Very basic lighting question

[kathleen]

I'm almost embarrased to ask this but i will anyway

I have a 50g tank and for now I'm aiming for at least 1 WPG so I can have a few low light plants and no CO2. The common fluorescent light strips I have seen are 15W so they take a 15W bulb correct? My dumb question is can you use a higher watt bulb and if so what is the max wattage you can use?
Ideally I'm looking for a double strip light that can accommodate 2X30W or 40W bulbs (36"). Is this a common fixture sold in harware stores or am I looking at special ordering something like this.
OK now stop rolling your eyes.

 

[Lateral Line]

>>> embarrased to ask this

No need, it's not a bad question.

Fluorescent lamps, ("tubes"), require an external starter. This can be a heavy magnetic ballast unit, or a more modern electronic starter. Electronic starters are better, they fire first time, and don't get hot, thus they do not waste energy.

You can't put a higher Wattage lamp on the same starter, at least, it is not a good idea, the starter will probably not have enough energy to initially fire the lamp.

A double lamp unit with starters is a relatively common item in the hardware shops here, I'd be suprised if it was not the case where you are.

A more important point is the lamps themselves. There is a lot of difference between a cheap hardware store lamp and a good lamp for growing plants. Ideally you want modern tri-phosphor full spectrum 5000K - 6700K lamps for good plant growth.

You don't say where you are, so it is difficult to point you towards a source or manufacturer.

 

[kathleen]

Thanks for the reply. I'm located in Canada.
So basically I should look for a double lamp strip with an electric starter. I wonder if 36" is a common size here. Usually they are 2' or 4'.
The plant/aquarium bulbs (6700K, 30W) I have located but they are smaller diameter than typical fluorescent tubes. I assume these won't fit a hardware store type shop light fixture. I'll have to have another look around.
Thanks again.

 

[Lateral Line]

Fluorescent lamps come in a variety of diameters, the most commonly available current lamps for aquariums are T8's. The number is an archane naming system, it actually is the number of eigths of an inch the lamp is. So a T8 is 8 eigths, so is 1 inch or ~25mm in diameter. A straight lamp with 2 pins sticking out of each end.

There are also compact fluorescents, power fluorescents, T5's T12's the list goes on.

You should not have any difficulty finding a twin unit with electronic starters, (try to get electronic, the older ballast switches are also electric of course, but are a lot less desirable today). A 30Watt lamp will be 36" long.

If in doubt, take one of the lamps with you and try it in the fitting before you buy it.

 

[kathleen]

Ah, it all makes so much more sense now. Glad I asked.
Thanks Lateral Line for your help!