HCA: Hermit Crab Association

Hey everyone! So a while back ago I was trying to find a good D.I.Y. on lighting for my crabitat. I found something that I was hesitant to try at first, but I am very satisfied with it! It is a hood light for your aquarium made out of a plastic gutter. I don't have time to post the tutorial and what I did to make it, but I will soon, when I get a chance. For now I will just show you what the final product might look like. I haven't attached the lights to the gutter yet, they are just resting on the glass top I made for my 55 gallon. Again, I've been busy so I didn't have time to complete it. But here are my pictures of the progress so far:




What do you guys think? In my opinion, it looks really great when you say you are using a gutter to rest on the top if your tank! I'll post more of a tutorial and pictures of how I made it when I get the time. I was just excited to see the crabitat all lit up so nicely, I wanted to share to see if others are interested in the same project.


*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

parker_roo wrote:Hey everyone! So a while back ago I was trying to find a good D.I.Y. on lighting for my crabitat. I found something that I was hesitant to try at first, but I am very satisfied with it! It is a hood light for your aquarium made out of a plastic gutter. I don't have time to post the tutorial and what I did to make it, but I will soon, when I get a chance. For now I will just show you what the final product might look like. I haven't attached the lights to the gutter yet, they are just resting on the glass top I made for my 55 gallon. Again, I've been busy so I didn't have time to complete it. But here are my pictures of the progress so far:




What do you guys think? In my opinion, it looks really great when you say you are using a gutter to rest on the top if your tank! I'll post more of a tutorial and pictures of how I made it when I get the time. I was just excited to see the crabitat all lit up so nicely, I wanted to share to see if others are interested in the same project.


*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

Can't wait to see the finished project!!!
How do you maintain humidity in your tank?

I think it's an awesome idea for non-heat lights! I would not recommend it for use with any kind of heating bulb or any type of bulb that produces excess heat for fear of the plastic melting.

If your lights are hot to the touch, don't run them while they're sitting directly on the glass - it can cause the lids to crack!

I think it is a great idea. Very resourceful.

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I will be trying this out on my thirty gallon ^•^

I'm glad you guys like it! Here is more of how I did this. I was able to finish it today!

First I started off with a plastic gutter from Lowes, which I think was around $10-$15. Then I cut it to the size of my tank. Along with the gutter, you want to get two end caps to go on the ends, which I think were about $2 each. Next you just attach the lights to the top, and rest it on top of your tank. The examples I found online used LED lights, but I just used some lights I already had lying around, which were the ones you can mount under kitchen cabinets, displays, etc.
I then had an issue with these lights, they were too wide to use to mount against the gutter. So I got some old wood in my garage and drilled a hole in it and the gutter, attaching them together. This allowed me to mount the lights I had along the wider part of the gutter which fit perfectly. I then screwed those lights to the wood, and then connected the cords between the lights, and taped the cords to the wood to keep them from sticking out. Lastly, I just attached the end caps, I also drilled a little notch for my cord to stick out to plug into the wall, and rested it on top of my tank.


And here are the final results!




I think this turned out really well! If you guys have any questions about how I did this, let me know! Also this will mainly just work with a glass top on your aquarium. I made mine which was pretty cheap and easy, about $15-$20 in all to make them. If anyone wants info on how I made the glass tops, mention it in a response or a PM. Thanks!

*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

Giner13 wrote:Can't wait to see the finished project!!!
How do you maintain humidity in your tank?

I haven't had a problem with humidity yet since I just recently set up this tank and the substrate has kept moisture which helps with that. If it does get low, I occasionally mist the substrate and the moss pit I have in the tank.



*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

wodesorel wrote:I think it's an awesome idea for non-heat lights! I would not recommend it for use with any kind of heating bulb or any type of bulb that produces excess heat for fear of the plastic melting.

If your lights are hot to the touch, don't run them while they're sitting directly on the glass - it can cause the lids to crack!

Thanks for the heads up! The lights I am using get warm, but not enough to melt the plastic. There is the risk of cracking the glass, but I don't plan to have the lights on all the time, just occasionally. So I am pretty sure it won't crack, but I am taking that risk because the lights do give off some heat. But that's a good thing to look out for if others are going to try this.

*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

parker_roo wrote:I'm glad you guys like it! Here is more of how I did this. I was able to finish it today!

First I started off with a plastic gutter from Lowes, which I think was around $10-$15. Then I cut it to the size of my tank. Along with the gutter, you want to get two end caps to go on the ends, which I think were about $2 each. Next you just attach the lights to the top, and rest it on top of your tank. The examples I found online used LED lights, but I just used some lights I already had lying around, which were the ones you can mount under kitchen cabinets, displays, etc.
I then had an issue with these lights, they were too wide to use to mount against the gutter. So I got some old wood in my garage and drilled a hole in it and the gutter, attaching them together. This allowed me to mount the lights I had along the wider part of the gutter which fit perfectly. I then screwed those lights to the wood, and then connected the cords between the lights, and taped the cords to the wood to keep them from sticking out. Lastly, I just attached the end caps, I also drilled a little notch for my cord to stick out to plug into the wall, and rested it on top of my tank.


And here are the final results!




I think this turned out really well! If you guys have any questions about how I did this, let me know! Also this will mainly just work with a glass top on your aquarium. I made mine which was pretty cheap and easy, about $15-$20 in all to make them. If anyone wants info on how I made the glass tops, mention it in a response or a PM. Thanks!

*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

I would love to know how you put it all together!

I just realized I asked after you posted the whole way you did it haha


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awesome!!!

parker_roo wrote:I'm glad you guys like it! Here is more of how I did this. I was able to finish it today!

First I started off with a plastic gutter from Lowes, which I think was around $10-$15. Then I cut it to the size of my tank. Along with the gutter, you want to get two end caps to go on the ends, which I think were about $2 each. Next you just attach the lights to the top, and rest it on top of your tank. The examples I found online used LED lights, but I just used some lights I already had lying around, which were the ones you can mount under kitchen cabinets, displays, etc.
I then had an issue with these lights, they were too wide to use to mount against the gutter. So I got some old wood in my garage and drilled a hole in it and the gutter, attaching them together. This allowed me to mount the lights I had along the wider part of the gutter which fit perfectly. I then screwed those lights to the wood, and then connected the cords between the lights, and taped the cords to the wood to keep them from sticking out. Lastly, I just attached the end caps, I also drilled a little notch for my cord to stick out to plug into the wall, and rested it on top of my tank.


And here are the final results!




I think this turned out really well! If you guys have any questions about how I did this, let me know! Also this will mainly just work with a glass top on your aquarium. I made mine which was pretty cheap and easy, about $15-$20 in all to make them. If anyone wants info on how I made the glass tops, mention it in a response or a PM. Thanks!

*Let the crabby adventures begin!*

I've been considering this for my 55 gal, i have a brace in the center of my tank as well. but would it work if i wanted to use light diffuser as a lid? this is what i'm using. i'm going to put seran wrap over the top, and just set it in the lip of the tank.