought the kit I linked previously as I'm always using plastic screws for building things.

Fabrication steps - These are pretty simplified instructions and are no reflection of your fabrication abilities so please take no offense. I'm assuming you're going to use four - 4 foot LED bulbs over your tank to provide enough light in the deep tank. So you'll be fabricating two of these light fixtures. You could test the LED bulbs over the tanks to see how many bulbs you really need for light. On my 75 gallon tanks I normally run 3 of these bulbs. For your 90 you may need 4 bulbs. I would test the bulbs when you receive them to make sure they work properly. Don't wait until you get the light fixture assembly completed to try the lights. Don't ask me how I know this. 

* Measure the length of light fixture you want over your tank. Mark the gutter and cut to the length you want. Try to cut as square as you can so the end caps will fit good. What I did was measure from each end of the gutter and made one cut for each light fixture. This way you have two very clean cut ends to start with. My light fixtures are approx. 52 inches long so they hang over each end of the tank. You could make them shorter if you plan on using them on top of glass tops. I run mine longer so each end has an opening for air circulation and I've got two tanks that I run open on top for floating plants, so I made all of my lights to sit on the tank without glass tops. Also the power cord hangs straight down over the side of the tank so I don't need to slot the end caps.

* Loose fit the light bulbs in the gutter with retaining clips mounted on each end of the bulbs. The clips should be installed about 4 to 6 inches from each end of the bulbs. Also offset the position of the clips between the bulbs so the clips are not side by side. Center them up and mark each side of the clips on the gutter with a sharpie. The bulbs should have enough room on one end for the pigtail to be coiled up that connects power between the bulbs. So the bulbs need to be centered up from side to side and centered lengthwise as well to allow clearance for the end caps. After all four clip locations are marked remove the bulbs.

* Remove the clips from the bulbs and position them on the positions you marked in the gutter. With the sharpie mark the center mounting hole in the clips. Drill the hole for fitting the mounting screws slightly larger than the screw diameter. You can measure the diameter of the screws and use a drill bit that's a larger diameter by 1/16" to 1/8". Or just hold the screw up beside the drill bits and find a bit that is a bit larger than the screw diameter. You just need a little clearance to install the screws.

* Using the sharpie marks as guides drill the four retaining clip mounting holes.

* Install the retaining clips in the gutter with the screws mounted on the inside of the gutter. Line up the clips within the gutter straight for mounting the bulbs. Just like on picture 1. Install a nut on the outside of the fixture on each mounting screw. Snug the nuts up while holding the clip aligned in the fixture. If you go with plastic screws just snug them a bit. The plastic threads will strip if over tightened. 

* Center the bulbs up within the length of the fixture. Install the bulbs in the retaining clips.

* You'll notice that one side of the gutter is vertical. For using two light fixtures on a tank I build the fixtures so the vertical side will be flush against each other and the lights are more centrally positioned over the tank. Just my preference. Lay them out the way you want them to be on the tank before installing the power cables and end caps.

* At this point you'll be installing the power cable to the bulbs and the pigtails. You can install the power cable on either end of the LED bulbs. This would be determined by your power strip location. There are options for how you want to run the lights. You can run a single timer for each light fixture or have a timer on each light bulb. If you want to run each light fixture (both bulbs) with a single power cord you can plug it into one bulb on one end. The opposite end will need a pigtail installed between the two bulbs. I coil the pigtails up to take up less room in the fixture. You could install a tie wrap on the coiled cable if you want. If you want to run each bulb independently you will need a power cord to each bulb on one end and NO pigtail connecting the two bulbs. Consult the bulb installation sheet for proper installation and safety precautions.  

* After the power cables are installed, carefully install the end caps on each end of the fixture. Mount them on your tank and enjoy. They may not be as pretty as store bought lights but for me I prefer to use the money saved on plants and fish.

 

 

[phish head]

I have a 150 gal. From my light which is a fluval plant to the bottom of the tank is 27 inches .It is  set at 78% on all the spectrums except blue which is set at 20% I grow val, anubias, crypts ,swords, staurogyne repens, susswasetang,xmas tree moss, bolbitis, aponogeton, I don't have success with most carpet plants or stem plants except a  plant I call star grass This light seems to work for me ,after researching all the possibilities

[Randall from Texas]

I had a single fluval 3 on my 100. I could grow anything. I added the coop light and the plant response is incredible. Everything grows better with the double lights. Bottom plants are much healthier.