stompa Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 hi just after some help to do with lighting...... im setting up a tall tank (350mm x 350mm x 700mm high) and the light it came with is only 8watts due to it being a small fluro light due to the width of the tank..... its a twin bulb set up using those purply bulbs..... and its not bright enough so before i waist my money buying new white bulbs can anyone let me no what type of bulbs will give me the best light for this situation..... also i was thinking of making my own light hood ..... was going to use the normal fittings that we all use in our roofs (bayonet fittings) and use these flro bulbs that you can buy now...... has anyone tryed this???? ....... do you think it will create algae problem??? ..... any help or advise would be great.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kermit Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Hi Stompa just need to know more on what your planning to keep in the tank is it a fresh water or salt water are you planning to keep plants/corals, and what effects are you wanting? I'd keep clear of the bayonet fittings as they dont dispurse the light evenly over the tank so you'd end up with bright and shadowed spots stick with fluros across the tank for even lighting. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stompa Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 hi robert.... thanks for your help..... its fresh and just a few plants (vals growing up the back and a bit of ground cover plants just to add some colour) .... im just after a display type effect........ with the bayonet type i thought with the tank only being 35cm square i wouldnt get that effect i thought it would penatrate deeper than the small 8watt double fluro but im not sure and why i as asking if anyone had done it before....hope this info helps you to help me...... thanks for your time robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 At 700mm, the tank is reasonably tall. Even for freshwater and plants, I dont believe 8W will be anywhere near intense enough. Consider putting in 2ft 54W T5's, say 2 or 3 of them with a couple of whites and a blue. That should provide sufficient lighting for photsynthesis plus give an aesthetically appealing look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kermit Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Hmm 2ft fluros wont fit over a 35cm tank, either compacts or cos of the deapth something more substantual could end up going MH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 true that, my mm to ft conversion was a bit out there! a single halide would look cool, probably only need 70W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Smith Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Chimera, I run 12V ultra white tungsten halide bulbs (no reflector) (3500K) and CCFL (5000K) in my small freshwater tropical tank (450lx350wx450d). I have been experimenting and found that 40W (2x20W) of ultra white tungsten halides isn't enough to support Val, but Swords do ok. With 60W (3x20W) everyting does ok, but only the sword thrives. I'm trying some new compact CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent) and they make a difference (1x5W = 25W of incandescent light). They're supposed to last forever, but I had 2 fail on me in a two-week period. I took them back and the most recent one has been doing well. I think I'll upgrade to 2x5W (= 50W) and keep 1x20W tungsten for the spotlight effect. Both of these are very compact (I have only 50mm clearance under the hood) and very DIY friendly. However, do not buy an 'electronic' 240/12V transformer for CCFL, it doesn't work. link link Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Bob's reply seems very thorough and knowledgeable. My solution is far more basic (and probaly much cheaper). But I have never tried it in a 700mm high tank... i was thinking of making my own light hood ..... was going to use the normal fittings that we all use in our roofs (bayonet fittings) and use these flro bulbs that you can buy now...... has anyone tryed this???? ....... do you think it will create algae problem??? I have tried this and it works well for me in a 400mm deep tank. As mentioned above, it will give you some areas of intense light and some areas of shade. I like that look, and it allows me to spotlight certain plants either as 'feature' plants or because they need higher light intensity. I made my own lights using basic fittings from an electrical store (wiring, in-line switches, bayonet fittings). For shades I bought bathroom heat lamp shades because they have good ventilation and because I thought they would resist rust. (I was wrong!) Then I bought daylight-spectrum energy saving compact fluorescent bulbs from the warehouse. Each bulb is about 25 watts so that's the equivalent of a 2.5 foot tube, concentrated into a 'spotlight.' They work really well and my plants are thriving under them (I have three on a 850mm long tank, plus a conventional fluoro tube.) One advantage is that I tend to replace the bulbs very often (way before they start to lose their effectiveness) because I can just use them in any household light fitting. And they only cost around $5 each! I love 'em! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiverJohn Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 There are several options. Metal Halide. Is one of them Something like this would do nicely i think. There are also numerous variants of the "T5 power compact" available...round ( circular) tubes, U shapes T5's, with wattages up to 60W that you could fit within the 350mm square. HTH John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Can you get the higher k rated 'energy saver' lamps in NZ? I bought a 5000k 13w bayonet cap lamp from Bunnings in Melbourne when we were there earlier this year, but most of the ones you get locally are 'warm white' 2400k. My Riccia loves this lamp, as does my Hyrophila Difformis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Can you get the higher k rated 'energy saver' lamps in NZ? I bought a 5000k 13w bayonet cap lamp from Bunnings in Melbourne when we were there earlier this year, but most of the ones you get locally are 'warm white' 2400k. I had to look pretty hard to find the 6500k 'cool white' or 'daylight' bulbs. But now my local Warehouse seems to stock them as standard. They've become a lot more common recently and way, way cheaper. So even if you tried a few months ago and couldn't find them, I recommend that you keep looking. Also the higher watts are now available (24 or 25 watts in a standard-size bulb). The first bulbs I bought after I made my fittings about three years ago cost $30 each and I had to buy them from a hydroponics supplier! We've come a long way since then! ^^^ 8) (that's me sunbathing under my daylight bulbs ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Smith Posted May 25, 2006 Report Share Posted May 25, 2006 I have a distinct lack of space, that's whay I use these small bulbs. Mine are also all 12V. I got a bit nervous about DIY with 240V. The 12V CCFL are about A$15, the ultra white halides are $A2. The whole lot cost me about $30 including tranformer, wiring, mounts. If you've got the space, then the new, bigger, CCFL like Whetu's using are probably better if you can get the right colour. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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