Help! Need proper light for a planted 10 gallon aquarium. - Aquarium Advice

gu2high · 08-24-2007, 06:46 PM

I want to plant my 10 gallon aquarium but can't find proper light for it. Currently I have a standard 15w flouresent light with black hood. But I guess the flourescent light may be not good enough for plants. I wish to have a CF light to provide around 2wpg. It is a standard size 2

1

12 tank. Any suggestion and where to buy?

rkilling1 · 08-24-2007, 07:14 PM

I think this is a little more then you wanted, but if I was doing a 10 gallon, this is what I would get:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113345

or even:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113345

**An t-iasg** · 08-24-2007, 07:15 PM

I have this fixture over my 10 gallon tank:

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...PROD&ProdID=94

Actually I have the dual-tube 28 watt (two 14-watt tubes hooked together) but they don't seem to be offering that one anymore. This light I have linked still gives you the same wattage as the one I have - 28 watts total. It is in the medium light range and I do have pressurized CO2. Plants that have done very well under this light include Hydrocotyle verticillata, Bacopa caroliniana, (green and "colorata"), Bacopa australis, Rotala rotundifolia "colorata", Rotala sp. "Vietnam", Marsilea quadrifolia, Ludwigia repens, Pogostemon stellatus "Broad Leaf", Pogostemon helferi, Sagittaria subulata, and Lobelia cardinalis.

gu2high · 08-24-2007, 09:26 PM

Thanks for the information. 28w is good except bulb, 96w is way overkill. I don't know why all manufacturers can't produce a real ideal plant light fixture for the most common 10 gallon tank. Are they stupid or lazy?

**Purrbox** · 08-25-2007, 12:13 AM

Or you could get a refurb unit at a discount from here.

rkilling1 · 08-25-2007, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gu2high

96w is way overkill.

But that is a 50/50 setup. You are only putting 48 watts of usable light into the tank. You would be in the medium/high light area with those lights.

I wouldn't put 96 watts of usable light over a 10 gallon either.

XxTitleisTxX · 08-25-2007, 12:49 AM

http://www.aquaria.com.au/catalog/pr...oducts_id/6040

that's what i'd get. 3 wpg of standard flourescent is perfect in my opinion.. my tank runs under 1.8wpg of standard and everything grows great..

but thats an australian website btw

IME we dont really have 20 inch tanks lol. they usually just sell 18, 24, 36, 48.

gu2high · 08-25-2007, 11:18 AM

How about this DIY, the basic 2x13w Bright Kit (Item #21301) which to retrofit a standard fluorescent light strip.

http://www.ahsupply.com/twox.htm

Anyone did it? Does it have problem with the heat generated by the 2 bulbs? The standard light strip does not have a good reflector. So, I don't know how good it will be if I just replace the 2x13w bulbs on my current standard fluorescent light strip.

**Purrbox** · 08-25-2007, 12:23 PM

AH Supply has some great kits. While I haven't used that one in particular, I did build a custom canopy using a different kit from them. Unfortunately 26w isn't a lot of light over a 10 gallon aquarium especially when using the existing poor reflector. You'd probably only be able to grow low (maybe medium low) light plants.

7Enigma · 08-25-2007, 01:24 PM

I'd get a 24" 65w CF light fixture. I have one on my 20 gallon and its perfect. If you got a 50/50 bulb you would have 32.5w which would be a nice moderate lighting that would benefit from CO2 but Excel could be used as well since its small enough. Then if you ever wanted to get crazy you could replace it with a 6700k or 10000k bulb which would put you in high light. The slight hangover on the 10 gallon is minimal (I have a stock 17w 24" light on my 10 gallon which hangs about an inch and a half over on each side.

HTH