webtrawler84

Hi again all.

after recently setting up my 63L planted Tank and spending a fortune on lighting upgrades, i have been trying to find a way of upgrading the light on one of my larger tanks ready for my next project.

After seeing some of the DIY stuff on here I went to the local hardware store and got some new fittings. I have fitted 2x Bayonet fittings, The bulbs are "Natural Daylight" Spiral Energy Saving bulbs Bulbs. They are 12w each but the equivalent to a normal 60w bayonet, which value do I use to work out the watts per gallon?

I am wondering if I should add the 15W T8 setup that I have left over from my other tank or if the lighting that I have just fitted will be enough.

Thanks again everyone in advance for any help and advice.

mark

aquarist48

Hello Mark. Sorry but me and electricity don't mix well! Hopefully you'll get some responses soon.
Ken

nitram79

Hi Mark,

i use an energy saving bulb on my breeding tank. i couldnt be bothered buying a fitting and fluro tube so i use a corner lamp on mine. Because energy savers use flurescent lighting, that sort of lighting covers a great amount of the spectrum which is what u want. but also because the the bulb is concentrated/small compaired to a long fluro the light doesnt expand evenly across the tank. The wattage you are using is fine, but if the bulb is really close to the tank it might be too bright for the fish. one at each end or at the 1 and 2 3rds mark of the tank length should be ok. unless your talking about a tank bigger than 4 foot then you'll probably need more lights

webtrawler84

thanks for the quick replies, the tank is 20 Gallons (UK) so I should be ok then? Im hoping to use this a second planted tank project so I really need decent lighting. can someone please clarify how I work out the WPG with these bulbs? I have also painted the inside of the hood white to allow better reflection.

thanks again

mark

Danionins.com

Hi Mark,

If they are like the EcoSmart daylight compact fluorescent bulbs that I'm using, you would go by the watt equivalent number.

The bulbs I'm buying are 14 watt, (energy usage), but 60 watt in light output.

Hope this helps,
Dennis

ssanubisss

I use the compact fluorescent bulbs and i go by the equivalent number

sirdarksol

Fluorescent is the standard used for "Watts per gallon."
This means that you should use about the wattage listed on the bulb.
However, lumens is the best way to look at it. Ideally, this would mean testing the actual lumen output of your setup. Finding the theoretical output of the bulbs works too, though.

pepetj

I tried hardware store CFLs rated at 5,500; 6,400K and 6,500K. They worked fairly well but their output didn't last long. For experimenting around, they ended up being a solution that was not cost/effective since I had to replace the bulbs every other month or so. I went back to upgrading using standard T8 lamps, and for my Nano Reef, I mixed T8 with T5HO.

To this day three of my tanks actually have CFLs as they wait for me to upgrade them. I find CFL as good solution for the smallest tanks (say 5 or 6 US Gals). I can safely use up to two 22W lamps since the 25, 26 and 27W went too hot.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo