# light blub question



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

So my 30 gal came with a "24in Eclipse Natural daylight f18t8 Florescent bulb. I'm assuming it's and 18w bulb, and can grow plants but not very well. Does anyone know? or had this bulb? should i keep it or go out and buy a Sun-glo 20w bulb? growing low to medium light plants.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## arc (Mar 11, 2010)

My kit also came with a 18w light(different brand though) but I found it impossible to keep anything alive in there. Every plant would survive for a month and then start dying slowly. These were low light plants as well. I imagine the problem gets worse if you have a high tank as well, mine was about 18"

The 2watt for t8 difference won't do much. Moss maybe able to do OK in there though, that's one thing I didn't try.


----------



## Antoine Doinel (Dec 20, 2010)

Changing the bulb won't do anything as the temperature of the light doesn't have much of an effect.

If you're serious about the plants, you're probably best off investing in a new light.

What are the dimensions of your tank?


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

tank is 30"Wx16"Tx12"L. So I'm going to need an extra hood with light eh? think i might be able to do that over the feed opening in the canopy.


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

I've got a nano ten gallon too with a 15w aquaGlo and the plants in that are growing like crazy. well the stem plants are. 

15W to ten gal makes it just over 1w per gallon. So im going to shoot for that with my larger tank. 18w + 20w on a 30gal should produce some green.


----------



## Antoine Doinel (Dec 20, 2010)

If it's a full hood you should be able to rig up a very cheap solution using CFLs and tinfoil, since they don't take up much room. Should cost less than $10. I'd go for a 26w bulb.


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

so i just took the hood off my 5gal tank and it hold incandescent bulbs. So if I get a Mini Power Compact Fluorescent Lamp n add it to the hood that should add an extra 20watts to my tank. the Bulb That should help right? and add some color too


----------



## Antoine Doinel (Dec 20, 2010)

Save your money and get either 24w or 26w bulbs from Home Depot or Walmart. They'll cost a few dollars each and do the same job. 

If your 5 gallon hood is the same one I'm thinking of, its actually a double socket, so you can sneak an extra bulb in there if you want.


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

Antoine Doinel said:


> Save your money and get either 24w or 26w bulbs from Home Depot or Walmart. They'll cost a few dollars each and do the same job.
> 
> If your 5 gallon hood is the same one I'm thinking of, its actually a double socket, so you can sneak an extra bulb in there if you want.


yeah your right double socket. so just any compact florescent will do eh?


----------



## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Here are the bulbs from Walmart you want to make sure you get the 6500k. Hope this helps.


----------



## Antoine Doinel (Dec 20, 2010)

tranceaddict said:


> yeah your right double socket. so just any compact florescent will do eh?


Yep. Spiral are a tad less effective than the straight tube CFL's, but not enough to warrant the extra money in my opinion.

Home Depot usually has the best price. I think I may have seen the ones Pat was referring to in this weeks flyer though.

Whatever the case, make sure you rig up some sort of reflector. Tinfoil works pretty well, and is resistant to the heat. It's best if you can rig something up that reflects both the top and the sides of the bulbs (live a piece of eavestrough or white pvc pipe cut in half), but I'm not sure if you can fit that under your hood.


----------



## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

You don't have to go with the 6500K as there are also 5000K. You may have trouble getting the larger diameter bulbs to fit in the fixture. The 13 watt ones will fit. All these lights are available at a discount right now, and Home Depot should have coupons right on the shelves with the product.


----------



## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

tranceaddict said:


> tank is 30"Wx16"Tx12"L. So I'm going to need an extra hood with light eh? think i might be able to do that over the feed opening in the canopy.


The measurement you listed above is only a 25gal and not 30gal.
L x H x W = nnnn / 231 so 30 x 16 x 12 = 5760 / 231 = 24.94gal.

Knowing the correct size is important for dosing medications etc.


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

haha thanks for the picture and info. will help. goin to get them now.


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

dl88dl said:


> The measurement you listed above is only a 25gal and not 30gal.
> L x H x W = nnnn / 231 so 30 x 16 x 12 = 5760 / 231 = 24.94gal.
> 
> Knowing the correct size is important for dosing medications etc.


sorry height is 19"

You provided measurements in inches:
Width: 30" (76.2cm)
Height: 19" (48.26cm)
Depth: 12" (30.48cm)
Your tank's volume is approximately 6,840.0 cubic inches or 29.6 U.S. gallons, which is approximately 115.2 liters.


----------



## tranceaddict (Apr 3, 2011)

pat3612 said:


> Here are the bulbs from Walmart you want to make sure you get the 6500k. Hope this helps.


HAHA French side. what are we in Quebec now? jk


----------

