natureboy
03/17/2006, 09:01 PM
I modified the hood of the Aquapod from 2x32 W PC bulbs to 3x40 W pc bulbs, and it was pretty simple. Alternatively, you could simply upgrade from 2x32W to 2x40W with very little modification.
(For larger pics, see my journal (http://natureboyaquarium.blogspot.com).)
Before:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4031/2365/320/unmodified%20hood.jpg
After:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4031/2365/320/modified%20hood%20moonlights.jpg
Step 1: Replace the Stock Fan
The problem with the stock fan is that it is loud and unreliable (I've read posts of the fan crapping out on people). Furthermore, having just one stock fan leads to an air flow that is not efficient. there are two spots for a 60mm fan, but only one is used. Since the stock fan blows air out of the hood air is sucked in through the path of least resistance: the unoccupied vent for another stock fan. The air never flows in through the vents directly above the lights and never cools them.
So, I installed two 60mm stealth fans blowing out. Simply splice the red and black wires from the fan to the old wires from the stock fan. The stealth fans have a yellow wire which you can ignore. These fans are supposed to be very quiet but I was a little dissapointed in the volume. I can still hear the fan, sort of a higher pitched drone, but it is a vast improvement over the noise from the stock fan. The stealth fans are thicker (25mm vs. the 15mm stock fan) but this still leaves plenty of room under the cover.
Step 2: Rearrange the Ballasts and Add Another
I simply moved the hidden ballast down from under the reflector to make room for a reflector expansion. I attached the ballast to the hood by super-gluing a little square of wood to the hood and screwing the ballast into that.
I installed a third ballast I bought from Hello Lights that's rated up to 55 W. It's the same size as the two current ballasts, which are rated for 40W. I just spliced this ballast into the leads of another ballast, so two ballasts and two lights are operated from the same switch. I can still get the dawn/dusk effect by turning on the actinic first, but when "the sun has risen" it's a lot brighter in the tank. You could wire a third powercord and timer, but I didn't think this was worth the effort.
Step 3: Modify the Reflector
After removing the reflector, I cut off the extra part of the reflector that covers up the ballast, it doesn't serve much of a function. Then, I flattened it with brute force and bent it into a 90 degree angle. I then attached this bent piece to the rest of the reflector, which allows it to accomodate the width of three bulbs. On the hood itself, I removed all of the plastic screwholes and glued squares of wood to the hood so that I could screw the reflecter to the wood. I had to redrill holes in the reflecter because I moved the sockets over to one side, the bulb clips moved, and the moonlights moved.
If you every remove the reflector, you'll notice that the vents over the lights have a square plastic baffle around them. This baffle prevents the air from flowing properly. I removed three sides of teh baffles so that it only prevents air from going straight towards the back of the hood and out the exhaust fans. Now the air enters the tank through the vents over the lights, travels inbetween the reflecter and the top of the hood towards the front of the tank. Then, it reverses direction towards the back of the tank as it flows across the PC bulbs and out through the exhaust fans.
Conclusion:
This is a simple modification you can do at home with minimal electrical and power tool experience. You can just modify the fans, you can just move the bulb sockets over to make room for 40W bulbs, or you can add another ballast and modify the reflector to put in a third 40W bulbs. Whatever you choose, my water temperature has not gone above 79 degrees under the modified hood, so you should not experience temperature issues.
(For larger pics, see my journal (http://natureboyaquarium.blogspot.com).)
Before:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4031/2365/320/unmodified%20hood.jpg
After:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4031/2365/320/modified%20hood%20moonlights.jpg
Step 1: Replace the Stock Fan
The problem with the stock fan is that it is loud and unreliable (I've read posts of the fan crapping out on people). Furthermore, having just one stock fan leads to an air flow that is not efficient. there are two spots for a 60mm fan, but only one is used. Since the stock fan blows air out of the hood air is sucked in through the path of least resistance: the unoccupied vent for another stock fan. The air never flows in through the vents directly above the lights and never cools them.
So, I installed two 60mm stealth fans blowing out. Simply splice the red and black wires from the fan to the old wires from the stock fan. The stealth fans have a yellow wire which you can ignore. These fans are supposed to be very quiet but I was a little dissapointed in the volume. I can still hear the fan, sort of a higher pitched drone, but it is a vast improvement over the noise from the stock fan. The stealth fans are thicker (25mm vs. the 15mm stock fan) but this still leaves plenty of room under the cover.
Step 2: Rearrange the Ballasts and Add Another
I simply moved the hidden ballast down from under the reflector to make room for a reflector expansion. I attached the ballast to the hood by super-gluing a little square of wood to the hood and screwing the ballast into that.
I installed a third ballast I bought from Hello Lights that's rated up to 55 W. It's the same size as the two current ballasts, which are rated for 40W. I just spliced this ballast into the leads of another ballast, so two ballasts and two lights are operated from the same switch. I can still get the dawn/dusk effect by turning on the actinic first, but when "the sun has risen" it's a lot brighter in the tank. You could wire a third powercord and timer, but I didn't think this was worth the effort.
Step 3: Modify the Reflector
After removing the reflector, I cut off the extra part of the reflector that covers up the ballast, it doesn't serve much of a function. Then, I flattened it with brute force and bent it into a 90 degree angle. I then attached this bent piece to the rest of the reflector, which allows it to accomodate the width of three bulbs. On the hood itself, I removed all of the plastic screwholes and glued squares of wood to the hood so that I could screw the reflecter to the wood. I had to redrill holes in the reflecter because I moved the sockets over to one side, the bulb clips moved, and the moonlights moved.
If you every remove the reflector, you'll notice that the vents over the lights have a square plastic baffle around them. This baffle prevents the air from flowing properly. I removed three sides of teh baffles so that it only prevents air from going straight towards the back of the hood and out the exhaust fans. Now the air enters the tank through the vents over the lights, travels inbetween the reflecter and the top of the hood towards the front of the tank. Then, it reverses direction towards the back of the tank as it flows across the PC bulbs and out through the exhaust fans.
Conclusion:
This is a simple modification you can do at home with minimal electrical and power tool experience. You can just modify the fans, you can just move the bulb sockets over to make room for 40W bulbs, or you can add another ballast and modify the reflector to put in a third 40W bulbs. Whatever you choose, my water temperature has not gone above 79 degrees under the modified hood, so you should not experience temperature issues.