# 10 Gallon Lighing Options



## Green Leaf Aquariums (Feb 26, 2007)

T5 is what I use on my 10 gallons and they are very efficient.


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## stev0205 (Nov 5, 2007)

you could always get more powerful screw in fluorescent bulbs... 2 for less than 30 bucks...


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## LS6 Tommy (May 13, 2006)

I was going to give a link the the AH Supply 13w x2 CF conversion kit. I don't know why they discontinued it.

Tommy


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## GIO590 (Jun 25, 2007)

Not being able to find lights more powerful than 10 watts (per bulb) that fit into the sockets (hood is real close to it) I settled on swapping out the old bulbs. 

WOW what a difference, I screwed in a new bulb by an old one and the difference was evident. The new one is brighter, and the light is whiter. 

Now, the only thing left to do is redo the cheapo (and now corroded) reflectors that came with the hood.


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## Kayen (Oct 14, 2007)

my buddy uses 2x 15 Phillips Marathon DayLight bulbs on his incandescent hood, grows plants like a charm


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

You can find 23 watt CFL spiral screw-ins that still fit the 10 gallon hood. I used to have two for my 10 gallon until I upgraded. They worked great.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

^ Ditto to what he said... except I was able to find 26w spirals.


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## InTr4nceWeTrust (Nov 25, 2007)

I found 23w cheapo fluorescent bulbs (yellow light instead of white) for 20 cents each. I bought like 30 of them. Gonna use them for a plant farm in the near future. And if you'd rather have white fluorescent, you can get em pretty cheap. 20 bucks for two 26w bulbs I think.

off topic: Church, your girlfriend is awesome. *points to your signature in case you think of something else*


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## GIO590 (Jun 25, 2007)

I don't know what type of hoods you guys have, but I have huge issues mounting nice sized lights on mine, cause there is no room.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Church said:


> ^ Ditto to what he said... except I was able to find 26w spirals.



What were you able to grow with it? I wanna try a high light set up, but shipping a 40 watt light here is expensive, so was the 2x 26 or 2x 23 good?
Thanks


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

^ I was able to grow quite a bit of stuff with those lights. But remember, that even though the wattage might total up to almost 5 wpg, you really only end up getting half of that in usable light, due to restrike. At least that seems to be the consensus. I was able to grow wisteria, hygrophila corymbosa, dwarf sagitarria, micro-sword, bacopa, various ludwigias, and many more, with only the help of a little flourish excel for carbon. But seriously, even though I had 5 wpg, and thought everything was bright, I eventually upgraded my lighting to a Current USA Satellite fixture... and when I was only using half of the fixture (at 4wpg), it was practically twice as bright as the spiral bulbs were at 5wpg!!!

So these spirals aren't the best way to go... they are just a viable _cheap_ way to go. I used them in my stock ten gallon hood for about 2 months, successfully, before upgrading to the Satellite.

To GIO590: That's the same hood I used, and what I did was I took off those rubber rings, in the sockets, which allowed me to screw the bulbs all the way in. It was definitely a tight fit, but if you are careful and patient, you will get them in. I do not know if it would be considered unsafe to remove them, but I never had any problems with water splashing in there or anything. You could always put some silicone or a removable sealant of some kind around the bulb base, if you were that concerned about safety.



InTr4nceWeTrust said:


> off topic: Church, your girlfriend is awesome. *points to your signature in case you think of something else*


Hehe. Thanks for noticing! That's an actual quote from her, and it stands out in my memory as one of the best compliments she's ever given me. I mean, seriously, what's better than a woman who actually _digs_ the fact that I spend more time with my aquariums than I do with her!!! (just kidding, baby, if you're reading this, you know I love you WAY more than my aquariums )


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## Carissa (Aug 19, 2007)

I use 2x11w daylight cf's in my 10g and it works great. Non-co2 low light tank, everything grows steadily and nicely and it looks great too. I also have 1x13w over my other 10g el natural tank. I had a 26w but started growing bga with it over that tank so I had to reduce the intensity to get rid of it. The daylight 6500k bulbs look nicer than the cool whites. You have to be patient screwing the bulbs in with those plastic things, hold onto the base not the bulb when screwing it in. Careful patience, they do go in eventually. I'm growing hygrophila polysperma, crypts, java ferns, ludwigia no problem and I did have a giant hygro too until I decided to move it to another tank and killed it.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Church said:


> ^ I was able to grow quite a bit of stuff with those lights. But remember, that even though the wattage might total up to almost 5 wpg, you really only end up getting half of that in usable light, due to restrike. At least that seems to be the consensus. I was able to grow wisteria, hygrophila corymbosa, dwarf sagitarria, micro-sword, bacopa, various ludwigias, and many more, with only the help of a little flourish excel for carbon. But seriously, even though I had 5 wpg, and thought everything was bright, I eventually upgraded my lighting to a Current USA Satellite fixture... and when I was only using half of the fixture (at 4wpg), it was practically twice as bright as the spiral bulbs were at 5wpg!!!
> 
> So these spirals aren't the best way to go... they are just a viable _cheap_ way to go. I used them in my stock ten gallon hood for about 2 months, successfully, before upgrading to the Satellite.


