replacng light bulbs

[Ann from Vermont]

I bought a used 125 gallon Aquarium. The tank had been used for saltwater. I am using it as a community tank with plants.There are two bulbs that are Corallife 50/50 6000 L / ACTINIC 03 F 30-T12-BP. Then there are 4 bulbs that are GE Aqua Rays Fresh ad Saltwater. F 30WT8 - AR - F9. All 6 bulbd are 36". As I see it , there are 6 bulbs of 30 watts each which equals about 1.44 W per gallon. I need to replace these bulbs. Is there anything I can buy that will increase the Watts per gallon??

Ann from Vermont

 

[gale]

I don't think you can. From what I have found, fluorescent bulbs are standard. All 24" are 20W, all 36" are 30W, etc. It all depends on the type of ends they have and the standard bulbs in most strip lights are T12 and have 2 pins on the end.

If you can find bigger wattage in the same size bulb I'd love to hear it because I'm in the same boat.

 

[Dubby]

The only way to get higher wattage for the same length (occupied) is using compact fluorescents. But the ballast also needs replacing

 

[Ann from Vermont]

I suspect that you are right and that I will need to be satisfied with having six 30 watt bulbs. I'll just have to be sure to replace the bulbs every six months. I plan to look at Walmart today and I also have the Foster and Smith catalog. In the catalog there are so many different lights. Which are the best for growing freshwater plants? I have two of the 36" triple tube strip lights. Of the three lights in each strip, two are T-8 and one is a T-12. I don't understand how this was done, as my end caps are all identical. ( I thought you had to buy special end caps to convert T-12 to T-8 ) I've tried interchanging the bulbs and they work fine in any position. However it would be impossible to fit more than one T-12 in each strip because of the larger bulb diameter. Would it be better to buy all T-8 replacement bulbs? Looking at the catalog, it appears that the GE Spectra Rays full spectrum bulb in a 36" only comes in a T-12 for $7.99. I can get the Aqua Rays Freshwater bulb in the T-8 for $10.79. Would I be better off just getting six of the Aqua Ray freshwater tubes? There is something called a Triton Light ( for coral condition, marine algae and freshwater plant growth ) that is $22.99 for a T-8 in my size. I'm very confused. No matter what I do, I'm only going to hav 1.44 Watts per gallon. Can I successfully grow low and medium light plants?

 

[Dubby]

If you want more watts/gallon the best way forward is to use Compact flourescents.

If you dont want to spend on changing the electrics then go for bulbs with
- high lumen ratings (more light intensity)
- daylight spectrum (around 5000-6000K) & good for plants
- high CRI (true color rendition)
- triphosphor (lesser deterioration in output over its life)

You will find these not just in Aquarium specific bulbs but also in regular ones and these tend to be cheaper.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ann from Vermont]

Hi Dubby, I really appreciate your help. At this point I have several lighting questions.Everything that I am thinking of ordering can be referenced in the Dr. Foster and Smith Catalog.

On page 99 of their catalog they sell "Coralife Aqualight Compact Fluorescent strip lights". I am looking at the freshwater aqualight single in the 36" length. They are $100 each and each comes with a 96 watt bulb ( SunPaq Daylight 6700 K ). They are 5" wide and for an additional $9 I could get these optional legs which will raise the unit up 2". This would provide me the room to use the lights behind my current light fixture. Without the legs I would bump into the tubes for my two cannister filters. Two of these compact light fixtures used along with my current triple light fixtures would raise my watts per gallon from 1.44 to 2.9

With my watts per gallon at 2.9 would I be okey without a CO2 system? ( Now I have the opposite problem.)

As for replacement bulbs for my present triple light fixtures, I have found two possible bulbs made by Zoo Med. Both are T-8. They are both listed as being 25 watt....as opposed to my present 30 watt bulbs.
Tropic Sun is 5500K balanced full spectrum and sells for $6.99
Ultra Sun is 6500K high intensity trichromatic full spectrum daylight with a CRI rating of 98. They sell for $13.29

Based on what you said, the Ultra Sun would be the better bulb, but at twice the price. If I buy the two compact fixtures, should I still do the Ultra Sun or some combination of the two bulbs or would the Flora Sun be okey?

Bottom line is that I'm really not sure how many watts per gallon that I am shooting for in a 125 gallon tank. I absolutely cannot afford a CO2 system for this tank for another couple of years....not even sure that I want to go there.

