4 Foot light on 10 Gallon tank? Opinions

[JasDownUnder]

Hi All

I am thinking of setting up my 2nd 10 Gallon tank as a planted tank, and i didn't have any lighting for it. I just went out to Bunnings (I'm guessing same as your 'Home Depot') and bought myself a 4 Foot shop fixture fluroescent light, and a 36W Bulb around 6200K.. cost me ~$30 AUD (20 USD) all up. I know the Light is nearly Twice as long as my tank, and won't look the best sitting on top of it, but will it still do the job fine? (I could probably return it if not). Looks don't really bother me overly much, as long as it does the job.

[The Gipper]

Sounds goofy to me, but keep in mind that if there is 36w over 4 feet, then you are only going to have about 10w over the tank, which is ~ 1w/gallon. Not much for growing plants.

[djlen]

I would return it and look for an 18 watt/CF fixture for your tank. It will look better and perform better.
Don't know about Bunnings, but Home Depot or Lowes carry those types of fixtures.

Len

[JasDownUnder]

I would return it and look for an 18 watt/CF fixture for your tank. It will look better and perform better.

What are these CF Fixtures? i haven't heard of them before... a link to a pic or something would be helpful too so i know what i'm looking for :)

[superjohnny]

www.ahsupply.com sells retrofit CF lights so they have a ton of pics.

[djlen]

They are small fluorescent tubes in the shape of a 'U' with 4 - prong ends that plug into small fixtures. They are not made specifically for aquariums, but can be adapted.
They also carry screw in CF lighting that you can put into a table lamp(ie. a goose neck lamp) that would normally be for incandescent light bulbs. These work pretty well also for small tanks such as yours.
BTW if you can lay your hands on an incandescent hood for a ten you can screw these CF tubes into them as well.
Super Johnny's suggestion about AH supply is a good one too, but I don't know whether they ship to Australia. Check them out though and see. www.ahsupply.com

Len

[Hebdizzle]

get a double 4' fixture and put 2 10's under it :)

should be about 2 WPG

(or if you like more light, put 2 double fixtures :)

Aaron