LIGHTS.......

[aquatic-Bizkut]

well it says on the hood that it can hold 25 watts, but im not sure if that is incadescent, or if it is florescent.....

and these bulbs are 20 watts each i have two, i bought them at walmart, and they dont know.... they wont know, and i work at a LFS noone really knows

 

[jollysue]

Is that 25w each socket?

 

[jollysue]

Compact flourescent use less energy per watt than regular flourescent which use less energy per watt than incadescent. So it shouldn't overload your fixture. Flourescent burn cooler per watt so it shouldn't overheat your fixture. I say go for it. I have used screw in flourescent in my lamps for 10 years or more. I use more watts than the lamps call for and they don't overheat or blow anything up. If the parts fit but give it a try. I accept no responsibility

Edit: Or wait and take the bulbs and fixture to Home Depot or Lowes or your electical lighting supply and ask them if it will work electrical wise.

Looks like you may have lucked out finding the bulbs. I have never heard of them, and I was just checking my online supply and they don't have anything like that.

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

yeah ima try it, i will have my sister next to the fixture wiht a towl......so if it catches fire.......i will be ready

 

[jollysue]

I'm going to work. Will be back in a couple hours. Let me know hoa it goes. Hopefully it is just the right amount of dramatic

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

hahah no joke, man its 10 pm here, you work late? or live somewhere crazy ??! hehe

edit just saw your location )

anyhoo back to my story.... i tried the lights.... and

well they worked!!!

here are picks.... this pick is of the bulbs in the package....

they work well but im kinda gettin nervouse becuase they rub up against the reflectors, is that bad???...will i have to take the reflectors off....... here is a pick to explain it...

let me know!! thanks for your hellp so far !!

 

[jollysue]

Yeah, well I'm at work--what's your excuse?

Ok, here's the possible bad news. The usefulness of the lighting is dependent to a large extent upon the so called "kelvin" rating. The kelvin rating refers to the light waves and the light colors in the light spectrum being produced. The best for plants is 67,000K (kelvins) which are high in the reds and blues most useful in the photosynthesis of plants. Next is 10,000K which is the light waves at high noon. (I believe I pretty much have this correct.)

I think the reason that incandescent is not useful to plants is because it doesn't produce the correct kelvins. I have heard that regular flourescent used in lamps doesn't either. I assumed when you said "Sunlight" bulbs it was referring to the kelvin rating not the brand name. Maybe (big maybe) there will be a reference on the package to the kelvins produced. But aquarium bulbs are a special product produced for aquariums and not used in lamps.

I think another option for you would be to get a flourescent strip (maybe an under counter) from the hardware or home improvement and buy the correct bulbs for aquariums to use in them.

Fosters and Smith has an 18w mini light for about $23 + $8 shipping that would sit on top of a glass cover. Or one of the other strip lights could sit on a glass cover.

I'm sorry I know this isn't what we had hoped you would hear. I wasn't able to find a truely inexpensive way around the lighting. Although I got a really good deal: a 48" four light T5 strip, fan cooled for $150. They are easily over $300 on sale.


Edit:

The "20 watt replaces 75 watts" refers to 20 watts of compact flourescent household light replaces 75 watts of incandescent household light.

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

yes that isnt what i wanted to hear..... well i found out that each bulb rates 6500K each.... so 13000 together......

is that ok, bad, or ok??

 

[jollysue]

Well, no, but good. If they are 65,000 kelvins each at 20 watts each then you have 40 watts of 65,000 kelvins. And I believe that is satisfactory for your plants.

 

[jollysue]

In regards to the bulb resting against the reflector. I wouldn't take the reflector out. Maybe it will bend back a bit. But the bulb will burn cooler than incandescent. If anything burns out it would probably be the bulb because the fixture is ment to handle more heat. I guess

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

cool i will leave it alone and see how it goes.....

but the Kelvens arent 65000 it says 6500 one less zero, so both together it is 13000, or what am i saying...


this is what is says directly on the box "6500K"

do you just add another zero?

 

[jollysue]

OOPS!!! My error. Sorry. )

The light spectrum is what it is. The watts increase by adding on watts, but the kelvin remain the same--more of the same thing You therefore have 6,500 kelvin at 40 watts. If you had a 6500 K at 20 watts and a 10000 K at 20 watts, you would have 40 watts of light. 20 watts at 6500 K and 20 watts at 10000. What the 6500 spectrum is I don't know. Possibly close to the 6700.

I'm headinf in now. Night-night

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

hahahah well i have no clue what wattage i have, and what WPG i have, it would be good to know before i buy more plants and so on....

but another problem has occured.... this is like my daily journal

my ratings in tanks as follows

20 gallon

Nitrate -30
Nitrite -3.0
Hardness -100
Alkalinity -230 - 250
PH -8.0

25 gallon

Nitrate -20
Nitrite -.5
Hardness -75
Alkalinity -275
PH -7.8

i put salt in both tanks and the fish seem to be doing fine, i took the test about 20 minutes after i gave them food.... and i cleaned out the tanks yesterday, i also havnt added any fish for over a week now..... i plan on getting a ADF and a newt to add to my 20 gall. but those readings are bad, please tell me what i can put in, or what i should do??

and what WPG do you think i have (2 20 watt bulbs (40 watt total) and 6500 K ) ???

 

[aquatic-Bizkut]

here is my tank with the lights in it..... it has a little gap between the hood and the lamp hood so air can get in

so does any one know my WPG

 

[nodding_dino]

and what WPG do you think i have (2 20 watt bulbs (40 watt total) and 6500 K ) ???

[snapback]866100[/snapback]​

You should take a quick read through gf's lighting thread, but here you go anyway...

You work out WPG by dividing the total wattage by the tank volume in US gallons...

2 x 20W = 40w
20 US Gallons

40/20 = 2WPG

6500K is the temperature (read colour for simplicities sake), and the temp of these tubes looks OK.

Hope this helps!

EDIT - you might want to keep an eye on your Nitrite levels...