TuesdaysChild

I went to wal-mart yesterday to pick up a replacement compact fluorescent bulb for one of my tanks. They didn't have what I wanted so I ended up not getting anything. But, while I was there, I saw that they had a 2 pack of 15watt incandescent bulbs for a little over $2. The packaging looked the same as all the other bulbs except it stated that it was for plants or plant growth or something like that. Can you use an incandescent bulb in a tank with live plants and have the plants do OK or am I better off to stick with the fluorescent?

sirdarksol

If the incandescent can provide enough light for the tank (such as, if they're going into a 10g tank), they'll work. One warning, incadescents over a 10g tank can actually provide enough light to burn some lower-light plants.

TuesdaysChild

Thanks for the information. If I were to go with this bulb, I would be using it in a 5 gallon mini-bow that will have mostly (probably all) low light plants. Do you think it would be OK to use? I currently have a 10 watt fluorescent in there but it needs to be replaced.

sirdarksol

A single plant bulb would probably work for this. Just be watching your plants for signs of burning.