5 gallon and 10 gallon lighting questions

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DaveinSF

AC Members
Apr 12, 2005
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first off: why is it so hard to find decent lighting for 10 gallon (20" x 10")tanks?

second: why is retrofit lighting so expensive? These DIY kits often cost more than the entire 10 gallon tank setup with filter and original hood/lighting.

I would like to improve the lighting on two small tanks:

1. What can I do to improve the current lighting on a five gallon hex? It currently has a 10watt screw-in type flourescent bulb. I haven't seen replacement hoods/lighting for this type of tank, probably because the biowheel and pump are integrated. Are there higher wattage bulbs out there?

2. What can I do to improve the lighting in the 10 gallon? I am considering a 20" aqualight aluminum fixture with a 1 x 28W compact flourescent. I am currently running a 15W standard flourescent. However, the aqualight is 5" wide, and it might be too wide to take the place of my other light... the retrofits are actually more expensive than this light fixture and I don't want 5wpg. Any suggestions from 10gallon owners who had the same problem?
 

Galaxie

AC Members
Feb 4, 2005
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1. Home Depot sells any number of compact fluorescent screw-in bulbs. I like the higher color temperatures, which they don't sell, so usually order online. lightbulbdepot.com I believe.

2. I bought a cheapo aquarium hood for my 10g. It has dual medium screw-in sockets, so I loaded it with two 15 watt compact fluorescents (and threw the incandescents it came with in the trash). Two 15's are more than enough lumens for a 10g tank.
 
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