# Lights!!!! Camera!!!!! CRAPPY!!!!



## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

i know the rule of watts per gallon changes as tanks get smaller, but to what extent? 

im hoping that if i purchase these lights ill see some amazing results

cheers,


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## guppy (Oct 30, 2004)

What bulb do you have in your fixture? I have that same fixture over my 2.5 and its great running with a 6700k/10k combo bulb. Other than that I think that 36 watts over a 5 gallon is over kill and is just asking for problems. You should get results with your co2 and fert dosing.


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

same bulb as you


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

does ANYONE know if this will work? or am i asking for trouble with 36W???


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## chinaboy1021 (May 30, 2003)

if you have good substrate, i think you can go with the 36watts.

im glad you have pressurized co2 or else you'd be in trouble. you can have 18 watt on for 4 hours a day, and 36watt on for 8 hours a day.

i say go for it.


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## sukebe (Nov 6, 2004)

I was able to pearl riccia and keep glosso hugging the substrate with in my 6g with a 2x13 AHSupplies light kit, combo 6.7/10K. This was with no reflectors (inside cover painted flat white) and DIY CO2. 

My biggest problem was heat, but if I could have put 10W more over my tank without adding more heat, I would have done it.

Like chinaboy said, if you have two fixtures, you could always turn one off part-time if having all 36W gets to be a problem.


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## emjhay27 (Sep 2, 2005)

sry for hijackin.. but a 65k screw bulb be ok to use for a 10 gal tank


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

see there in lies my major underlying problem that i did not address here! hehe

even wit hthe 18W light, im getting incredible heat bulid up and i dont want it--my heater must be malfunctioning..but whatever--ill fix that somehow...

im just trying to get superb growth here--im thinking htta opting for the 36W would help a great deal, but im slightly worried about the heat factor--maybe running on 2 different timers would be beneficial?

ill see what i can do--other than that, any suggestions?

cheers,


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

jdb416 said:


> does ANYONE know if this will work? or am i asking for trouble with 36W???


This is basically my problem I am having in my 8 gal. But I only have a 2X13w from AH Supply. Using the 5500 and 6700 bulbs I got from elsewhere. I am thinkng of, well I am going to be adding another 2X13w system into a custom built canopy as soon as I get off my you know what and build the canopy. Hopefully this weekend. I will then have 52w or 6.5wpg.

Go to the AGA site and look at the amount of watts being used in the small aquascapes submitted in the previous contests. This will help you out in determining if 36w is too much.


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## |GTO| (Oct 9, 2006)

aquaphish said:


> This is basically my problem I am having in my 8 gal. But I only have a 2X13w from AH Supply. Using the 5500 and 6700 bulbs I got from elsewhere. I am thinkng of, well I am going to be adding another 2X13w system into a custom built canopy as soon as I get off my you know what and build the canopy. Hopefully this weekend. I will then have 52w or 6.5wpg.
> 
> Go to the AGA site and look at the amount of watts being used in the small aquascapes submitted in the previous contests. This will help you out in determining if 36w is too much.


to be perfectly honest with you aquaphish...im absolutely sure that the 36W wont be too much--i guess i really didnt comprehend my own problem before

heat is the problem here--the major issue at hand--i just cant come up with a feasable sollution to the problem without suspending the lights High above the aquarium..

maybe some stilts heh 

ideas???

cheers,


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## sukebe (Nov 6, 2004)

how about rigging up a computer fan to blow across the ballasts?

I have been thinking about what to do with my Eclipse 6 and I decided it might just be too much work to modify it into a good planted set-up. It'd be much easier for me to buy a Finnex and build a light using the 2x13 kit to hang over it.

I was even considering building an Ice Probe style chiller, but the logistics of it just doesnt make it worthwhile.


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

sukebe said:


> how about rigging up a computer fan to blow across the ballasts?
> 
> I have been thinking about what to do with my Eclipse 6 and I decided it might just be too much work to modify it into a good planted set-up. It'd be much easier for me to buy a Finnex and build a light using the 2x13 kit to hang over it.
> 
> I was even considering building an Ice Probe style chiller, but the logistics of it just doesnt make it worthwhile.


I would vote for a computer fan, or try and take the balist out above the light, will cut down on the heat! 

light looks really nice, how long is it? would it fit on a 10g tank?

- Fish newb -


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

jdb416 said:


> see there in lies my major underlying problem that i did not address here! hehe
> 
> even wit hthe 18W light, im getting incredible heat bulid up and i dont want it--my heater must be malfunctioning..but whatever--ill fix that somehow...
> 
> ...


You can take care of the heat from the bulbs by installing a little 12 vdc fan so it blows across the bulbs or the water. You get the fan, which is made for electronics cooling, and buy a variable voltage dc power supply (transformer), then drop the voltage until the noise is acceptable to you. I don't know how much light you need, since I have no nano experience yet.


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## lljdma06 (Oct 16, 2006)

Why don't you try this site? 

Oh glorious Light

The writer of this in-depth article actually took the time to devise a calculator to determine lighting levels. Just scroll down. I found it quite helpful.

Here's another site, also with a calculator that is based on Amano's light levels.

Lighting in Amano Aquaria

Same thing, just scroll down and enter your values and you will get the watts you need, or at least the wattage that Amano would supposedly use if he were doing your tank.

llj:icon_smil


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## dhavoc (May 4, 2006)

the coralife is a major heat load, i have one and basially threw it on the shelf due to the problems i was having with heat buildup. the problem is that there are no legs available to raise it above the tank, and if its in a hood, not enough air circulation to remove said heat. you can try small fans, but i got tired of adding water every day. i have some of those ice probe chillers and they do work but not for anything over 5 gallons (got 2 of them on my 5 gal crs tank.) if you have co2 and dose ferts, 36w shouldnt be too much, just stager the lights with 2 timers (3-4 hours of 36w with only 18w the balance of your light cycle). and if 36 is too much you can always remove one of the bulbs in either fixture to give you 27w.


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