Lights too hot

[Squishiebabe]

I've really really noticed, that my lighting knocks my tank temp up more than 3 degrees, after about 2+ hours being on...at night! I have no AC upstairs, and my tank does get very hot some days around 86f, which isnt good, so I probably keep the lights on an hour max, before i go to bed, around 11-12am where its coolest. I just don;t understand why its making it so hot, it did it ever since i got the tank a few months ago too. No matter the room temp. Is it bad that the fish don't get much light? Like the room is lighted and stuff, but actual tank lights I don't put on, unless its right before bed, when its cooler. I'm scared the constant temp changes are affecting my fish, they look fine, but I know it isnt good for them.
Any suggestions? I have the proper bulbs in there, they are clear 25w (2 bulbs) Should they be the other kind(Like a lightbulb, the whit transparent type?)
Its the tank in my sig

 

[Snailguy101]

How close is the light to the water?

 

[Squishiebabe]

Lol, Umm, couldnt really say...Maybe inch, inch and a half???
I tried blocks under the hood though, so it would be above the water more, that still didnt help...

 

[Teelie]

Lights give off heat. Incandescent bulbs (the kind with the wire in them) especially so. Fluorescent (the long thin ones with no wire) are better and give off less heat. If at all possible, get a lid that uses them instead.

A good and cheap way to control the amount of light they get is a timer. They're relatively cheap and there are multiple types with different settings. You can set one up to keep your lights on for x-amount of hours, then turn them off for however long before turning them on again.

 

[WookiellMonster]

Yea ive noticed the same thing so thats why i put my heater around 81F. I usually keep the lights on till 6 am.- 6pm. constant. Then i turn them off for the rest of the day. I never thought of it being dangerous to the fish because well in the wild the sun usually heats up the water too and usually gets a lil colder when the sun goes back down. But iunno i feel stupid lol.

 

[Squishiebabe]

Yeah, I can "borrow" my brothers' Geckos lo(Timer)l. He doesnt need his light at all, its so hot!
I just don't like the lights on period, because of this, and am not thinking about a new hood, tthats expensive and I plan on getting a bigger tank soon, so all investments are there atm. Thanks for the replies though, good stuff. Again I'll ask, is it really bad for them to have not so much light?I'm sure they'll just sleep more or something like that, I heard that the dark is good for them?(not all the time, just periods of it)

 

[Teelie]

As long as they get a minimum of 6-7 hours of light daily they ought to be okay. The light they get doesn't have to be from the tank light but it has to be bright enough in the tank they aren't in the dark. Sunlight, lamps, ceiling lights, etc are fine. Mostly what a tank light is for is to show off the fish better or for plants (saltwater and some fw fish are exceptions which need special lighting). Too little light is just as bad as too much.

 

[fishwatcher]

Just go to WalMart (gasp!) and get a pair of screw-in flourescent bulbs. They'll be in the fish dept. Here they run about $5 each. I switched mine out to that for the plants, and it is so much cooler now, too.

edit: BTW, how are your new cherry barbs doing? They're so pretty aren't they!?!

 

[Squishiebabe]

Lol, the cherries? Great! At feeding time, its the cutest little frenzy, but they are smarter than the big ole Platy, and one female stays lower to catch all that falls, lol. At first the male was a bit hidey, but hes okay now, a nice bright red too! I dont see any mating-like behavoiur, but then again I wouldnt know? lol
So far acting like normal, silly fishes, and when i get my bigger tank, I thikn i may add a few more females, as they are really active too!
I'll try and take some pictures, although it won't be too easy. lol

I think I will change the bulbs. At my dollar store they have the proper ones too, and I'm not too worried as its light from 5am till almost 9 here.
Gotta eat dinner, i'll try some pics

 

[Sky042]

if you can't change your hood then change your bulbs.
Like someone already said look at wal-mart.
The bulbs run much cooler.....in fact I have a picture so you can know what to look for.

 

[Squishiebabe]

Thanks a bunch!! I will try those once i get the moola$ coming again, they are about $5 each? I think fishwatcher said that....anywho, thanks guys!