Is this a good temporary light?

[Angel.Zero]

I can't afford a 2 watt per gallon lighting upgrade so I got a clip on "shop" light and put a cf daylight bulb in it (It's 25w 1471 lumens). I have a 55 gallon that is moderatly planted on half the tank. I was just wondering if this is sufficient as a temp. until I can afford a lighting upgrade? heres a pic of the set-up:

 

[krap101]

dont those get like really hot?

 

[Angel.Zero]

doesn't seem to hot to me, hasn't effected the tank temp at all

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Might watch out for algae on the glass where the light is.

 

[malkore]

light penetrating from the sides isn't as effective, because the thick tempered glass will reflect a lot of it.

you can try it, and keep your fingers crossed. it'll probably help some, but you need to get better lighting on there within 2 weeks IMO, or those plants are gonna start showing signs of light deficiency.

 

[7Enigma]

I rigged up a similar setup to you after watching my "low light" plants all but die on me within the first 2 weeks. I have a 13w CF shop light hanging off the left side of the tank. On the right side of the tank I have a mylar balloon taped inside out (to reflect light that goes through the tank). I also made a reflector for the shoplight using a beer box and some mylar. Made a HUGE difference in both light output and the fishes colors (had pearling for the first time). The key was definately the balloon on the right side. Prior to adding it, at night I was lighting up the whole wall about 6 feet away. After adding it, I have no light on the wall. So it definately helped.

I would suggest adding a DIY CO2 setup to prevent algae growth. I just came back from a week trip and my CO2 setup had all but stopped. Sure enough I have some moderate green algae covering the sides of my terra cotta pots facing the CF light (like moss on the north side of a tree).

HTH,

justin