Incandescent or Fluorescent?

tranceFusion · 11-18-2007, 02:45 AM

I just bought a Eclipse Corner 5 Gallon. I want to setup a low-light tank. It comes with a 15W Incandescent bulb, but there is a 11W Fluorescent that you can buy that will also work with the system for like $13. Is this going to be better or worse than the incandescent for plant growing purposes? Thanks!

swylie · 11-18-2007, 03:16 AM

Welcome. You'll want a fluorescent, but I'm not sure the 11W is the one you want. It will put out a lot more light than the 15W incandescent for sure, but it probably still won't be enough light. I assume your hood has a traditional screw-in light bulb fixture, so you can put in any screw-in compact fluorescent bulb you want to. Assuming you get a spiral compact fluorescent, I'd try to get one that burns about 20W, though it'll be rated as equivalent to a 75W incandescent or something.

By the way, check out http://www.rexgrigg.com while you're doing research. His site should answer a lot of questions regarding planted tanks.

tranceFusion · 11-18-2007, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swylie

Welcome. You'll want a fluorescent, but I'm not sure the 11W is the one you want. It will put out a lot more light than the 15W incandescent for sure, but it probably still won't be enough light. I assume your hood has a traditional screw-in light bulb fixture, so you can put in any screw-in compact fluorescent bulb you want to. Assuming you get a spiral compact fluorescent, I'd try to get one that burns about 20W, though it'll be rated as equivalent to a 75W incandescent or something.

By the way, check out http://www.rexgrigg.com while you're doing research. His site should answer a lot of questions regarding planted tanks.

thanks for the link! Yes, it is a regular screw in fixture. However, it says to use only a 15 watt incandescent or an 11 watt fluorescent.. Can I ignore the directions??

swylie · 11-18-2007, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

thanks for the link! Yes, it is a regular screw in fixture. However, it says to use only a 15 watt incandescent or an 11 watt fluorescent.. Can I ignore the directions??

You can ignore the directions, sort-of. You should be concerned about space and heat. An X watt bulb is going to produce X watts of heat regardless of what kind of bulb it is. If you use a bulb that makes more than 15 watts of heat you run the risk of melting the hood and maybe even fire. If it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit. Those spiral bulbs are bigger than incandescents, and they have a weird shape.

So I shouldn't officially recommend you use anything larger than a 15w (actual watts, not incandescent equiv watts) fluorescent bulb. 15W would probably be enough to grow plants slowly. That said, I have a 26W over my 5g tank. I enlarged the vent holes though...

eyebeatbadgers · 11-18-2007, 02:59 PM

I'm using a 20 watt and 26 watt spiral fluorescent bulb over my 10 gallon tank, and it's enough light to grow plants slowly and algae quickly !! I got the 6500K lights from walmart, they were about 7 bucks total, if I remember correctly. These lights do put off quite a bit of heat, mine are in clamp on desk lamps, and those puppies get really hot by the end of the day. I'd look into modification of your fixture if at all possible.

swylie · 11-18-2007, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyebeatbadgers

I'm using a 20 watt and 26 watt spiral fluorescent bulb over my 10 gallon tank, and it's enough light to grow plants slowly and algae quickly !! I got the 6500K lights from walmart, they were about 7 bucks total, if I remember correctly. These lights do put off quite a bit of heat, mine are in clamp on desk lamps, and those puppies get really hot by the end of the day. I'd look into modification of your fixture if at all possible.

Speaking of walmart... The GE bulbs they sell there come in packaging that pops open and reseals without tearing anything. You could buy a selection of bulbs, try them out, and return the ones you don't want.

tranceFusion · 11-18-2007, 04:44 PM

I'm not so worried about plants growing as not dying. I am setting up this tank to breed snails to feed to my brackish pufferfish. I just wanted something aesthetically pleasing, rather than a bucket with a bunch of snails in it. That's why I went with the corner kit that had the light and filter hidden away in the lid - I don't think I want to modify it, unless there is something I can do to help it out without making it look hideous?

If I just stick with Java Fern, Java Moss, etc. I can get away with the 11w fluorescent, right?

I placed a layer of laterite under the gravel, if that means anything

**epicfish** · 11-18-2007, 04:54 PM

Yes, you'll get away with it with 11 watts of fluorescent lighting.

tranceFusion · 11-18-2007, 06:49 PM

ok, i put in a 13w fluorescent. Hopefully I don't burn the place down

It was one of those GE light bulb replacements. They also had some that were daylight (6500k). However, these bulbs emitted half the lumines that the regular ones did. Should I have gotten the daylight anyway?

And has anyone replaced the fixture in one of these boxed kits before?

dekstr · 11-26-2007, 05:41 AM

The only use I see for incandescents are that they are good for basking turtles since they produce so much heat! Even then, you could go with like a real heating lamp.

dlawlor · 11-26-2007, 07:31 AM

How is the 13w working for you in that hood? I was thinking of going with this bulb...

http://www.bulborama.com/store/cart....t_detail&p=799

but I'm not sure if it'll put out too much heat or anything.