I have another problem.....a 10 gallon tank that has been stored in the basement for years. I have it set up in my daughter's room and it looks great! However the light is so old, that I have to manually hold in the switch for 20 seconds to get it to turn on....thus no way to connect it to a timer and also only 15 watts...... I'm considering buying the mini-freshwater compact light fixture for it. It has two 9watt 6700 full spectrum bulbs. It's 9"x 5" x 2" and cost $30 I could fit two of them on the aquarium. One of them would give me 1.8 watts per gallon and two of them would give me 3.6 watts per gallon. I would be more than willing to get one of the $20 CO2 systems....might be a fun way to learn about CO2. A recent post mentioned that the watts per gallon rule didn't apply to aquariums that were less than 30 gallons. What would you recomment for this tank?

Thanks again for all your help. I'm still confused but feel that I know a lot more about lighting than I did at this time yesterday!!

Ann from Vermont

 

[sammydee]

You could try overdriving the standard tubes you have. I personally haven't done this but on the 20L reef tank I am setting up I am planning to have four ordinary 24" tubes overdriven with a 36 watt ballast so effectively each tube will be 36 watts rather than 18 watts. I am by no means an expert but I think that although this isn't 100% efficient, and the tubes wear out a lot faster, it is an easy way to cram more lighting into a tank hood.

You could always use VHO if you wanted loads of light... do a search for it as I am, again, not an expert.

 

[Nospherith]

at 2.9 [wpg] would I be okey without a CO2 system?
[/QUOTE]

I'm afraid not. Without CO2, plants won't be able to use all the nutrients in the water as fast as algae and algae will take advantage of this. In other words, plants will lack the "octane" needed to win the race with algae. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that is basically the reason why you *need* CO2 with 2.7wpg+. Of course it helps that CO2 makes the plants grow faster. This isn't the only way to prevent algae by any means, but it's a start.

10gallon... the mini-freshwater compact light fixture... It has two 9watt 6700 full spectrum bulbs. It's 9"x 5" x 2" and cost $30 I could fit two of them on the aquarium. One of them would give me 1.8 watts per gallon and two of them would give me 3.6 watts per gallon. I would be more than willing to get one of the $20 CO2 systems....might be a fun way to learn about CO2. A recent post mentioned that the watts per gallon rule didn't apply to aquariums that were less than 30 gallons. What would you recomment for this tank?

Yet again, IMHO it depends on whether or not you will want to deal with algae. CO2 with 1.8 wpg isn't going to make a big difference and there shouldn't be a problem with the algae, and also you could grow the low-light plants well. However, with 3.6wpg that is a high light tank, which means that you really will need CO2. Granted, some people have 3wpg, no CO2, and their plants grow crazy with no algae. Yet, this is not the case in my tank. I have 2.75wpg (55w) over my 20g with a 2x-2L DIY CO2 system. I still have algea, but the plants are using most of the nutrients.

 

[Ann from Vermont]

What if I just bought one of the 36" units....that would put me at 2.2 watts per gallon. Could I rotate the unit from the left to the right??? Would I have to do it daily or weekly?? Or if I centered it, would enough light reach the sides?? I could buy two of the 24" units which would divide the light a little more evenly but so far I have not been able to find anyone who sells the repelacement bulbs. any ideas?

Ann from Vermont

 

[Nospherith]

I would try to light the entire tank, but if the tank is 48", a 36" light in the middle probably would be ok, i guess.

 

[Ann from Vermont]

The tank is 72". Non of my options look great.

Current triple light fixtures ( six 36" 30 watt bulbs ) = 1.44 watts per gallon

If I add one 36" compact, I would have 2.2 wpg. that would be ideal wpg but would be 18" short on either side of my 72" tank.

If I add two 36" compacts, I twould be perfect for the length of my tank but would give me 2.9 wpg and I just can't spend a couple hundred on lighing and turn around and put out $400 on a CO2 system big enough for this tank.

If I buy the two 36" compacts and don 't use my current lights, then I'm back to only 1.5 wpg

If I go with the 24" compacts added to my current system that give me:
1.96 wpg if I buy one 24" compact
2.48 if I buy two 24" compacts
and 3wpg if I buy three 24" compacts.

The 24" compact idea seems to make the most sense if I could find a place that sells the replacement bulbs.

Any opinions would be appreciated. thanks
Ann from Vermont

 

[sammydee]

I know where you can get 24" replacement daylight tubes in the uk. Try: www.bltdirect.co.uk . I hope this helps!

 

[sammydee]

OOPS I thought you meant fluorescent tubes!

Sorry, please ignore my stupid mistake )

 

[sammydee]

You don't need to spend $400 on a CO2 system btw... Check out DIY CO2, much cheaper.

 

[Nospherith]

So right now, you have 180 watts via 6(36" 30w bulb). Ok, that should be enough already. You basically have 200 watts of intensity at 1.5wpg. Technically 1.5 isn't enough for much more than java fern, the the wpg rule generally starts to lose credibility once the tank volume gets to extremes (a 6' tank is extreme, also a 1' tank). So you should be able to grow low & medium light plants. Just don't plant glosso and expect it to do anything.