Light heating up my tank

fishycat

fishycat

needs more wiggle.
Dec 9, 2009
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Hawaii
Wasn't sure where to ask this! It's not really a "planted tank" question so much as a hardware question?

I have a 10-gallon that is still cycling. Without the light on, the tank temp stayed steady @ 75 degrees for nearly a week. Now that I'm turning on the lights (plants added), the water is hovering around 80. The bulb is a 15 watt, not the Eclipse one that came with the hood, but the cheapest we found at the store...

Is this temperature rise normal for a small tank? Is it the cheap bulb? I'm wanting to go low-light planted with plants like anubias nana.. but I 80 degrees is higher than I wanted the tank to be.
 
No fish yet (a few MTS in my TMS substrate)... I was hoping for a cory species tank (4-6) with maybe a betta for the upper level - but cories for sure.

I'll have to check my bulb when I get home... Any better/cooler light options?
 
Aren't those a screw-in type bulb? Mine is the dual prong 18-inch fluorescent, I believe...?
 
Yeah, fluorescent hoods usually don't heat up the tank much at all. Strange!

Do you have jumpers in there? You could try cutting out more space out of the back...which will allow more air circulation and vent some of the heat
 
The "hood" is a black cover with feeding lid and gap in back for HOB acement (which I have?. A clear acrylic strip sits behind the feeding lid. The light fixture rests on top of this strip and is removable...
 
If it's not overstocking, I was thinking of a betta or simar top swimmer (dwarf gourami) with cories.
 
I've checked my lighting setup (this was adopted from a friend). It's got a little "plug" that says something like "starter" on it. When I removed it, I could not turn on the light. The "plug" installs and is removed by inserting & twisting. It looks almost like a battery? I believe the whole setup was bought as a package from Eclipse. Perhaps I need to get a new light rig?
 
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