CHEAP DIY Moonlights

[Whattup32526]

So I was working on my car yesterday, and had to run to Advanced Auto Parts, and figured I would look at the neon tubes for your car, cause Ive seen pictures of people that have put them in their canopys as moonlights and its looked pretty good. Well at the very bottom of the shelf I saw these...... there are 8 super bright leds that can be placed anywhere, the only problem is.....It appears they are battery operated. I held them about 4 ft off the floor and they still put off bright light that hit the floor... The are $20 for the set and they have white blue red and green!!!!

<img src="http://api.photoshop.com/home_f211210a47574dc0b552612b9bc39f50/adobe-px-assets/2d55c35c92644a6da64c8c395bc4f498" width="640" height="480"/>
<img src="http://api.photoshop.com/home_f211210a47574dc0b552612b9bc39f50/adobe-px-assets/ea0410b533684d54a90cb91767c7ee79" width="640" height="480"/>

[hellssephiroth]

:D i made a thread on them , i still use em they work great!

[hellssephiroth]

oh i bought the house plug in deal ... lemme see if i can find my thread, search is down ill try again in a bit

[hellssephiroth]

http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq185/Hellssephiroth/diymoonlights007.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq185/Hellssephiroth/diymoonlights005.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq185/Hellssephiroth/diymoonlights004.jpg
the above are on my 55, the lower on my 120 which is deeper. it might come up huge on the page... just snapped it quick to get a picture for you.
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq185/Hellssephiroth/IMG_0006.jpg
when i made the thread no body believed me the pics were the moon lights, but im sure you will believe me lol those things are bright!

[Whattup32526]

Yea man those are awesome I couldnt believe how bright they were

[hellssephiroth]

lol one word of warning, wherever you stick them... you will have to cut them off if you want to move them, when i put them from my 55 to my 120 i had to cut them off and epoxy them on my 120

[96p993]

Hells you say you bought the home kit for them...Is this something that was at the auto parts store too or did you get them from somewhere else?

[THolleyH46]

Fish see blue light ya do know, I wouldn't want them too bright - they will never think its dark. They are blind to red though.

[oldsaltman]

I made a light from a set of those a few years ago and they worked fine! I am doing an upgrade now and am going to use a simular type light again. I have already made my lightbar and will post a photo of it later.

[saltydog64]

Hells.......

Look forward to the link, as I think this would make great DIY project, as for brightness looks good....please update when u can.

I also was wondering, as they are 12V, wouldn't a simple 110v to 12 v converer work ???

[JACOXVIII]

i got those they start to dim faster then you might think
so you might want to put them on a timer or turn off when you go to bed

but it might just be mine just a thought

[hellssephiroth]

the invertor was just a streetglow one that they had on clearance at advanced auto it converts 110 to 12 specifically for this. i think i got it for like 5 bucks if i remember right. as for being too bright? i think it would depend how big your tank was, i still see my fishies sleep, my goby sleeps right on top of my center rock all night with one of my clowns.

[hellssephiroth]

here is my original thread on them, prices may be different now. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1506540

[jimnrose]

Does anyone know the wattage of the LED's? I'm told their isn't a direct correlation between wattage and light energy (PAR) but am wondering how many of these LED's would it take to provide the primary tank lighting. PAR meters are $275, so I'm not going that route. Jim

[donald altman]

With it being just after the holidays. I am wondering why you cant go get a small set of of blue led Christmas tree lights. They are probably on clearance at wal-fart for a couple of bucks and already made to plug into the wall socket.

[jimnrose]

Donald, I picked up two sets of blue LED's (60/set) from Target and built light bars around the perimeter of the light fixture. They look great for a blue night light but the total wattage is 9.6w. I'm told a full array of 80mw led's wouldn't have the intensity (PAR readings) required for reef growth. Jim

[donald altman]

The larger LED outdoor lighting might be more suited to what your looking for and weather resistant.
I work in the trucking industry and we have several white multibulb light strips that are very very bright. You should go to a fleet supply store or a chrome shop for CDL trucks.. you would be surprised at the amount of LED lights they have. I bet you could rig some up for reef lighting. I thought this was a post for just cheap DIY moonlights and was thinking clearance isle.

[oldsaltman]

The first lights I made for my 55g were about the same as those of yours. I just started my 90g upgrade and bought these from the same place. I liked them because they can be mounted in the holders you see in the photo. 8 lights were $20 and the holders were about $6. I already had enough 12vdc power supplies. I mounted mine on a strip of 1" x 48" aluminum from lowes. I like them!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/115850Moon_Lights.JPG

[rosebud161616]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14077041#post14077041 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hellssephiroth
oh i bought the house plug in deal ... lemme see if i can find my thread, search is down ill try again in a bit

I stopped and bought some of this last night and the guy looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about the 110v house adapter thingy. Any more info on what you bought?

Could you hook these up with a solar panel that charges off MHs in the canopy? I was trying to find a way to do this last night, but I don't have a clue what to look for. I thought of maybe purchasing a $15 solar powered LED Christmas strand. Then cut off the solar panel/photo sensor/rechargeable battery and wire it up to these. think that might work?

[hellssephiroth]

wow heres the adapter http://www.crutchfield.com/S-AQkZ2zjhgOM/p_546SGHNA/StreetGlow-Home-Neon-Adapter.html
im glad i got mine on clearance!

[rosebud161616]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14091414#post14091414 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hellssephiroth
wow heres the adapter http://www.crutchfield.com/S-AQkZ2zjhgOM/p_546SGHNA/StreetGlow-Home-Neon-Adapter.html
im glad i got mine on clearance!

Wow that is steep!!! Wonder if I could just take a 12V power adapter, cut the end off and twist it onto these guys?

Wish I knew more about electrical stuff...

[saltydog64]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14085052#post14085052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by oldsaltman
The first lights I made for my 55g were about the same as those of yours. I just started my 90g upgrade and bought these from the same place. I liked them because they can be mounted in the holders you see in the photo. 8 lights were $20 and the holders were about $6. I already had enough 12vdc power supplies. I mounted mine on a strip of 1" x 48" aluminum from lowes. I like them!

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/115850Moon_Lights.JPG

"oldsaltman"......hey one ole salty to another...nice job, if I could ask, what power adp. did u use....I mean wattage???? actual Voltage ???? or is just 12V Ok???

[oldsaltman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14092908#post14092908 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltydog64
"oldsaltman"......hey one ole salty to another...nice job, if I could ask, what power adp. did u use....I mean wattage???? actual Voltage ???? or is just 12V Ok???

I have a bunch of old 12v adapters around I never throw one out. This one is a 12vdc output rated at 500ma. I don't think the amps matter as long as it has enough to power the lights.

[saltydog64]

got it and thanks..............that's what I thought u where using I must have some hanging around......heck I never throw anything way..