Lighting...

[AshleySpatula]

so before i joined this forum and actually started reading all the juicy info on fish and plant keeping i purchased my 20g as a kit.
it came with the standard hood and one lightbulb thats not enough to even provide one watt per gallon and therefore not enough
to keep most any plant alive. the plants i would like to keep alive anyways.

lighting is a little expensive, i do like the 24" Satellite 1x65W SunPaq w/Lunar Light from Current, and where it says '1x65w' i am
assuming thats enough light. but it's about 60$ plus shipping.

that and i dont think it would fit on the hood i have so does that mean i have to also purchase an all glass hood?

or i tried to go to Home Depot and Lowes and try to find any fixture that would hold the same bulb i have but x2. no luck
other than one i would have to completely assemble myself, wiring and all, and the total cost of that is around 45$-50$ and then
that doesnt include something to mount it, and again will probably have to purchase the all glass hood.

i cant find a single bulb that will fit in my current hood/light fixture that has more wattage than the bulb i have.

i am so confused as to what i should do!!!
please help...

 

[ktricky]

right from what i am reading and what i have looked at

you need to see if your starter in the hood is suitable for a higher wattage otherwise it wont light up if your starter is fine then you just need the right size tube for it ie if the tube currently is 12" you need a 12" tube at desired wattage but i have no idea the difference between t5 and t8 bulbs

but fi the starter you have is not ideal for the new light then you will have to replace it with the desired wattage one you need (or more) and then you can use the same size tubes or bulbs or you could just have a larger one depending on the size of your tank hood

i think thats abou right but some will correct me if i am wrong

 

[AshleySpatula]

i'm sorry but you totally lost me about halfway through that lol

how do i fing the starter? i have heard of these t8 and t5 bulbs but whats the difference with them and my current one?

i have looked at these compact lights that have alot of wattage but smaller bulbs but the plugs on the end are different so they wont hook into my hood...

is there just an inexpensive diy lighting to give me at least 2-3 wpg?

 

[ktricky]

my juwel has its starter sealed in the hood so it is not the easiest to check

i am personally looking for a cheap temp light so i can reaserch the best one for my tank

 

[SuperColey1]

Why do you want 2-3WPG

Take a look at this tank with 1WPG of T8:
<a href="http/www.fishforums.net/content/Hardware-Do-It-Yourself/208540/http-www-fishforums-net-index-php-showtopic-208540/" target="_blank">http/www.fishforums.net/content/Hardware...owtopic-208540/</a>

I think most aquascapers that follow the scene are starting to accept that huge amounts of light are not needed these days since the output of lamps becomes more and more efficient and reflectors are more and more common.

I personnally have 1.8WPG of T5 HO which IMO is about level with 3-4WPG on the old WPG rule.

Explanation of lamps:
The T figure is the diameter of the bulb in 8ths of an inch:
T12 = 12 8ths so 1½inches
T10 = 10 8ths so 1¼inches
T8 = 8 8ths so 1 inch
T5 = 5 8ths so 5/8 inch

T5 PC = T5 Power Compact which is a T5 bulb that is joined or folded into one end cap meaning you can get more wattage in a smaller length.
T5 HO = T5 High Output which is as it says a higher output lamp than a normal linear (don't know why)

The WPG rule assumes that you use good reflectors (i.e. polished aluminium/Mylar etc) and was calculated on the T12 lamp.

The problem we have nowadays is that people still use this rule even though none of us use T12 lamps.

This means that with any lamp and reflector setup there is 'restrike', meaning that the light emitted away from the tank hits the reflector and is redirected back towards the tank. Some of this redirected light will be blocked by the lamp on its return.

Because a T12 is wider in diameter than a T10 then it will block more of this reflected light therefore will have more restrike therefore less light gets back to the tank.

Therefore the smaller the T number, the less restrike you have which means that the WPG rule becomes less and less applicable.

I am guessing if the light came with the tank it will be a T8. If your tank is 20G then I guess you have a 24"/18W bulb or a 18"/15W bulb.

If you buy a cheap but decent reflector (£5/$10) and then a decent lamp (Check out the web for your country's suppliers) to fit your current setup then there is no reason you can't have a tank like the one in the link because that tank is a tall and I guess yours is a long therefore the light doesn't have to penetrate as far as it does in the tank I have linked to.

(The pic in my signature had only 0.6WPG of T8!!!)

Andy