DIY Custom Aquarium Lighting Reef

Many lighting options are on the market for do-it-yourself reef enthusiasts. The space confinement and the type of reef tank you have set up will determine the type of lighting items. Adding the right accessories, safety features and bulbs are all considerations when putting together a light system for your reef tank.

  1. Moonlight

    • If you are building a marine coral tank or a saltwater tank with fish, incorporate moonlight into the hood to ensure you supply a natural habitat for nocturnal fish and support the mating process of coral. Moonlights are commonly LED (light emitting diode). They are small and will take little room in an enclosure. They can be mounted at each end of the enclosure due to their small size. They are also available in long-tube florescent lights. These can replace one or more daytime fluorescent bulbs in an enclosure as a space-saving measure.

    Metal Reflectors

    • If you plan to use VHO (very high output) fluorescent reef lights or metal halide light bulbs in your hood, as a safety measure use a metal reflector inside a wooden enclosure to help reflect the light down into the tank and also to protect the wood against the high levels of heat that these types of bulbs create.

    Timers and Dimmers

    • Two luxuries often overlooked when building a hood are timers and dimmers, also called controllers. In nature, fish are accustomed to daytime and nighttime as well as dusk and dawn. On average, you should have 12 to 14 hours of light, including dusk and dawn. Installing a dimmer will allow you to lower the light levels in your tank, which will mimic dusk and dawn. Installing a timer will allow you to set up the time of day your tank lights automatically go on and off. These items do require additional room to mount, so they are most suited for canopy enclosures.

    Space-Saving Ballasts

    • Compact enclosures, or enclosures that only cover a third of the hood, can usually hold two full-sized fluorescent bulbs. A large portion of the enclosure is filled with the ballast. This is the electric unit that converts DC electricity to a wattage that powers fluorescent bulbs. A remote ballast can be located under the tank and wired to the enclosure to allow room for additional lights such as LED moonlights.