CFL Bulbs for 20 gallon high

[AxonBitshift]

Hi all,
I'm new here so I hope this is the place to ask, but i wanted to know if anyone out there has experimented with growing plants in a 20 gallon high with CFL bulbs. Its going to be a low-tech tank with Java ferns/moss, anubias, crypts water wisteria, and maybe tall sword or two. I'm dosing small amounts of liquid ferts but not CO2 or Excel, so i don't think i need a ton of light. That said, I've done my research and get a great dead of conflicting views on CFL bulbs.

I want to mount either 2 13 watt spiral cfl bulbs or 2 23 watt cfl bulbs horizontally in a standard incandescent hood. The tank is 16 inches tall and the reflector is metal and shaped like \_/.

Has anyone out there tired this before, and, if so, how did it go? Were 13 watt bulbs sufficient? Did you have algae problems with the 23 watt bulbs? How was plant growth?

Any advice you can give me is hugely appreciated!

 

[armymp327]

should be plenty of light, give this article a read, down towards the middle there is a graph for CFL lights, showing what the their PAR value is compared to how far they are from the substrate.

Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts

 

[AxonBitshift]

should be plenty of light, give this article a read, down towards the middle there is a graph for CFL lights, showing what the their PAR value is compared to how far they are from the substrate.

Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts

Awesome! Thanks for the link! The data is only for vertically mounted bulbs with dome reflectors, but its a good place to start! I've decided to try both sets of bulbs. The tank is just beginning a fish less cycle so it's easy enough to take apart and clean if algae becomes an issue with the higher watt bulbs. I'll come back in a few weeks and post the results for others if they are interested.
Thanks!