NatureGirl
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2017
- Messages
- 53
Hi, all!
I have a few questions concerning lighting for a 26-gallon bow-front aquarium that’s 24 inches deep.
I’ve been using 18-inch fluorescent bulbs made for aquariums, but they’ve been quite a hassle. So far, I’ve had three or four burn out on me (old age for two of them, but the others more tricky to explain). They’re hard to get in and out of the hood, and they get hot too. I even had one explode right over my tank! Eeeek, MERCURY!!! (Don’t ask me why or how it happened. I have no idea. And yes, it was probably my fault and not the bulb’s.)
But still, I’m tired of fluorescents. And the LEDs over my ten-gallon are blissfully low-maintenance. They’ve lasted for years! And they provide a nice build-up of algae for my snails.
So now what I’m looking at doing is buying a white-red-blue-green LED light structure, but figuring out just how much of it my aquarium needs has me confused. Do I measure by watts or lumens or something else? How many of them?
My aquarium is low-tech, but I don’t mind having a little too much light to encourage algae growth. I also want to grow lots of low-tech plants and maybe aquaponic-style plants too. So does anybody have a comprehensive calculator or formula to figure out how much light I need? If it will help, I can name the light I’m trying to consider right now...
-Ah, it’s: “Pawfly LED Aquarium Light Adjustable Brightness Fish Tank Plant Lighting with Extendable Brackets, 18 to 24 Inch”.
I found it on Amazon for what looks like a very desirable price. I’m not sure if it has a timer or not, but I don’t really care. I just turn the light on when I wake up and off an hour or two before bed.
(Oh, and the reason I’m wanting to get a new light is because my current fluorescent recently burned out. I figure it might be worth it to pay two or even three times the cost of my fluorescents to make sure I never have to replace the light again.)
Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks in advance!
I have a few questions concerning lighting for a 26-gallon bow-front aquarium that’s 24 inches deep.
I’ve been using 18-inch fluorescent bulbs made for aquariums, but they’ve been quite a hassle. So far, I’ve had three or four burn out on me (old age for two of them, but the others more tricky to explain). They’re hard to get in and out of the hood, and they get hot too. I even had one explode right over my tank! Eeeek, MERCURY!!! (Don’t ask me why or how it happened. I have no idea. And yes, it was probably my fault and not the bulb’s.)
But still, I’m tired of fluorescents. And the LEDs over my ten-gallon are blissfully low-maintenance. They’ve lasted for years! And they provide a nice build-up of algae for my snails.
So now what I’m looking at doing is buying a white-red-blue-green LED light structure, but figuring out just how much of it my aquarium needs has me confused. Do I measure by watts or lumens or something else? How many of them?
My aquarium is low-tech, but I don’t mind having a little too much light to encourage algae growth. I also want to grow lots of low-tech plants and maybe aquaponic-style plants too. So does anybody have a comprehensive calculator or formula to figure out how much light I need? If it will help, I can name the light I’m trying to consider right now...
-Ah, it’s: “Pawfly LED Aquarium Light Adjustable Brightness Fish Tank Plant Lighting with Extendable Brackets, 18 to 24 Inch”.
I found it on Amazon for what looks like a very desirable price. I’m not sure if it has a timer or not, but I don’t really care. I just turn the light on when I wake up and off an hour or two before bed.
(Oh, and the reason I’m wanting to get a new light is because my current fluorescent recently burned out. I figure it might be worth it to pay two or even three times the cost of my fluorescents to make sure I never have to replace the light again.)
Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks in advance!
