I need more watts!

[FtwayneFish]

:idea: Hi folks. I have a 55gal hex with a perfecto top. and there is two spots for a light hood. the one is perfecto and is 18.5 and fits perfect. but it only has 1 18" bulb that i bought at a lfs and its only 15watts.

I put another light hood from my 10 gallon on the second spot to bring me to 60w and man that made a big diff. i cant imagine the 120w im supposed to have. so here are my ?'s

1. what do you guys think my watt # should be for a hex? mod planted and would like to try DIY co2.
2. whats the cheapest way to get more watts? a new hood is 34.00 @petco and then im still at 30watts.
3. Would foil or any other reflector on the 2 light hoods work?
4. Should i just gut the two hoods and try and fit 4 socket type cf's that are 15w each?

o and i think the rexgrigg is out too. outta my price range that is.

Thankyou for your help.

[deadxero]

Compact flourescent lights are proabably your best bet. You may have problems finding a fixture to fit that tank, but could likely build one for a reasonable price.

Check this page out:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pet_supplies.cfm?c=3578+3733

[Sploke]

How tall is the tank? I agree, building a custom CF hood/canopy is probably your best bet.

[Mgamer20o0]

your going to be really limited i guess. i would say check out the lights at ahsupply.com but out of your range. cf or vho t5 is prob the only real answer to getting a good amount of light over the tank.

[duke33]

Go to wal-mart and get a 2' grow bulb self contained, 8-10 bucks. If to much light shining out put tinfoil over the top...

[FtwayneFish]

Go to wal-mart and get a 2' grow bulb self contained, 8-10 bucks. If to much light shining out put tinfoil over the top...

What do they look like? hood style? or just clamp em?

[Sploke]

Chances are, thats going to be a T12 fluorescent light, which will add maybe 20w to the tank.

[duke33]

The one I got is designed to mount to a wall. I just laid it overtop the tank. It has it's own bulb protector.

[FtwayneFish]

which one is that?

[ansbfish]

which one is that?
I think he's referring to the 24" under cabinet lights that walmart sells.

I would check out the 24" shop lights, they're like 8$ each, you can put 2x20w T12 in each, and could probably fit two over your tank...
they might hang off the edges though..

[FtwayneFish]

my tank across width way is 22" and my light hood is 18.5"

my tank across front to back is like 23" something. theres a gap for the HOB and the lid up from to feed.

[FtwayneFish]

any fixtures?

[FtwayneFish]

bump

[Mgamer20o0]

ok the other option is one mh over the top of it.

[FtwayneFish]

mh? sorry is that metal halide? what do thoes run (DIY).

[Sploke]

you can probably expect to spend $150 or so, plus replacing the bulbs every 9-12 months at 40-60 bucks a pop.

[Mgamer20o0]

they are hot and cost money but its a way to get a good amount of light over a small space.

[williedee]

i think that you should do the shop light plan. a little off topic but would a small strip of LED rope lights be good for "moonlight nightime lighting?" thanks and good luck with your fixture decisions!

[Mgamer20o0]

yea stick with the blue and red.

[FtwayneFish]

what about the perfecto hood mod? mgamer2000. circular bulbs be ok? right spectrum?

[Reddog80p]

You could overdrive a Flourecent fixture. It has to have an electronic ballast to be overdriven. Search "ODNO" online and read up on it.

[FtwayneFish]

what would my wattage be if its overdriven. prolly easier to do it right?

o and mgammer2000 sorry to single you out lol. but you have the DIY links and on your drip system theres a gentleman named DarkSoul and he is the man! what do you think about doing that mod? that would solve my problems with lighting? and then ill get a master test kit and check on ferts and co2 then when its finally usefull and appropiate.

[FtwayneFish]

does anyone like darksoul's mod? on the hood? my hood light is just like that?

i now have 30w over the tank via another light in the extra spot on the hood. theres a huge diff.

[FtwayneFish]

bump

[FtwayneFish]

bump^^?^^

[Sploke]

DS's mod to his light hood was really nice, good way to squeeze in some extra light in a tight spot.

[tennesseemom]

I have a 55 gallon corner and it was a PITA to find lights to fit over it that were affordable. I recently won a new 24" Odyssea 130w compact fl. lights on ebay for $58.00. Even have built in moonlights. Some people have bad things to say about the lights, but it seems limited to earlier versions. Because of the weird shape of my hood, I had to place 2 pieces of wood under the light because I can't use the legs. And the built in fan keeps the lights cool too. I see a huge difference in my plants.

http://www.tennessee-mom.com/fish/tank1.jpg

[FtwayneFish]

ok

[FtwayneFish]

whats (your) opinion on how many watts per gallon for a hex?

[FtwayneFish]

^

[FtwayneFish]

^

[Sploke]

again I ask - how tall is the tank? What kind of plants are you looking to keep? Are you still planning on DIY CO2 on this tank?

[FtwayneFish]

i would do co2 if i had the watts to match. and its about 3ft from top to bottom.
i did get the additional light for the spot on the hood. so im 30w over a 55g hex.

my plants i have and would like a lil more out of are:
foxtail- 5-6 stems about a foot or more each- not very bushy
wistera- 3 stems same height^ shooting to the top
java moss- golf ball - hasnt grown at all
moneywort- 3 2-3" peices no growth- 2-3 died already
moneywort- no wicked growth everyone talks about
some val- no growth its slowly goin dead
micro sword- 2 days old, no news
anacharis- 4-5 stems, 1-2ft and looked really bad after i put it in, leaves got clear. now it looks like it might be coming back? i dunno yet.

[Sploke]

55gal hex tank thats 36" tall? You will probably have to shoot for 3wpg to get enough light down to the lower levels of the tank.

[tennesseemom]

My 55 gallon corner tank is 23" tall. First I had 48 watts, and the plants did nothing. Then I added a 2nd hood totaling 178 watts and now the plants are growing. I think I'm at the bare minimum to get things to grow with this deep tank. I will probably end up adding another 130 watt lights to take the place of the 48 watt lights. 260w should be good i think.

[FtwayneFish]

thanks guys/gals.