I've also got the Eclipse 5g corner, BTW. I'm just looking for a replacement for my 10w 50/50 (it used to be saltwater).

swylie · 11-26-2007, 11:26 AM

That bulb will be fine. Once again, no promises, but I'm putting a lot more heat into mine and nothing has melted yet.

tranceFusion · 11-26-2007, 02:14 PM

The 13w is working great so far! The hood doesn't get as warm as with the incandescent it came with and the red ludwigia I have in there has grown probably 10% in a week, plus it seems to have alot of root growth (i am also using laterite and adding iron), after just a week.

I keep the light on about 16 hours per day as I am mainly trying to breed snails in there to feed my puffer and it is recommended to leave the lights on for them as much as possible to get the most breeding.

swylie · 11-26-2007, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

I keep the light on about 16 hours per day as I am mainly trying to breed snails in there to feed my puffer and it is recommended to leave the lights on for them as much as possible to get the most breeding.

Be careful with those 16h days. It's generally acknowledged around here that long lighting hours promote algal growth. Since you're breeding snails that might be desirable or it might not. Just keep that in mind if you end up growing more algae than your snails can handle, and consider cutting back on the hours of light. Glad to hear that things are working well so far.

11-18-2007, 02:45 AM	#1
tranceFusion Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 12	Incandescent or Fluorescent? I just bought a Eclipse Corner 5 Gallon. I want to setup a low-light tank. It comes with a 15W Incandescent bulb, but there is a 11W Fluorescent that you can buy that will also work with the system for like $13. Is this going to be better or worse than the incandescent for plant growing purposes? Thanks!

11-18-2007, 02:59 PM	#5
eyebeatbadgers Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (62/100%) Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hendersonville, TN Posts: 2,485	I'm using a 20 watt and 26 watt spiral fluorescent bulb over my 10 gallon tank, and it's enough light to grow plants slowly and algae quickly !! I got the 6500K lights from walmart, they were about 7 bucks total, if I remember correctly. These lights do put off quite a bit of heat, mine are in clamp on desk lamps, and those puppies get really hot by the end of the day. I'd look into modification of your fixture if at all possible. __________________ 10 29 NAAGC

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11-18-2007, 03:16 AM	#2
swylie Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2007 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 664	Welcome. You'll want a fluorescent, but I'm not sure the 11W is the one you want. It will put out a lot more light than the 15W incandescent for sure, but it probably still won't be enough light. I assume your hood has a traditional screw-in light bulb fixture, so you can put in any screw-in compact fluorescent bulb you want to. Assuming you get a spiral compact fluorescent, I'd try to get one that burns about 20W, though it'll be rated as equivalent to a 75W incandescent or something. By the way, check out http://www.rexgrigg.com while you're doing research. His site should answer a lot of questions regarding planted tanks.

11-18-2007, 04:44 PM	#7
tranceFusion Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 12	I'm not so worried about plants growing as not dying. I am setting up this tank to breed snails to feed to my brackish pufferfish. I just wanted something aesthetically pleasing, rather than a bucket with a bunch of snails in it. That's why I went with the corner kit that had the light and filter hidden away in the lid - I don't think I want to modify it, unless there is something I can do to help it out without making it look hideous? If I just stick with Java Fern, Java Moss, etc. I can get away with the 11w fluorescent, right? I placed a layer of laterite under the gravel, if that means anything

11-18-2007, 04:54 PM	#8
epicfish Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (266/100%) Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Northern California Posts: 9,417	Yes, you'll get away with it with 11 watts of fluorescent lighting.

11-18-2007, 06:49 PM	#9
tranceFusion Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 12	ok, i put in a 13w fluorescent. Hopefully I don't burn the place down It was one of those GE light bulb replacements. They also had some that were daylight (6500k). However, these bulbs emitted half the lumines that the regular ones did. Should I have gotten the daylight anyway? And has anyone replaced the fixture in one of these boxed kits before?

11-26-2007, 05:41 AM	#10
dekstr Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2/100%) Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,168	The only use I see for incandescents are that they are good for basking turtles since they produce so much heat! Even then, you could go with like a real heating lamp.

11-26-2007, 07:31 AM	#11
dlawlor Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (4/100%) Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Los angeles, ca Posts: 37	How is the 13w working for you in that hood? I was thinking of going with this bulb... http://www.bulborama.com/store/cart....t_detail&p=799 but I'm not sure if it'll put out too much heat or anything. I've also got the Eclipse 5g corner, BTW. I'm just looking for a replacement for my 10w 50/50 (it used to be saltwater).

11-26-2007, 11:26 AM	#12
swylie Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: May 2007 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 664	That bulb will be fine. Once again, no promises, but I'm putting a lot more heat into mine and nothing has melted yet.

11-26-2007, 02:14 PM	#13
tranceFusion Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Frederick, MD Posts: 12	The 13w is working great so far! The hood doesn't get as warm as with the incandescent it came with and the red ludwigia I have in there has grown probably 10% in a week, plus it seems to have alot of root growth (i am also using laterite and adding iron), after just a week. I keep the light on about 16 hours per day as I am mainly trying to breed snails in there to feed my puffer and it is recommended to leave the lights on for them as much as possible to get the most breeding.