Lights Help

[willowstwin]

Hi

I was just wondering if someone could give me some advice. I have the Interpet Fishbox 40, which comes with 2 (what look like energy saving bulbs) lights in the hood. One for "day" lighting and one for "moon" lighting.

I'm currently in the process of cycling my tank, and have had my heater keeping the tank at a steady 28 degrees for a week now. So, I decided to see what affect the lights would have on the temperature of the water, so I turned on the "day" light, and left it on while I was at work. After 12 hours, the hood was really hot, and the water had raised to a shocking 32 degrees...

Can anyone suggest an alternative, either bulb or lighting system, in order to stop this, as I need to figure out how this is going to affect the fish (good job I'm keeping trops, but even so). I've heard LED's are good, but I don't know if these will produce the right light spectrum for the plants I want to put in the tank.

 

[scobie140]

I have the 64L version of that tank and both bulbs are set for daylight so the full tank gets the same light. Mine is on a timer for about 7-8 hours and i can't say i've noticed the water temp ever increasing by a noticable diffrence with the lights on. although i would like bulbs that arn't so yellow i've never bothred to see what else is avalible for the light fitting in the hood.
do you have good water circulation to disperse the heat?
is your thermometer near the lights?

 

[KittyKat]

A single T5 tube with an electronic ballast are one of the best value for money, efficient and reliable options. LEDs would also get quite hot, if you have a decent number of efficient ones. But basically, all lights get hot.. so try lowering water level and maybe cut some holes in the back of the lid for ventilation, or leave the "food flap" (if you have one) open.

 

[willowstwin]

I have the pump that came with it, and that seems pretty strong to me (I was worried about how the fish would manage)... I'll try leaving the food flap open... How long do lights need to be on for specific lengths of time? or would one of those timers work, so I could put it on for (say) 3 - 4 hours in the morning, and then 4 hours in the evening, with a break in the middle and nothing at night.

 

[KittyKat]

I have the pump that came with it, and that seems pretty strong to me (I was worried about how the fish would manage)... I'll try leaving the food flap open... How long do lights need to be on for specific lengths of time? or would one of those timers work, so I could put it on for (say) 3 - 4 hours in the morning, and then 4 hours in the evening, with a break in the middle and nothing at night.

Pump.. do you mean filter or air pump? Or maybe even a power head?

The lights should be on for a single "on" period (not two), which should be between 6 and 10 hours. You should put them on a timer, I find that it is better for the fish to have quite consistent lighting. If you're at home in the evening, then maybe 3 pm to 9 pm would work for you. If you have natural daylight falling on the fish tank, then that counts as part of the "on" period for timing, even if the lights are off.

 

[willowstwin]

filter pump... it sucks water in the bottom and spits it out the top, along with a cool air valve thing at the top which you can sit just at the surface of the water so it puts air into the water. Just trying to dig out my holiday lamp timer socket thingemydoodle now

 

[KittyKat]

And passes the water through some media first? That's just filter. The bit which adds bubbles to the flow doesn't actually help much with the oxygen content of the water, good surface movement makes more of a difference.

 

[willowstwin]

It has filter sponges (white ones) on one side and I'm guessing carbon (black sponge type stuff) on the other. There was no real info with the filter

oh it's agitating the surface alright I have it set to almost the highest it can go so it does this. If I set it at its highest point, it completely fills the tank with little bubbles.

 

[KittyKat]

It has filter sponges (white ones) on one side and I'm guessing carbon (black sponge type stuff) on the other. There was no real info with the filter

Sounds like an internal filter, don't worry about the black sponge, the carbon would have long since been used up, so treat it as any other sponge.

oh it's agitating the surface alright I have it set to almost the highest it can go so it does this. If I set it at its highest point, it completely fills the tank with little bubbles.

You should experiment with the levels.. try setting it so the water comes out at the same level as the water already in the aquarium, for example. This usually gives the best surface movement and no bubbles.

 

[willowstwin]

I've tried setting it a little higher, and it starts to make a whiney noise.. I know I need good agitation if I'm wanting a gourami, so I need to get it sorted. If not, I will have to see about getting a different filter, maybe an external one?

 

[KittyKat]

I've tried setting it a little higher, and it starts to make a whiney noise.. I know I need good agitation if I'm wanting a gourami, so I need to get it sorted. If not, I will have to see about getting a different filter, maybe an external one?

Higher? I'm talking about lower here.. unless you have a ventura thingy.. can you get a photo?

And no, aeration makes absolutely no difference for gouramis, they'd be just as happy in still water as with plenty of surface movement because they are labyrinth fish, which means that they breath air like we do, straight from the atmosphere.