jazzybell
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I have a 24"x24" square that holds 65 gal.
I have a light that has two florescent bulbs that are 24w each.
I'm working on making my freshwater tank planted and I know that this isn't enough, but I am completely lost as to how to fix the problem.
Using the W/Gal rule I need to have about 180w in order to make the tank med-high light...
How on earth am I supposed to get to 180w when the longest fluorescent bulb that I can buy is 22" long and the max wattage on 22" bulbs is 24w? That's 7.5 bulbs!? No way that will fit over my tank and there isn't a fixture alive that will hold it.
So I started looking at compact florescent.... apparently a 90w cfl is only really 23w? That doesn't make any sense to me at all. How can a bulb have two different wattages? I was thinking maybe a couple clip on lights at the top of the tank would fix the problem. Two of these (if they really are 90w) would meet the 180w goal and not cost me an arm and a leg. Awesome. Do they provide the type of light that plants need to survive tho?
Then I started looking at LED lights and my confusion multiplied tenfold. I found this and don't even know how to make sense of the specs to tell if it's what I need or not. I love the size and the price! It says that it's "high output" but there is no way that anyone would consider a 24" light that only puts out 12w as something to brag about.... So I think i'm just ignorant and don't know how to read what it really does. I don't even know if LED will give the plants any nutrients.
So I have three different types of lights that all have different specs that don't seem to correlate (in a way that I can see), no idea which of them are best for the tank (healthy plants goal in mind), and not a clue where to shop for something that is going to fit in the available 24"x19" space above the tank. My head is going in circles and I'm about to reach information overload shut down.
SOMEONE HELP PLEASE! The more I research how to fix this problem the more options I find, the more questions I have and the fewer answers seem true.
I also would like to find the most cost effective way to fix the problem. The cheaper the better as long as it provides what the tank needs. I've put my whole tank together for under $250 including substrate, decor, filter, heater, puffer fish, everything and there is no way that I'm going to drop over $150 on lights alone. I don't particularly care how it looks, but it can't be permanently affixed to my apartment. Hanging lights are okay, so long as I can plug them in and not wire them to the house. I'm a renter.
I have a light that has two florescent bulbs that are 24w each.
I'm working on making my freshwater tank planted and I know that this isn't enough, but I am completely lost as to how to fix the problem.
Using the W/Gal rule I need to have about 180w in order to make the tank med-high light...
How on earth am I supposed to get to 180w when the longest fluorescent bulb that I can buy is 22" long and the max wattage on 22" bulbs is 24w? That's 7.5 bulbs!? No way that will fit over my tank and there isn't a fixture alive that will hold it.
So I started looking at compact florescent.... apparently a 90w cfl is only really 23w? That doesn't make any sense to me at all. How can a bulb have two different wattages? I was thinking maybe a couple clip on lights at the top of the tank would fix the problem. Two of these (if they really are 90w) would meet the 180w goal and not cost me an arm and a leg. Awesome. Do they provide the type of light that plants need to survive tho?
Then I started looking at LED lights and my confusion multiplied tenfold. I found this and don't even know how to make sense of the specs to tell if it's what I need or not. I love the size and the price! It says that it's "high output" but there is no way that anyone would consider a 24" light that only puts out 12w as something to brag about.... So I think i'm just ignorant and don't know how to read what it really does. I don't even know if LED will give the plants any nutrients.
So I have three different types of lights that all have different specs that don't seem to correlate (in a way that I can see), no idea which of them are best for the tank (healthy plants goal in mind), and not a clue where to shop for something that is going to fit in the available 24"x19" space above the tank. My head is going in circles and I'm about to reach information overload shut down.
SOMEONE HELP PLEASE! The more I research how to fix this problem the more options I find, the more questions I have and the fewer answers seem true.
I also would like to find the most cost effective way to fix the problem. The cheaper the better as long as it provides what the tank needs. I've put my whole tank together for under $250 including substrate, decor, filter, heater, puffer fish, everything and there is no way that I'm going to drop over $150 on lights alone. I don't particularly care how it looks, but it can't be permanently affixed to my apartment. Hanging lights are okay, so long as I can plug them in and not wire them to the house. I'm a renter.