Too Much Light for a 10 gal?

aquafan2001 · 09-09-2003, 02:42 AM

Hi:

This is my first post. I have read many post in this forums which have given my lots of ideas.

I am going to start a 10 gal planted tank and I will be using a Coralife PC. It is the 24" 2x36W bulbs. I used it for my bigger saltwater tank which I stopped a few months back. I will change the bulbs to 5600K for the plants.

I know it will greatly depend on the types of plants. But here are my questions and concerns:
1. Is 72W too much for such a small tank?
2. Will it look too bright to view the tank?
3. If so, how much wattage should I be using?
4. Are there any negative points of using that much Watts?

Any thoughts or comments are always welcome.

LittleMousling · 09-09-2003, 11:51 AM

I did the same thing (except with lighting from ahsupply.com). I had serious problems with the amount of light, but I think if my first inhabitants had been algae eaters it wouldn't have been a big deal. It was mostly hair algae in the 10 (I eventually put the lights on a 20, instead, it didn't help much), and there are plenty of fish that'll eat that. Anyway, you can always aluminum-foil one of the bulbs until the tank has adjusted to the other, start out with Hygro and Anacharis and those wonderful fast-growing stem plants, and with that much light, definitely CO2 and daily ferts. IMO. Could be fun though, and all the really incredible 10 gallon tanks in the AGA aquascaping contest have that much light or more.

Ray1214 · 09-09-2003, 12:25 PM

I guess being that I love nano reef tanks and my son has a nano tank which is a 10 gal and 96 watts of light and we have project for some clams with a 150 watt mh on a 10 gal tank, I didn't think you could have enough light. However, I did notice that if you tried some of the slower growing plants I had issues with that black nasty algaes that nothing seemed to touch. After the new tank syndrome though, and after tons of careful pruning, it seemed to have gotten btter and finally disappeared. This was a 15 gal tank with 2 36 watt Power compacts from Hellolights.

Ray

**GulfCoastAquarian** · 09-09-2003, 12:48 PM

Or just try unplugging one of the bulbs. Better yet, start two 10 gallon tanks near each other and put one bulb over one tank and the other bulb over the other.

fishyboy · 11-19-2003, 08:33 PM

how are you fitting a 24 inch bulb on a 20 inch tank

09-09-2003, 11:51 AM	#2
LittleMousling Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: NY, USA Posts: 7	I did the same thing (except with lighting from ahsupply.com). I had serious problems with the amount of light, but I think if my first inhabitants had been algae eaters it wouldn't have been a big deal. It was mostly hair algae in the 10 (I eventually put the lights on a 20, instead, it didn't help much), and there are plenty of fish that'll eat that. Anyway, you can always aluminum-foil one of the bulbs until the tank has adjusted to the other, start out with Hygro and Anacharis and those wonderful fast-growing stem plants, and with that much light, definitely CO2 and daily ferts. IMO. Could be fun though, and all the really incredible 10 gallon tanks in the AGA aquascaping contest have that much light or more. __________________ -Molly 125 Goldfish tank planted like a pond 44 Unintentional community of "gifts" 30 Planted juvenile betta tank 5 Heavily planted White Cloud tank

09-09-2003, 12:25 PM	#3
Ray1214 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Lawerenceville, Ga In a Van down by the river. Posts: 136	I guess being that I love nano reef tanks and my son has a nano tank which is a 10 gal and 96 watts of light and we have project for some clams with a 150 watt mh on a 10 gal tank, I didn't think you could have enough light. However, I did notice that if you tried some of the slower growing plants I had issues with that black nasty algaes that nothing seemed to touch. After the new tank syndrome though, and after tons of careful pruning, it seemed to have gotten btter and finally disappeared. This was a 15 gal tank with 2 36 watt Power compacts from Hellolights. Ray __________________ Ray Bunches of tanks. Reef, Planted, vivarium, terriarium, salt. I worked my self up from nothing to a state of extreme poverity

09-09-2003, 12:48 PM	#4
GulfCoastAquarian Planted Tank VIP (View User Tanks) PTrader: (6/100%) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 3,577	Or just try unplugging one of the bulbs. Better yet, start two 10 gallon tanks near each other and put one bulb over one tank and the other bulb over the other. __________________ - Sam P - plantedtanker in limbo - all tanks currently in storage

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09-09-2003, 02:42 AM	#1
aquafan2001 Newbie (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Inland Empire, CA Posts: 1	Hi: This is my first post. I have read many post in this forums which have given my lots of ideas. I am going to start a 10 gal planted tank and I will be using a Coralife PC. It is the 24" 2x36W bulbs. I used it for my bigger saltwater tank which I stopped a few months back. I will change the bulbs to 5600K for the plants. I know it will greatly depend on the types of plants. But here are my questions and concerns: 1. Is 72W too much for such a small tank? 2. Will it look too bright to view the tank? 3. If so, how much wattage should I be using? 4. Are there any negative points of using that much Watts? Any thoughts or comments are always welcome.

11-19-2003, 08:33 PM	#5
fishyboy Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (1/100%) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: central IL Posts: 793	how are you fitting a 24 inch bulb on a 20 inch tank