Pafish

I am currently on day 3 of the nitrogen cycle of my 10 gal tank. I am considering upgrading the lighting to a 36wt compact fluorescent light kit from AH Supply. I currently have a 15 wt fluorescent. I definitely want to have live plants, but I don't think I want to get into CO2 right now. Would this upgrade be worth it on such a small tank?
I have spent countless hours this past week reading everything I can on this forum. I have had this tank for many years, I just got it down from the attic where it has been just sitting for about 5 of them. Just from what little I have read, I did everything wrong the first time. I hope not to repeat that again.

sunstrip

Don't know if this will help you or not...but on my 5 gallon Betta tank..I have had to modify the cover so that it stays open a crack...other wise the light is so strong that it heats up the water too much...I think it may be possible that 36W is a little too much for a 10 gallon...maybe some of our more educated members can chime in on this to give you a more definite answer.

sirdarksol

Yes, the 36w compact fluorescents get pretty hot (my fixture actually gets hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch).
Doesn't mean that it won't work, though.
I would suggest getting a glass top for the tank, then building some sort of rack or frame (something simple and wooden, maybe with rubber feet to keep from scratching the glass) to keep the light at least an inch above the glass. The air space should help keep things the right temp. It will probably allow the bulb to last longer, too, since it will lower the fixture's running temp.