heat from lights ?

[kenneth_kpe]

i just doubled the lights in my plant today and was wondering if it is bad for the fish ? maybe it could siginificantly raise the temperature of the water ? is this bad ?

 

[Lateral Line]

Fluorescent lights do not get terribly hot, they rarely affect tank temperature unless there are vast quantities of them over a tiny tank. The volume of water buffers the trend. In tanks with very little water movement it can raise the temperature of the top of the tank slightly.

Incandescent lamps do get very hot and can significantly raise tank temperatures. Usually in summer months when the water is already warm and the heater is not needing to work. If you have incandescents, then you should keep an eye on the temperature. You can add fans to the hood to vent some of the surplus heat.

You should aim to replace incandescents with fluorescent. Not only do you get rid of the heat problems, they use a lot less power to generate the same amount of light so are more efficient.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

oic but im a bit worried about the ballast since they get pretty hot really, and i mean to the touch but then again the water doesnt really change temperature so i guess there is no worry. Maybe i should get a better thermometer thanks man

 

[Lateral Line]

If you have mounted the ballast in the hood, then it might affect the water temp a little but not enough to worry about I would think. A greater worry would be the ballast getting wet, they are not known for water tolerance. I have never put ballasts inside a hood.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

good idea! im gonna move em right away or cover em with a aluminum heat sink or something hehehe thanks