Too Much Lighting?

[donny7]

I have two 60 watt bulbs in a light strip above my 30 gal fish tank. Is this too much? I actually had it on the hood but it began to melt the plastic... so i propped some books underneath it, seems to be doing the job. I may or may not get a new light, they're so expensive at the LFS Not to mention, I cannot find a hood for my tank.. I have only one piece of it, (was 2 part) and that pieces lies in the middle with the light usually on top of it

 

[donny7]

Also, the strip is very hot to touch. Not hot enough to where I cannot pick it up, but still kinda hot.

Should I just buy a new strip and the right bulbs..?

 

[codheadjohn]

I have two 60 watt bulbs in a light strip above my 30 gal fish tank. Is this too much? I actually had it on the hood but it began to melt the plastic... so i propped some books underneath it, seems to be doing the job. I may or may not get a new light, they're so expensive at the LFS Not to mention, I cannot find a hood for my tank.. I have only one piece of it, (was 2 part) and that pieces lies in the middle with the light usually on top of it

Is the tank planted? 4Wpg is huge! Just one of those lights is a lot of light for that tank.

A new light would be better, if it's only fish you keep, it doesn't really need to be powerful at all

 

[donny7]

Yeah, would this amount of lighting be detrimental to the fish or plants? If I can suitably run this without risking a fire hazard or harming my fish or plants, I will.

For a strip and bulb at LFS, it's nearly 50 dollars.

 

[codheadjohn]

Yeah, would this amount of lighting be detrimental to the fish or plants? If I can suitably run this without risking a fire hazard or harming my fish or plants, I will.

For a strip and bulb at LFS, it's nearly 50 dollars.

Do you dose CO2? Over 1WPG you should be looking at adding carbon from what I hear. You should be looking at a fluorescent tube with about 30W output.

90W of electricity over 8 hours a day works out around £30 a year saving

 

[donny7]

No, I don't dose C02. I add supplements from the LFS, just tablets, but that is all...


Overall, I'm strapped for cash. Will this keep my fish and plants healthy?

Thanks for your timely responses btw

 

[codheadjohn]

No, I don't dose C02. I add supplements from the LFS, just tablets, but that is all...


Overall, I'm strapped for cash. Will this keep my fish and plants healthy?

Thanks for your timely responses btw

I don't think fish particularly care about the lighting as long as it isn't too excessive.

I'm useless at keeping plants, but the theory is that over 1 Watt per Gallon, you have a fairly high light for the tank which requires carbon to stop algae growing and promote plant growth. So I'd say yes, it would help keep the plants healthy, but if they're doing ok as they are then there's no need to rush.

like I said, it's a significant energy saving over the course of a year, but a large initial outlay.

I'm at work, so response times aren't great, sorry