Lighting question on 10 gallon

Anne L.

Anne L.

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Dec 3, 2003
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And once again I come to the good people of aquaria central. You guys must be getting tired of me already, hmm? At least I'm not a troll like some of these other doofuses.

How long should I have my lights on in my aquarium? I have the standard incandescent bulbs that came with it, but they seem to heat up the tank quite a lot once they are on for a while.

I'd like to change to fluorescents but am not sure how much wattage I need and for how long the lights need to be on.

It seems that the fish are more playful when the lights are out, and more timid when they are on. I have quite a few silk plants in there for cover, and no live plants.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Without live plants incandescents are fine. If you want flouresecents due to cooler temps then I suggest getting a pait of 13 watt mini ballast screw in flourescents. You can get them at any home store or wal mart. Pretty cheap and last a long time.

Then I suggest getting a timer (wal mart agin for 4 dollars or so).
I would suggest having the lights be on for when you most want to view the tank. Probably set it up for when you get home and have it turn off before bed. Fish need light just like people and they need darkness at night. A standard regieme is good for them.
 
TKOS, I had a look at those fluorescent bulbs you mention, and it said that they were the equivalent of 60 watts each. Wouldn't that be too bright, seeing that the bulbs I have now are only 25 watts each? The tank already seems pretty bright as it is.

I wonder if you can get anything smaller; I didn't see any at Walmart, although I didn't have time to look really well.

Hmm.
 
I use them in my tank. Actually it is the flourescent wattage rating you look at. So in total you would end up with 2.6 watt of light per gallon of tank. They are just equivilent in brightness to a 60 watt incandescent so it will seem a bit brighter at first. But the ratings are just for people so that they can understand how that bulb can be used in the home. In reality there isn't such a clear cut comparison of incandescent and flourescent.

They will be fine on your tank. The colour will also be a little less yellow so the fish will look better. And of course they produce far less heat than a comparable incandescent bulb.

These are a commonly used item for retorfitting fish tanks. And if you ever want to grow plants you will be needing at least 2 watts per gallon of flourescent light anyways. This gives you a head start.
 
Anne, I strongly agree with TKOS. I have the screw in type compact fluorescents in both my 8 and 10 gallon tanks. The light is much more white and it is bright. There is very little heat from them and your fish will adjust to it just fine.

I also agree about getting the timer. I would say spend an extra couple of dollars on the timer though. The cheap ones I've purchased from Wal Mart have malfunctioned and either left the light on or off until I noticed.

Tom
 
Thanks, guys. I do have a couple of those lights on hand already, so I'll give them a try.

The fish don't seem to like the bright light though, and swim around more when the lights are off. Is this normal, or should I get a fake floating plant to give them more cover?
 
Fish sometimes take awhile to adjust. But if you keep things on a strict schedual then they will get used to it and become comfirtable. Perhaps start with one light on one side for the first week, then add the second one it. That will give them a shady side of the tank to retreat to if they need it.

Fake floating plants are fine as well or just lids from tuperware for the short term. If you can find some duckweed that would be perfect. It is a live plant that floats. It is tiny but reproduces rather well and covers the top of the tank in a blanket of green. No need for care from you and it does wonders in keeping the nitrates down.
 
Hmm, there's some interesting ideas here. I'll have to mull it over and decide.

Tupperware lids - now that's something I would never have thought of.:D
 
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