Lighting question...

[reefbound]

To figure out how many watts per gallon I just divide my light wattage by the tank size right? so if I have a 265 watt power compact I divide that by 75 gallon to get 3.53 watts per gallon,yes?

[DragonForce]

Correct.

[lando]

Correct, but you must realize that using the "watts/gal" rule for lighting is not a good way to go. The type of lighting will change things dramatically.

[reefbound]

Originally Posted by lando

Correct, but you must realize that using the "watts/gal" rule for lighting is not a good way to go. The type of lighting will change things dramatically.

I do realize that, also the depth of the tank matters too so the lower you go the less wattage you have...

[mp3z24]

Originally Posted by reefbound

I do realize that, also the depth of the tank matters too so the lower you go the less wattage you have...

the wattage of the bulb will be the same if you are 3 inches from the bulb or 3 miles from the bulb. lumens and lux are used to describe the "brightness" and "intensity" of the bulb.

the watts per gallon rating is only a starting point for selecting a bulb. you really need to have a lighting system with enough "penetrating power" to get the proper amount of light (lux) for the depth of your tank. notice i said lighting system... not bulb. there are several things like distance from the bulb, type of bulb used, reflector design... etc.

~mike

[GlitcH]

Originally Posted by mp3z24

the wattage of the bulb will be the same if you are 3 inches from the bulb or 3 miles from the bulb. lumens and lux are used to describe the "brightness" and "intensity" of the bulb.

the watts per gallon rating is only a starting point for selecting a bulb. you really need to have a lighting system with enough "penetrating power" to get the proper amount of light (lux) for the depth of your tank. notice i said lighting system... not bulb. there are several things like distance from the bulb, type of bulb used, reflector design... etc.

~mike

Mp3.......so how would you determine the Lux needed at the bottom of a 24 inch high tank in order to grow a "high light" plant type?