Light issue?

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giggalz

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
314
Location
Delaware
i have an octagon tall 55 gallon tank...i wanted to get a light and i needed a light for the plants...the light that is in it is 15 inch...i've been to two places...and i've started looking online..is this a rare thing to have 15 inch bulb for plants???
 
Some additional info will help me try and find a replacement.

How many watts is the bulb?
What kind of bulb is it? (T8, T5)

Also, 15 inches on a 55 gallon tank sounds like it is going to be very small. Deep tanks can be a challenge to light effectively for plant growth. I really think you will have trouble with any plants if this is the only light source.
 
i cant tell if its t5 or what..one part is rubbed off....its 14w though...
 
i had told my cousin who works at my aunt and uncles fish store what the issue is with it cause it makes a loud buzzing..she said it was the starter..replaced that and still buzzes...so its a little hot to try and get it back out again to see if theres more writing on it..sorry
 
yes... unfortunately, with florescents, there isn't a lot of leeway in terms of putting in a "more powerful" or higher wattage bulb. Any replacement bulb you find is going to be 14W (or real close to that in some cases). 14W on a 55 tall, regardless of the type of bulb, is not going to grow live plants.

Tall tanks are a real challenge to light and scape when dealing with FW plants. It can be done... but I think in your case it will require a serious upgrade in lighting.
 
i bought a varied selection of plants some low moderate and high..and my rocks are stacked high so i'll probably just go up
 
I don't think the low light plants will even do all that well if they are anywhere in the bottom half of the tank. The closer to the light you get them, the better chance they will have. If the low light plants are pretty close to the top of the tank, they will do ok.
 
there is barely anything thats 15 inches....if any..and i dont know what i can get that would fit an octagon either....and i finally got more info on the light its a T8
 
The best solution would probably be a DIY LED fixture if you are really dead set on planting this tank. Tall tanks like I said are difficult for this.
 
at this point just a little more power would be great...unemployment doesnt give out much money
 
It would require some electrical skills. You might find an off the shelf LED that could fit the tank. Could you post the dimensions of the top? I can look around. If you think you might have the electrical skills, there are a few good threads that would describe the build. It would also not be cheap. Even for a DIY LED fixture, you probably would be looking at $70-150 depending.
 
nope no electrical skills..i was pretty proud that i removed the starter bought a new one and put it back on myself...
 
not sure how i would go about measuring this...i measured across where the light sits..thats 18 inchs...each of the sides is over 10 inches long..not quite 10 and a half..
 
Ughh.. I am not finding much, I am afraid. The off the shelf fixtures are just soo expensive.

Ecoxotic Panorama LED System w/ Accessory Pack


There are some interesting options for a little less towards the bottom of this page.
LED Aquarium Light; AquaRay AquaBeam, GroBeam Cree XR, XG Emitter; PAR 38 & Rio Mini Sun Lights

Still big money though... I really don't know how else to effectively light the tank though if you are wanting to grow medium or even higher light plants. How tall is it exactly?
 
I am not sure the one you posted would work well... I really need to get a better idea of the dimensions of your tank.

You said it is a 55gal hex, but the opening is only 18"? How tall is it? Did I screw something up?
 
55g octagon...18 inch across where the hood sits...10 inchs on each panel or side..and its 24 inch long
 
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