10 gal lighting! need help. novice.

[pisces38]

okay i was doing some research about lighting and a few products i had in mind.

i currently have a 10 gal tank 20x10x12 dimensions.
ive been looking for some compact fluorescents cuz right now im trying to upgrade from a regular 15watt bulb.

in my search for a replacement light strip. people have told me that coralife aqualights are a good choice for a buck. but i have only come to find that the only light strip that fits the dimensions of my tank is 20" in length and the product is only sold with a 28watt 50/50 reef bulb. and i have read that a bulb like that wont server any purpose lighting a fresh water planted tank.

i was thinking about purchasing the lamp from gina's aquarium supply
http://www.aquarium-supply.biz/order...alight_pc.html

and just ordering 28watt 6700k bulb from hellolights.com for the replacement. or just buy both from them if hellolights can match the price of that other site.

and one more question how does a coralife light strip sit on top of the tank if the mounting legs are an optional purchase. and also would i have to buy a class canopy? (cuz i'd rather make an acrlyic DIY one but im not sure if thats gona affect the lighting from the strip in anyway)

btw im not trying to spend more than 70 dollars on upgrading my lighting.

is anything that i plan on doing wrong. i will very much appreciate all your suggestions.

thanks!

[falcon]

I have corralife lights on my two tanks and I like them. As you said, replace the bulb to 6700k. See which place is cheaper, factor in shipping, if any. I have purchased the 'optional' mounting legs. I found that the light will give me a better coverage if it is raised. Also, by not much, it should keep the heat down as well. Yes, a glass canopy would be a way to go. Had to equip all my tanks with it. Or you can go without the hood if that's an option for you as well. The tank is cheap in comparison to how much you have to spend afterwards on lights, co2, and the like. Just saw that you mentioned acrylic hood. I don't see any problem with it, it might even be better for lights distribution than glass. The lights have acrylic protective cover as well. Other than that, everything looks good. on my 20g I have bought the 24" light that gives me 3.25wpg(65w). Maybe someone else can comment if you could benefit from more light. I find that the 65w for the 20g is just right. I have hagen co2 yiest/sugar mixture that - not too many bubbles per second and I fertilize a little as well. Everything is growing well without hardly any algea present.

falcon

[Rosko_22]

I'm just in the middle of upgrading the lighting of my 20 gal. I bought a 3/4" thich piece of plexiglass, works great. You'll probably have to cut it down to size though, a table saw is the best way to cut it.
As for the lights, I bought two screw-in CFs from Home Depot, $11 cdn. each. The lights are 23 watts each and very bright. I got philips "daylight" bulbs. All the other philips marathon series lights looked very yellowish, these look white.
Anyway, you could just get an incandescent canopy and screw these bulbs in if you want, no modifications. It is a good idea to raise the lights a couple inches off the plexiglass though for heat dissipation and better light distribution.
I've also heard that panasonic has good screw-in CFs, I couldn't find them though.
Good luck

[tommyboy22481]

They do actually make 20" strip lite with a 96w bulb in it, though its about $100 after shipping. you can find it here: http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro...aqualight.html

You would want to put the 6700 bulb in it and sell the 50/50 bulb on aquabid or something. Coralife does sell a few of its strip lites with the freshwater bulbs in them alread but I couldnt find one that would fit the 10 gallon perfectly. They do sell a 24" 65w for $58 with the freshwater bulb that would work quite well I think if you didnt mind a little overhang.

[Wasserpest]

96W for a 10 gal is way too much light. Yeah yeah I know there is that guy doing it all the time, but he does nothing but that.

A few options to consider:

Use the existing bulb and overdrive it. You would need a different ballast, one that can drive up to 4 bulbs. I am not sure though how those short bulbs overdrive, need to read up on that.

Add a second bulb, along with a different ballast. Not sure if it fits into your hood... I like this option because it gives you a lot of different NO and OD choices, plus it will give you the most even light distribution (good!).

Add a good reflector. Makes a big difference! You can diy with mylar or mirror tiles, or buy one made out of polished alu.

Buy two 13W bright kits from www.ahsupply.com. They are great for your size tank, and come with reflectors. Together with bulbs that'll cost you about $50.

Or, as others have said, go with two screw-in fluorescents.

[tommyboy22481]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

96W for a 10 gal is way too much light. Yeah yeah I know there is that guy doing it all the time, but he does nothing but that.
SNIP

What, you think 9.6 wpg is too much??

I was just trying point out that they do make another light that fits a 10 gallon, even though its pretty much only good for marine tanks. I was thinking about getting this light for my 10 gallon if I went marine. Just about everybody over at reefcentral loves this light. They should make something in between the 28w and the 96w for planted 10 gallons though.