Lighting for Plecos - Aquarium Advice

BrutusPleco · 06-30-2008, 02:38 PM

I just transferred my two common plecos, two dojo loaches and two upside down catfish from a 36 gal. to a 75 gallon tank. They all love the extra room!

The lighting fixture in the new tank is much brighter than the one in the old tank. All my fish tend to like the dark side of life!!

Any suggestions as to what wattage and type of bulb I should get? The light bulb on the new is All-Aquarium 32 watt. thank you for any help you can give!!

newfound77951 · 06-30-2008, 03:36 PM

32 watts on a 75 is still not a lot of light. I can't imagine that little light would bother the fish. I'd make sure they have caves of rocks or driftwood that they can hide in if they feel the need to, but otherwise I wouldn't worry. The other issue is that if the fixture on the 75 is a fluorescent strip light, you can't just put a bulb with different wattage in, as the wattage is related to the length of the bulb. You'd have to get a new fixture with a shorter bulb.

warped1 · 07-01-2008, 07:10 AM

Every pleco or catfish I owned seemed to not mind the light. They were all over the place in the light. The only time they went for cover was when me or somebody else approached the tank too quickly. For guys who seem to prefer the dark their daytime vision is unbelievable.

06-30-2008, 02:38 PM	#1
BrutusPleco Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: California, USA Posts: 59	Lighting for Plecos I just transferred my two common plecos, two dojo loaches and two upside down catfish from a 36 gal. to a 75 gallon tank. They all love the extra room! The lighting fixture in the new tank is much brighter than the one in the old tank. All my fish tend to like the dark side of life!! Any suggestions as to what wattage and type of bulb I should get? The light bulb on the new is All-Aquarium 32 watt. thank you for any help you can give!! __________________ rivergal

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06-30-2008, 03:36 PM	#2
newfound77951 Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Jamestown, RI Posts: 1,722	32 watts on a 75 is still not a lot of light. I can't imagine that little light would bother the fish. I'd make sure they have caves of rocks or driftwood that they can hide in if they feel the need to, but otherwise I wouldn't worry. The other issue is that if the fixture on the 75 is a fluorescent strip light, you can't just put a bulb with different wattage in, as the wattage is related to the length of the bulb. You'd have to get a new fixture with a shorter bulb.

07-01-2008, 07:10 AM	#3
warped1 Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: South Philly, Pa. Posts: 306	Every pleco or catfish I owned seemed to not mind the light. They were all over the place in the light. The only time they went for cover was when me or somebody else approached the tank too quickly. For guys who seem to prefer the dark their daytime vision is unbelievable.