Ah, so you're using the 1x 40w current usa lunar one right? I'm gonna order that soon, but was wondering if I should go 2x40, but it seems like overkill. It'll be hi-tech with pressurized co2.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Actally I'm using the 2x40 fixture. What I meant above was that when I first got it, I was only using one of the bulbs, so as not to supply too much light until I get my pressurized CO2 setup. When I have both bulbs on (8wpg!) it's very bright in my tank, so I only put the second bulb on for 2 hours a day, as a "mid-day burst." Once I get my paintball CO2 setup, I'll have both bulbs on for a longer duration.

I'd say go with the dual-bulb fixture. Like I did, if it's too much light, simply turn off the second bulb. Once you get a good CO2 system going, 8wpg in a small ten gallon aquarium would be perfect, IMO, as a high-light, high-tech tank.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Alright, thanks. 
I'll order a 2x then, and I'll see how it goes(crosses fingers).
It'll probably be brigher than my 2x55 on my 55 gallon right next to it, lol. 
Where did you get yours and how much was it? I have to make sure they ship to Hawaii too, and do it via usps to save money 
Thanks again!

Ah, if they only made 20" hagen glo fixtures -_-
My LFS actually started to carry this line(first pet store to ever offer any type of good lighting for PTs xD)


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

I got mine from a local fish store, so I can't help you with any sources. I do know, however, that drsfostersmith.com has them, and I'm pretty sure they ship to hawaii. Good luck to ya!


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

How are the fans on those things? Are they really noisy?

And drs ships it for $35 xD
Found a different site that ships it for $17(at least the 1x40 watt version, gonna ask them about the 2x one)

Also, what bulbs are you using? I'm considering 1 at 6,700k and one at 10,000k... *sigh* more money to waste xD


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

The fan isn't really all that noisy, but it's definitely noticeable. I have mine raised up off the top of the tank, so I don't even turn my fan on. I definitely would, though, if I had a closed-top tank. Keep in mind, the single bulb fixture doesn't even come with a fan, so the manufacturers must know that it isn't even necessary for just one lamp. It's when both are running that might pose a problem. And I only have both running for only 2 hours a day. The rest of the time it's just one.

I tried out a few combinations of color indexes, and I ended up going with the dual daylight sunpaq bulbs, for both of them (the ones that are 6500/10000). It just looks right to me.

Here's a pic:


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Looks great! I'll get those too(it would just be the same thing as me getting 2 bulbs, one at 6,500 and 10,000 right?) 
I just set up my co2 on my big tank and look forward to getting mine xD
Gonna cost me $127 total D:
Also gonna have to find another bulb that isn't antic since only 1 of them is dual daylight(they don't sell it on the website  ). I'm assuming the bulbs are 17" straight pin right?
Also, do they have 2 separate cords? Cause it's a 24 hr lighting system right, or do they have a timer built in(i wish )? 
Oh, what mounting legs are you using? Coralife ones fit right?
Thanks for the help!

http://www.saltycritter.com/lighting/current/current-orbit-power-compact.htm
Oh, are those any better? Is the $20 worth it? Includes legs too, so I only need bulbs.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Yes, using two dual-daylight bulbs is the same thing as using 1 6500k and 1 10000k.

I don't know the length, but 17" sounds about right, and no, they are square pin. I, too, immediately replaced the actinic bulb. I originally replaced it with a 50/50 (10000k and actinic) so that I had 50% 10000k, 25% 6500k, and 25% actinic, just to have a little actinic blue tinge for viewing purposes, which looked fantastic, but it was still a little too blue for me, so I eventually just replaced that with the dual daylight, to the configuration I use now. Was that a run on sentence?

Yes, they have separate cords. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. Also, the lunar light and fan each have their own power cords. So there are a total of 4 cords coming out of this thing! But no, timers are not built in.

Mounting legs come with the unit, so there is no need to purchase any others. As to whether or not the coralife ones fit, I don't know, but don't worry since it comes with its own legs.

About the Orbit fixture, I don't know enough about them, so I can't comment on them.

I hope that answers your questions!


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Yep, you answered all my questions, except do you know the differences in the lights? I don't think $20 is worth it for the looks xD


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

^ I just edited my post, but to reiterate, I don't know enough about the Orbit to make any comparisons.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Thanks curch! You've been a great help! Luckily I never bought the 1x40 watt fixture yet. I think the orbits are a bit better a dispersing heat(found from a quick search result), so I'll go with that.
Thanks again!

Oh, I might go with this bulb to replace the antic if it works
http://www.adgshop.com/8000K_PC_bulb_p/108-060.htm

It'd be nice to have a little more green, and plus, a little less wattage(not much though xD)


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## GIO590 (Jun 25, 2007)

WOW this thread has provided all of the the information that I could possibly need. Thanks Church! After having seen your tank. I think I am going to upgrade my entire lighting/hood setup. An AHSupply 36 watt pc and a raised DIY canopy similar to yours are probably what I am going to put on my tank, once summer roles around, and I get back from college.


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