Thanks for the help guys. But this means that I'd only be getting about 2w/g. I wanted at least 3. Can you recommend any lighting fixtures for a 10g tank? Thanks again!
1st Serious Plant Tank
- Thread starter cohazard
- Start date
Actually, the price on the Petsmart site is not that bad. And if you enlarge the image of the bulb the box says, '6500K' which is a decent K rating. But you have to factor in the cost of shipping.
If you will be using 2 of them, that will give you a 2:1 ratio. In a ten gal. you can go to 3:1 or even 3.5:1 without much trouble so I would look around for tubes with a higher wattage.
They sell similar tubes at Lowe's and Home Depot that range from 15 - 23 watts. The problem with them is the that it's difficult to find their tubes in the 5000 - 6500K area.
I have one (23watts) over my 5 gal. and the plants are doing great. The problem is that the color appears more yellowish to my eye, although I've gotten used to it over time, and the plants don't care one way or the other about the K rating.
Len
If you will be using 2 of them, that will give you a 2:1 ratio. In a ten gal. you can go to 3:1 or even 3.5:1 without much trouble so I would look around for tubes with a higher wattage.
They sell similar tubes at Lowe's and Home Depot that range from 15 - 23 watts. The problem with them is the that it's difficult to find their tubes in the 5000 - 6500K area.
I have one (23watts) over my 5 gal. and the plants are doing great. The problem is that the color appears more yellowish to my eye, although I've gotten used to it over time, and the plants don't care one way or the other about the K rating.
Len
I use the screw-in compact fluorescents over a 10 gallon mini-reef. The corals (photosynthetic like a plant) are very happy with the light, and doing well. While there are other options, using this setup would allow you to have a wide variety of plants that would do very well.
happychem--the home supply places only carry the screw-ins for regular home use, not those that will be in the right range. Big-Als' carries them: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=23441;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2= as do many of the online stores. My LFS and local walmart both have them, though not the ones with actinics (which a planted tank wouldn't need anyway.
)
happychem--the home supply places only carry the screw-ins for regular home use, not those that will be in the right range. Big-Als' carries them: http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=23441;category_id=1845;pcid1=1843;pcid2= as do many of the online stores. My LFS and local walmart both have them, though not the ones with actinics (which a planted tank wouldn't need anyway.
)
Check out ddoan's thread, "compact fluorescent flood lights" and scroll down to karfixer's post.
Check out the link he gives.
That sight has just about the largest wattage and K rating selection I've seen yet for a small tank.
Len
Check out the link he gives.
That sight has just about the largest wattage and K rating selection I've seen yet for a small tank.
Len
Voice of experience here
I have two different types of screw-in CF bulbs on 10 gallon tanks.
The first is the 19 watt spiral flourescent from Home Depot, ~$8 each, in a daylight spectrum, ~6000K. Two of them gives you 38 watts over 10 gallons -- if they will fit. The spiral is rather wide and so you can do it if you remove the reflectors from the hood. With 3.8wpg you can do this pretty easily, IMO, you can afford to lose a bit of reflection.
The second bulb is a 10 watt U-tube compact flourescent from Walmart pet department, ~$5 each. Also daylight spectrum and the U-shape allows it to fit into the normal incandescent socket easily with no modifications necessary. Two of these gives you 20 watts over 10 gallons. With a small tank, I think you get a lot of spillage through the glass of the tank and so 2.0 wpg is OK but not great.
I run Hagen CO2 units on both tanks. On the higher light one it is necessary due to the light, on the bare bottom Q tank (planted driftwood only) it just keeps the pH in line with the main tanks in case I need to move a fish.
I have two different types of screw-in CF bulbs on 10 gallon tanks.
The first is the 19 watt spiral flourescent from Home Depot, ~$8 each, in a daylight spectrum, ~6000K. Two of them gives you 38 watts over 10 gallons -- if they will fit. The spiral is rather wide and so you can do it if you remove the reflectors from the hood. With 3.8wpg you can do this pretty easily, IMO, you can afford to lose a bit of reflection.
The second bulb is a 10 watt U-tube compact flourescent from Walmart pet department, ~$5 each. Also daylight spectrum and the U-shape allows it to fit into the normal incandescent socket easily with no modifications necessary. Two of these gives you 20 watts over 10 gallons. With a small tank, I think you get a lot of spillage through the glass of the tank and so 2.0 wpg is OK but not great.
I run Hagen CO2 units on both tanks. On the higher light one it is necessary due to the light, on the bare bottom Q tank (planted driftwood only) it just keeps the pH in line with the main tanks in case I need to move a fish.
Thanks for all the help! But I'm really looking for AT LEAST 3w/g. I know a lot of people don't like incandescent, but what do you think about 2 15watt incandescents? I wouldn't run a heater on the 10g (a Rio 90 gives enough heat 
) so I'm not worried about the heat factor. But will incandescents provide enough light for the intense light plants? Thanks again for the help.
But I'm really looking for AT LEAST 3w/g. I know a lot of people don't like incandescent, but what do you think about 2 15watt incandescents? I wouldn't run a heater on the 10g (a Rio 90 gives enough heat ) so I'm not worried about the heat factor. But will incandescents provide enough light for the intense light plants? Thanks again for the help.
A Suggestion
Check out the thread, "Help a newbie set up a tank".
Cearbhaill responds with an idea for a low maintenance idea that works well for her and would be an excellent way to get started.
She has done remarkably well with her tanks using few of the gadgets that many people use when getting into planted tanks, and her tanks are beautiful.
You can grow an enormous quantity of plants at 2 watts/gal. in a 10 with no CO2 and moderate dosing of Flourish products.
Then, if down the road you want to get into higher light you always can, but you may find it not necessary.
Incandescent lighting can grow plants. Back in the day, that's the way we did it. However fluorescent is much more efficient and much more conducive to plant growth.
Len
Check out the thread, "Help a newbie set up a tank".
Cearbhaill responds with an idea for a low maintenance idea that works well for her and would be an excellent way to get started.
She has done remarkably well with her tanks using few of the gadgets that many people use when getting into planted tanks, and her tanks are beautiful.
You can grow an enormous quantity of plants at 2 watts/gal. in a 10 with no CO2 and moderate dosing of Flourish products.
Then, if down the road you want to get into higher light you always can, but you may find it not necessary.
Incandescent lighting can grow plants. Back in the day, that's the way we did it. However fluorescent is much more efficient and much more conducive to plant growth.
Len
My biggest problem with incandescent was the amount of heat it gave off. In the summer it was impossible to keep my 10g below 80oF.
