Lowe's Aquarium Improvement Warehouse!

[MiltonP]

I was checking out the 13watt worklight/Bookworm that has been a hot item for budget nano lighting. Has anyone modified one to dispose of the ballast at the plug? I was wondering if you could use a higher wattage ballast, also available at Lowes, HD, etc..., to run 2-4 of the bookworms.

I also spotted a red led bulb with a candelabra base that is intended to replace 20 watt bulbs in exit signs. It had roughly 15 leds and consumed 1 watt! It was $20 for a pair. Add a $1.89 cord w/base and switch and you are talking $12 for 1 watt night lighting.

 

[brandon4291]

Hey we have a Lowes here in Lubbock and Ill go over tomorrow on my day off to look around. I want to look further into that LED unit you mention...led lights are the key to making smaller and smaller nano aquariums. In this case as you mentioned the red ones will make for some nice night-viewing, but Id also like to see how they can be switched out with white/blue ones to make a miniature reef light with a larger array. Finding the array already put together (such as the exit sign replacement) makes retro-fitting ten times faster!

I haven't personally seen those bookworm lights yet, but Id also like to have one of them to light small refugiums with. If I can find them here in town, I wouldnt have to order Azoo palm lights off the internet. Thanks for the referral, will check back in later.

ps, I just found the worlds smallest powerhead in my local mall. The entire output device (separate power supply) is about the size of a quarter and has three adjustable ouputs---in other words its freakishly small!!!! THis, combined with any special LED array I can find and modify, will allow for the construction of an atto-reef, ultimate desktop/palmtop marine aquarium (smaller than the reef in my avatar).
Wait until the naysayers get a look at this one--flames galore! I found it in a ceramic fountain display--it is a tiny powerhead not meant for aquarium use (dont see any reason it wouldnt work though) used in the foutains to circulate the water. I paid the guy $20 under the table to rip it out of the fountain and sell it to me point blank (the fountain was $50). I guess he'll tell his distributor it never came--I dunno, was just happy to find this little gem.
will post pics soon
moral of the story: nano reef supplies can come from the strangest places...

b

 

[Enzo]

Your a nano god!!! How can you find all this stuff....GEEZ, I can't even find a powerhead smaller than an apple.

 

[brandon4291]

I'd better relenquish that status quickly, it causes so-called cranial swelling and this leads to persistent bad luck in human beings. done/
think I see what you were meaning though, thanks buddy. had some luck with aquariums...

when someone such as Milton posts ideas for other nano parts or retrofits, and where to find them, its easy to expand on that because I have been looking for new parts for a long time.

As far as the powerhead goes, that came about because one day I saw these little fountains spurting water and when I looked at the pumps they were a Japanese import that we dont use in the aquarium world...simply a lucky find! The hard part was talking the guy into selling me one without the fifty dollar fountain with it---it worked though, so it was meant to be I guess. (twenty bucks incentive helped) he said "you sure are strange...Ive had people offer me money to buy one and get another one half-off but never just for this crappy little plastic pump" told him I had certain needs for that special plastic pump...merely a well-placed negotiation.

going to go look at those LED combos tomorrow and see what they have, can't wait to see how its built and how it can be taken apart and re-fitted.
Thanks for the tip Milton

-spread the knowledge-
8)

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[MiltonP]

Brandon, Did you spot the LED fixtures. They resembled bulbs, ie...candelabra base and glass body, however, I don't believe the glass does anything other than assist in acquiring the damp environment rating necessary for exit sign bulbs. I considered the rating a bonus, but if you take it apart to change the LEDs I don't know how you would seal it again.
Milt

 

[MiltonP]

Home Depot didn't have the BookWorm but they have a 9" under-cabinet GE Profile fixture that uses a 13 watt powercompact. They had other compact T4 flourescent fixtures that were battery powered but had 6volt converter inputs.

 

[investigator1]

LOWES IS BAD!!!!! I HATE LOWES!!!! THEY RIP OFF THIER EMPLOYEES. ALL THE EMPLOYEES AT ONE IN MY AREA WENT ON STRIKE BECAUSE THEY WERE RIPPING OFF THIER OVERTIME PAY AND REFUSED TO PAY IT.
I WOULD RATHER GO TO WALMART AND THAT PLACE ALWAYS SMELLS LIKE BAD BIC MACS!