Drew 43920

I have read most of the posts here. I have goggled " planted aquarium lighting" many times. I have read a few Dr. Foster & Smith catalogs.
And I can not get a straight answer to a very simple question. Maybe you can help.
I have a standard one bulb, aquarium light fixture on a standard 48 inch, 55 gallon rectangular tank.
Can I replace it with a standard 48 inch, 2 bulb aquarium light fixture ?
How about with a 3 bulb standard 48 inch aquarium light fixture ?
Drew

Shawnie

yes....but depending on the wattage, will affect the temp of the tank and the algae if too high

was that straight enough?

Drew 43920

Very straight. Thank you.
I am still surprised that this is not common knowledge. If you want plants you need more light then a standard, one bulb fixture provides. That should be one of the first things you find out when you go to the "Lighting" section of all sites like this.

mathas

The reason for that is because there is no such thing as a perfect answer, at least not with a topic this complex. There are too many variables involved with lighting for anyone to know from a few lines of text exactly what you need to buy to achieve perfect results.


Yes to both questions.

Now whether or not either one of those options will meet your goals without either falling short or providing too much light depends on the following:

- Desired plants
- Type of lighting (T5, compact fluorescent, MH, etc.)
- Wattage of fixture
- Spectral output of bulbs chosen
- Distance from bulb to water
- Shape/material of reflector (if a reflector is present)
- Tank dimensions
- Substrate
- Shadows
- Ambient light
- Willingness to fertilize
- Willingness to supplement CO2
- other factors I'm likely forgetting

Can you see yet why it's so hard to get a "straight answer"?

Shawnie

you worded it so much better than I did LOL ....

and drew, not sure why you seem so angry about this..but if you have some great knowledge or ideas about improving anything here, im sure mike would gladly take all your suggestions

prairielilly

I have often found (with many different subjects) that if it appears really very hard to get a simple, straight answer on something - it's because the subject matter is far more complex than I ever initially gave it credit for, and I just haven't realized that yet.

There's an entire board devoted to just this subject (for good reason), with a lot of people trying to figure out similar troublems, each with its own unique characteristics and solutions

djbrist

I'm sorry Drew if I was too winded in the other thread, but I could have (should have) told you that I have 2 24inch bulbs on my 30 gallon, and the fish & plants in it are just fine. I hope you found the Dr. Fosters and Smith item number I left for you.
Regards, Dave

Drew 43920

Angry ?
I am not angry.
Who is Mike ?

Lucy

Mike is our awesome leader. lol

What Shawnie meant was if you had some suggestions that would make it easier for members to figure out lighting issues, he's always open to suggestions that would further build FL and help its members.

Regal

My 75 gallon is close to the size of a 55 gallon. It's deeper from the front to the back and maybe a little taller, I'm not sure. I have two strip lights on mine. They are both 48 inches and each have a 40 watt bulb. My plants do pretty well. I don't know if that helps. I would love to add more light if I could afford it.

If you have glass tops on your tank I'd say you could go with more than one strip light or one of the two or three bulb strips. You just need to make sure they will fit and leave room in the back for filters and cords etc and that you can still open the front to feed the fish. If you have the lid with a place for the strip light to fit into, I would do some really careful measuring because you don't want lights sitting on top of plastic and melting it.

What about one of those retrofit lighting kits in the catalog? That might be a way to upgrade one strip light to two bulbs. I'm not sure. I love the Foster and Smith catalog!

Drew 43920

My questions was " can a 2 bulb fixture fit where a a 1 bulb fixture was?'
Seems like a simple question to me.

Drew 43920

No suggestions yet. Just question and observations.
Drew

aquarist48

Use either one you prefer and whatever fits your tank. You don't have to stick with the generic lighting that comes with the tank. I switched from a one bulb to a two bulb when I had my 72g up and running. However, the generic light was directly on the hood. I made sure the double light was raised off the tank so air could circulate under it and not raise the temperature in the tank so much. Hope that helps!

mathas

It might be a simple question to you, but you used some fairly ambiguous terms like "standard" that might make sense to you but are vague and unhelpful for other people.

What is a "standard 1 bulb fixture"? Does that mean an all-in-one unit that includes one incandescent bulb and a plastic hood, or does it mean some type of 48" lighting enclosure with one bulb mounted over a glass hood/top? What is a "standard 2 bulb fixture"? When you say "2 bulb", do you mean two 48" bulbs side-by-side or two 22" bulbs end-to-end?

Unless you're clear and specific about what you mean, you can probably expect unclear answers.

Shawnie

I guess only you can tell us that..we cant see your tank....set it up and see if it fits...seems like a simple answer as well

mike is the owner of Fishlore

Franklin

I am not sure if you had a light in mind,but this is the one I use on one of my 55's,
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209500/product.web

If you are wanting to keep lowlight plants,this is a good light,and a good price.

Franklin

Yes you can,I gave a link to one in the above post,
Good luck!

Drew 43920

That is about what I have. I want to replace it with a 2 bulb fixture of the same physical size to increase my wattage.

Drew 43920

Yes you are right. Those are good points.
I should have said I have an All-Glass 48 " full hood with the standard, single 48" bulb light fixture that comes with it.
I Emailed All-Glass my question but got no answer.

Drew 43920

I was only asking about light fixtures. I have already researched the other factors.

Drew 43920

That is well said. But I was only asking about a light fixture.

prairielilly

Fair enough, but the point ppl are trying to make here is that we didn't get that from your original question (I certainly didn't) - you asked if you could swap your fixture for one with more bulbs, but not why or how you would expect to benefit or what exactly your goal for doing so was. That's what all the clarification-questioning was about. It's sorted out now so all good. Good luck with your upgrade!

Butterfly

You can get 48 inch single, double and tripple bulb fixtures. The bulb holder (hood) will be the same length on all of these but wider.
My 75g tank came with a hood with a single bulb but I upgraded to a double bulb which made the hood wider. I wanted the tripple bulb but it made the hood too wide to easily open the glass tops.
Is this sort of what you were asking?
Carol

catfishtabbi

Well you know its the kelvins but the watts... the depth, now thats the kelvins thats what counts! depth, unless it looks dull in there, or if your plant dies, or if you want to spend $600 on t-5 lights.well if u do that you'll never lift your hood again either so then depth blue rays red rays well if you look at the bulbs color chart theres not much red not much blue well then pick one any one at all and stick it in there see how that one works and of your plant dies well move your tank directly under one huge chandellier and leave it there. HaHaHaHaHa help any? thats how a drunk salesman explained it to me and my husband, all we could do is listen!!!

Drew 43920

There are a couple of factors you need to consider.
One is the width of the new light fixture. Will it fit in the area that the one bulb fixture occupied ?
The other is heat. If the material between the light and your water is plastic or Plexiglas you may have a problem. If you have glass between the light and your water you will be a lot better off. Also if the light is sitting flush on your "top" the heat may build up. It will be better if there is a little space between the light and the top so the heat can dissipate.
Drew

Butterfly

It will be the same length but wider.
Carol