Generally accepted best beginner lighting?

J

JimmyTheDriver

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Dec 13, 2009
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Recenty picked up a 55g tank with a double hood setup. The bulbs in it look like they are from 1975. There is no writing other than a "15w". I added a few low light plants but have seen better days and are starting to get brown dead spots on them, which I blame on the lights as the water quality is fine.

Is there a generally accepted best bulb for a beginner tank? I don't want anything crazy or expensive, but would like to grow a few plants and see the beautiful colors of the fish inside. Currently it's just a dull blob.

Thanks!
Jimmy
 
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When I got my 55 I got rid of the hoods, replaced them with glass covers and got a 4 foot flourescent shop light from Walmart which I mounted to my canopy. It only cost me 12 bucks and I had to drill 6 screws through the white reflector into the bottom of the canopy which was no problem. The double bulb shop light has allowed me to grow plenty of low light plants without issue. It also made my tank way brighter than the crappy stock lights and hoods the tank came with.
 
And just the walmart light fixture is an acceptable way to grow low light plants? just get like 60+watt bulb or something? I just built a stand and hood for my 55gal, and currently just using the stock hoods that came with it as well....
 
Kevin S. said:
When I got my 55 I got rid of the hoods, replaced them with glass covers and got a 4 foot flourescent shop light from Walmart which I mounted to my canopy. It only cost me 12 bucks and I had to drill 6 screws through the white reflector into the bottom of the canopy which was no problem. The double bulb shop light has allowed me to grow plenty of low light plants without issue. It also made my tank way brighter than the crappy stock lights and hoods the tank came with.
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ditto. I suggest getting a light that can use T8 (1") tubes if you have the $. The really cheap ones usually only take T12 (1-1/4").

Two 32W T8 tubes generally make more light than 2 40W T12's. More light for less watts. Some of the ~$30 T8 fixtures have better reflectors than the cheap ones too.

I'd go with daylight tubes, you don't need expensive aquarium tubes.

But...if money is tight, a cheap shoplight with 2 daylight lamps will work fine, and way better than what you have. I have a bunch of both T12 and T8 shoplites for my tanks and spring seedlings.

You definitely want some glass between the light and the water unless you are hanging the light more than 6" or so above the tank.

I had a 75G (55G but wider) with 2 32W tubes growing anubias and java fern. They didn't grow fast but they did fine. I later upgraded that same fixture to Overdriven Normal output lighting...(ODNO) for about $25 more:

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/Overdriven-Normal-Output-ODNO/18/

Or...convert the existing hoods to screw-in CFLs. I'm assuming they are 18" single tubes now? Four 23W daylight CFLs would be nice over a 55G. See the DIY section for more info.
 
Liquid_Pyro said:
And just the walmart light fixture is an acceptable way to grow low light plants? just get like 60+watt bulb or something? I just built a stand and hood for my 55gal, and currently just using the stock hoods that came with it as well....
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I am using two T-12 40 watt bulbs which gives me about 1.5 watts per gallon which is enough to grow low light plants without using CO2. Just be sure not to use a higher wattage than the fixture calls for or you could blow the ballast.
 
Kevin S. said:
I am using two T-12 40 watt bulbs which gives me about 1.5 watts per gallon which is enough to grow low light plants without using CO2. Just be sure not to use a higher wattage than the fixture calls for or you could blow the ballast.
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Not really an issue...you can't buy a standard 4' T12 lamp that's more than 40 watts anyway...
 
kj5kb said:
Or...convert the existing hoods to screw-in CFLs. I'm assuming they are 18" single tubes now? Four 23W daylight CFLs would be nice over a 55G. See the DIY section for more info.
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That's what I did on my 55G, took the strip light and reflector out of the hood. Sprayed the inside of the hood white, mounted a socket on each end for the CFL's, wired to existing switch and done.

I think I used 26W daylight CFL's, and I can grow crypts, vals, hygro, java fern, java moss, swords.
 
abcdefghi said:
That's what I did on my 55G, took the strip light and reflector out of the hood. Sprayed the inside of the hood white, mounted a socket on each end for the CFL's, wired to existing switch and done.

I think I used 26W daylight CFL's, and I can grow crypts, vals, hygro, java fern, java moss, swords.
Click to expand...

This may be my best option. This tank is in my living room and can't look like a DIY project with a shop light sitting over it (no offense to those who have it that way).

Are there any bulbs that will plug right into my current hood (single 18inch bulb per hood)?

My plants are pretty much dead now... which I now know is due to insufficient lighting.

-Jimmy
 
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