Upgrading aquarium lighting to LED
When I mentioned in the previous article that I had to drain my aquarium because of moving, I also needed to find a temporary home for my fish until the main tank could be set up again and reach a stable state. For this purpose, I borrowed a 100‑liter aquarium.
This borrowed tank, however, came with two fluorescent tubes. Fluorescent lighting consumes more power and isn’t as safe as LED lighting. I already had an aluminum LED profile running on 12 V — I just needed a way to mount it inside the aquarium hood. So how did I solve it?
Designing the LED profile holders
I decided to reuse the original fluorescent tube holders and design my own adapter that would fit into them while securely holding the aluminum LED profile. I needed two pieces — one for each side. One of the holders also had to allow the power cable to pass through.
I designed the model for a 3D printer so that it:
- fits precisely into the opening meant for the fluorescent tube,
- firmly holds the aluminum LED profile,
- allows cable routing,
- withstands humidity inside the aquarium hood.
Caps for the second pair of holders
The hood originally had space for two fluorescent tubes, so besides the main holders, I also had to deal with the second pair of openings. These didn’t need to hold anything — they just needed to be sealed to prevent moisture from entering. I printed simple caps that close the openings securely.
Final result
You can see the final solution in the video. If anyone is interested in similar holders or caps, feel free to contact me.
