Lighting Question

[Mantis737]

I have a weird question here. I found a light fixture at ACE hardware that holds a 150 watt light bulb and I wanted to know if I can use it for my tank. It looks like a upside down bowl with the light in the middle, thats the best way to describe it. It almost reminds me of reptile basking lamps. Does anyone use this or know if I could use this to grow plants in a 55g. I would prob. put 2 100 watt fixtures over head, 2 feet apart. If anyone has any thoughts about this let me know, it seems like a much cheaper alternative. thanks!

[OrionGirl]

Sounds like a halogen light--and I would not use it. They don't put out a useful spectrum. Even some commercially available MH lights should be avoided--they will encourage algaes, and often produce a lot of heat.

[Mantis737]

I have realized it is halogen, but here is my next question. Is there a low heat light i could use for this. Also can someone please explain the lighting details to me, I would love to get into more live plants. For example what is 10000K? Is 20000K better? What is acitinic? What is T8? What is the easiest, read cheapest, way to proudce enough light for 4wpg of a 55 g tank? Thank you for all the help.

[OrionGirl]

Halogen lights don't produce light in the spectrum that plants need in order to photosynthesize. They can only use a certain color of light, and most halogens don't provide this.

K numbers refer to the kelvin value of the light. This refers to a rating of the light; most photosynthetic critters need light in the 5600-6600K range to be happy. This value is determined by the type of bulb, and does not reflect on the intensity of light. So, a 40W, 10,000K light is in the same range as a 100W 10,000K bulb, but is not as bright and own't benefit the plants as much, nor will it penetrate into the water as far. A 20,000K light bulb will be even brighter, and closer to natural daylight. Actinic lights are blue spectrum lights--they are not needed for FW tanks, but corals need this light to thrive. Some people use them to enhance the colors of their fish, as well.

T8 (and T12, etc) is a type of lfluorescent bulb. It doesn't mean anything in terms of output, but rather refers to the sockets needed to run the light.

I would look at the Corallife power compact light setups. For about $200, you can get a good setup, in the right spectrum, that will fit your 55 and provide about 4wpg. I run one, and have been happy with it. The bulbs are longer lasting than many types, but a bit pricy to replace.