Temp/light Question For Small Tank Owners

[soritan]

In a couple months, after the holidays (or perhaps during the holidays, if I ply enough family members), I'd like to upgrade my tank's hood.

I was thinking of getting a Power Compact florescent light, possibly with moonlight fixtures attached if I have the money when the oppertunity arrives.

At the moment, I'm lighted with an old incandescent hood, fitted with compact florescents, (2) 20 watts at 6500k, which makes my 10gal a medium-low light plant.

(Yes, I know that means that I'm at 4WPG, but the WPG does not apply to people with tanks as small as mine.)

I saw a couple hoods on ebay and other websites that are selling hoods with Power Compact Florescents, a few are even fancied up with moonlight bulbs on the side with seperate switches or chords, at 65W 10000k, which would kick me up to 6.5WPG, which would be medium light for a 10gal.

My biggest concern with my current setup at the moment is temperature, it's just making my water too *(*()&(^(* hot. It's keeping my water at 82-84F (27ish C). My other concern is that I'm going heavily planted, and some of the plants that I'm becoming interested in need at least medium light.

Now, upgrading to medium light isn't a huge concern of mine. My biggerst concern is allowing my tank to cool down a bit. In fact, if I do move over to PC, I might do the unthinkable and downgrade the light so as to keep my tank at current light levels.



1) Do Power Compacts heat up your tank very much?
2) Would it effect a tank as small as my 10 US gallon tank?
3) Thank you very much. /Elvis

 

[kenneth_kpe]

hi there ! i love these temperature differences anyway here (in the philippines) i try to keep my aquarium at 27 degrees ! because it can get 32 degrees hot with all the lighting...

usually i attribute the higher temp of the tank because of the ballast, if you could some how relocate the ballast or use electronic ones ( i think they run cooler) then it would lower the operating temp of your hood, another and better option would be to rig it up with cooling fans


with the amount of lighting i have over my 13 gallon !! its like a mini heater over the aquarium

hope this helps

 

[littleimp]

Keep the tank open topped if you are experiencing heat issues. You can suspend a fine plastic net across the top to keep jumpers in. One of those light kits that sit on the tanks edge would be good?

 

[soritan]

Keep the tank open topped if you are experiencing heat issues. You can suspend a fine plastic net across the top to keep jumpers in. One of those light kits that sit on the tanks edge would be good?

Good idea on the open top idea -- maybe a reptile lid, those things were designed to withstand heat.

I actually looked at those 'above' lights, but all the ones I've seen are mega-wattage, coral reef strength. Too much light for me. I'd need to fit my ADFs with sunglasses. B)

But maybe I haven't looked hard enough, yet.


Yeah, the temperature difference is funny, but my current tank occupants enjoy more like 74 degree water. It's made funnier when you realize that I have bettas in 74 degree water, itching for 84 degree water, and frogs in 84 degree water, itching for 74 degree water. If I could swap them I would.

 

[lljdma06]

My PC really doesn't affect my tank temperature all that much. I didn't have to run my heater during the summer in IL, and it actually helps the heater keep the tank warm during the winter. But my tank is a 15high, so it's a little deeper. I recommend investing in a digital thermometer to get accurate temperature readings, or just monitoring your temperature more closely. I'm looking to get a PC that fits the discription you gave. Are you going to use pressurized CO2? Have fun with 6.5. What do you plan on growing with that light?

 

[G_Sharky]

i have a 130 watt pc lights on my 20 gallon and have my heater set at 27 C and it doesn't really change and it's steady..I have no lid on my tank and it's winter right now so I don't know how it will be during the summer time since i only have this setup for a month or so now.....

 

[modernhamlet]

Good idea on the open top idea -- maybe a reptile lid, those things were designed to withstand heat.

I actually looked at those 'above' lights, but all the ones I've seen are mega-wattage, coral reef strength. Too much light for me. I'd need to fit my ADFs with sunglasses. B)

But maybe I haven't looked hard enough, yet.

Take a look at this fixture:
http/www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/produc...roduct_id=29607
2x40w PC light w/ seperate balasts (you can run the 40w lights independently)
Built in lunar light
Built in fans
Open design
<US$100

 

[houndour]

just to give you more info...

I have a 24W PC over a 5 US gallon tank.

When I had the heater running and no condensation tray the temperature was 33 degrees C.

I added a condensation tray and this reduced the heat to about 30 degrees. I then switched the heater completely off and the temp was 25 degrees while light on and then room temp when off (during summer).

BTW, I don't have anything living in it apart from plants! And the heat from the light is the reason I've been put off putting a betta in there.

 

[soritan]

Good info to have, thanks. It's hard for me to research these hoods, since they don't sell them locally, and most times I'm not even sure what to start google-ing ebay-ing for, because I'd never had to actually look for one.

So, in order to select something adequate for my purposes, I've been looking at ... plants, light requirements, and WPG theory. I've deduced that most of the plants that would make me happy pretty much peak out at 'medium light', and that I'd probably need between 5 and 6 WPG of 6700k light to comfortably have that.

And then I realized that most hoods go by measurements, not gallons, and that some of them won't work with my 10 year old 'canopy', and that they're all expensive.

So it became measuring and hunting and measuring and hunting. I'm not even sure I fully understand what I'm doing yet, but I do look determined while I'm doing it.

Take a look at this fixture:
http/www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/produc...roduct_id=29607
2x40w PC light w/ seperate balasts (you can run the 40w lights independently)
Built in lunar light
Built in fans
Open design
<US$100

ModernHamlet, you are entirely too much sock-rocking.

 

[modernhamlet]

ModernHamlet, you are entirely too much sock-rocking.

I can only hope that was a compliment...

 

[soritan]

But of course. :grin:

 

[blue_ram]

I have 10g with 30watt pc. The room temperature during summer is about 80-82 degrees. The highest water temperature that I've measured was 92 degrees. So I had to make sure that both my plants and fish can tolerate very high temperature for extended period of time (all summer!). Even during fall and spring, temperature can reach into mid 80's.