Fish Fanatic
Well I've finally upgraded my lighting, in a rather unconvensional way.
After much deliberation I decided to get rid of the traditional tubes and try using regular energy saving bulbs (they are actually "daylight" bulbs at 6400k designed for SAD sufferers no doubt). I've fitted 6x25w altogether to give me 150w. With my size of tank this gives me a bulb for every foot of tank and something just over 2 wpg. And I no longer need the 3 ballasts under the tank (or loads of cables). Total cost for bulbs and fittings/cabling was less than the cost of replacing the tubes. I can also get higher rated bulbs next time if I want more light (6x30w=180w)
I'm really impressed with the results - the tank appears to be lit far more evenly than before and within 20 mins or so my plants were pearling like never before, even plants that had never had a single bubble previously were covered. Coupled with my new pressurised co2 and move to EI dosing I'm now hoping for great things. When I get some more time I'll probably cut down my reflectors to fit under the bulbs, hopefully yielding even better results.
Has anyone attempted this method of lighting before? If so, are the long term results good?
After much deliberation I decided to get rid of the traditional tubes and try using regular energy saving bulbs (they are actually "daylight" bulbs at 6400k designed for SAD sufferers no doubt). I've fitted 6x25w altogether to give me 150w. With my size of tank this gives me a bulb for every foot of tank and something just over 2 wpg. And I no longer need the 3 ballasts under the tank (or loads of cables). Total cost for bulbs and fittings/cabling was less than the cost of replacing the tubes. I can also get higher rated bulbs next time if I want more light (6x30w=180w)
I'm really impressed with the results - the tank appears to be lit far more evenly than before and within 20 mins or so my plants were pearling like never before, even plants that had never had a single bubble previously were covered. Coupled with my new pressurised co2 and move to EI dosing I'm now hoping for great things. When I get some more time I'll probably cut down my reflectors to fit under the bulbs, hopefully yielding even better results.
Has anyone attempted this method of lighting before? If so, are the long term results good?
