# Lighting questions/problems



## Tearran (Oct 4, 2009)

Ok, so ive decided that I wanna try something new with an older 10 gallon hex I have, pending finding a light that will provide me with 1.5-2 watts per gallon so I can grow some low light/med light plants.

I am really new to lighting for planted tanks, so bare with me

The tank is about 18" high and 12" at its widest.

The current fixture I have says that it can handle up to 20 watts, and the ballest is rated 4-22w, Problem is, I've never heard of a 12" bulb thats more then 8w? Do they exist?

If not, I was thinking of buying an incandescent fixture, and replacing the bulbs with the mini compact flourecents designed to fit in regular fixtures. The thing that makes me unsure of this, is I dont know what wattage a typical Incandescent fiture is. The bulbs that I am looking at come in 10-20 watts with a built in ballast. Does this mean I will need a 20 watt fixture for them?

I was looking at the Aqualight from coralife, or the small satallite fixure from current USA, which is on sale at big Al's online store. These lights are both 18w power compact fitures. The downside to them is that 

A) I dont know if ill be able to fit them on a hex tank 

B) I would need a glass hood, or some other way to cover up the tank. I unfortunatly Suck at DIY, and I dont think you can buy glass hoods made for hex tanks. (If someone knows where i can find or order one, that would be great!)

if anyone knows an easy way to get around A) and B) it would be much appreciated.

I guess my real question is, what Am I best off going for? Is there any other type of lighting I could use for this tank that I'm missing?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

I haven't owned a Hex tank before, but just a quick comment regarding your incandescent light fixture question...

You can purchase any incandescent fixture, and it will "automatically" work with the screw in power compact bulbs just fine.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

+1 go with the incandescent fixture. "daylight" compact fluorescent bulbs will fit great, don't get nearly as hot as the incandescent ones, and would be way cheaper to replace in the long run when you need to replace bulbs.


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## Tearran (Oct 4, 2009)

I haven't see the "daylight version" only the colourmax, which has a pinkish hue. Will it be able to grow plants well?


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

You can use an ordinary CFL of the type that you'd put in a lamp. Spectrum isn't as important for raising plants as many people think, so get one that looks good to you. 'Daylight' is a bluer tone than the more common type that is yellower/redder in tone.You can usually find both in hardware or building supplies stores (e.g. Rona or Home Depot or Canadian Tire).

Some aquarium fixtures intended for incandescents expect a narrow, tube-shaped bulb, so even the narrower mini-spiral CFLs may not fit. Take a CFL with you when you shop and test it for fit before you buy.

Depending on where you put the tank, you could have a clamp lamp or desk lamp with a CFL above it, shining in.

You can have glass cut to measure in glass shops or some hardware stores. Figure out the shape(s) you want and bring a picture or diagram. Find a picture on the web of a glass cover for a hex tank to see where you should provide space for your hoses and cords. You might take the tank with you so they can measure it correctly. Glass shops usually have a scrap pile of broken windows they've replaced. To save money, ask them to cut your glass from scrap. Have them smooth the edges for you, or you can do it yourself with black 'wet/dry' sandpaper.

I'd recommend you do this at a time the shop isn't busy. Ask in advance.

Btw, the angles of a hexagon are 120 degrees. I hope this helps.


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