DIY Lighting

[Sunshine]

Hello all! I haven't been on here in a while but I wanted to show how I made a light for my 20 gallon viv. It cost around $30 to make which was more than I expected but I live in a small town in Canada and there isn't a whole lot of selection here. I'm sure this could be made for $20 or less anywhere else. This is customizable for any size tank too which is nice. I struggled for a while trying to find a decently priced light for my tank and I finally decided to make my own. I couldn't find a thread on do it yourself lighting on here so I hope this helps someone. I am not the greatest at explaining things but here goes...

Ingredients:

1 1"x8"x6' pine board $3

1 24" 4 light bathroom light fixture $20

1 piece of pegboard $4.50

Screws

Replacement lamp cord with switch $3

The pine board was cut into two 24 1/4" pieces for the sides and two 7 1/4" square pieces for the ends. A 1/2 inch hole was drilled in the middle of one of the long pieces for the wires of the light to go through. The light was screwed into place and the wires were put through the hole in the back of the wood. Small holes were drilled in the ends of the long pieces of wood and the square pieces were screwed onto the ends. (Drilling holes is optional. I did it so the wood did not split when the screws went in and it also helps the screws to go in easier.) Next the peg board was cut to fit the top of the wood box. I used peg board so the light fixture would have adequate ventilation since I am using CFLs. Next the cord was attached to the wires of the light fixture. The cord was pulled apart about 2 or 3 inches to keep the wires from touching. There is a positive side (smooth) and a negative side (rough) to the cord and the side of the cord with the ribbing goes to the negative wire on the light (black) and the smooth side goes to the positive wire (white). Then the bulbs were added and the light was turned on. Eventually I will get around to painting it black so it looks better and the inside will be flat white to reflect more light back into the tank.