External Biocube 29 fuge light

So, I realize others have done something similar... just my take on it. Picked up a gang, wall outlet to socket adapter, extension and velcro with 3M tape. Cut a hole in the bottom of the gang just big enough for the adapter, slipped it in nice and snug, hot glued it in place... cleaned the edges of the gang and the tank and threw the velcro on and put it on. Start to finish was around 35 minutes. This light does much better than the weak LEDs that were in the tank.



Sits close enough to the back of the Biocube that barely any light escapes. You don't even see light cast behind the tank.

Still nice and bright inside the fuge.


My Biocube had a glass window in the second chamber in the back so I didn't have to scrape paint or anything. The whole process was very easy and cost $18 total?

 

Nicely done. May have missed but is the bulb bare? No shield.

 

Yeah, it's bare. The bulb itself doesn't get super hot. I'll be keeping an eye on temps just to be sure. The chaeto wasn't growing so well so we changed it up. Do you think a shield is needed? If so, how would you do it?

 

I have no clue, I would just keep salt creep in mind secondary to evaporation. With that said I wish I had been sharp enough to make that type of lighting when I had a fuge running instead of paying muchhhhhh more for a fuge light.

 

I don't think I'll have to worry much about salt creep on the light itself. I have a ring of hot glue around the place where the socket housing is that should keep water from ever making it to the bulb... and the gang acts like a giant shield as well. It's basically a 5 sided rectangular box. There is only about 1/16"-1/8" gap between it and the cube itself so "splashing" shouldn't hardly ever have a chance to get in there We check evaporation daily, so it shouldn't drive it up too much since the temperature of the tank shouldn't change. And also, the cost of a good submersible fuge light is what drove the project... this light should be just as good if not better (since it's external). Plus, changing the bulb is cheap and really easy.