# Lighting



## grgrn (Jan 14, 2016)

Could some body steer me in the right direction. Being retired on a fixed income I can't spend money they way I use to when I was able to work. Now I need lighting on a tank and I'm trying to use fictures that I have. All the info about lighting says to uses lumens for light itensity not watt as that is not accurate. All the forums talk about watts. A 34 watt t8 bulb is 2700 lumens, while 4- 50 watt halogen gu10s (for eg.) Only produce 390 each for about 1550 lumen, so does one 34 watt tube light better than 200 watts of say gu 10 halogens...........................george


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

What size tank are you trying to light and what are you using the light for? If you are growing plants, You need the right colour temperature to be able to grow them. Lumens is important but at the right colour. Therefore a light with 3000 lumens in 6500K (Daylight) will prove much more effective at growing plants than a a light of 4000 lumens in 2700k(warm I think?). 

If you arent growing plants, It all depends on your preference on colour. I know some people use a more reddish light for their red fish to bring out the colour more. Personally, I go with Daytime (6500K) for everything as I feel that the fish look better in that lighting.

I hope this helps


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## grgrn (Jan 14, 2016)

*lighting*

I'm trying to light a 150 gal. Tank. I want plants in to grow but they don't have to grow crazy fast. I'll use all low light plants. I had planned to use to 32 watt t8 bulbs I have daylight bulbs so 2 bulbs @6500 k and 2750 lumens would have a total of 5500 lumens to me this seems adequate but it is a long way short off 2 watts/gal. Any input from you long timers would be appreciated.I have had fish for most of my live, but in the past, I almost always relied on incandescent


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

150 is the 6ft tank right? You can grab 2x 4ft t8 shop light fixtures with daylight bulbs and you should be fine. the watts per gallon is useful as a baseline not not really used that much anymore. 2 shoplight t8s will do fine grow low - med light plants.


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## grgrn (Jan 14, 2016)

Do you mean 2 fictures with 2 tubes each for a total of 4 bulbs or just I double tube ficture. Thanks for your help much appreciated .........george


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

two fixtures with 4 bulbs total. that should be able to grow close to anything you need


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## Boreas (Dec 8, 2015)

I also use T8 fluorescent bulbs currently. I'm using two 40 watt T8 daytime bulbs on my 65 gallon. Its probably 18 - 20 inches between my fixture and the gravel. This gives me just enough light for low light plants. On your 150 gallon I'd bet you'll need a 4 bulb set up to get decent lighting for plants.

What are the dimensions of your tank? Distance between the bulbs and gravel is important for lighting. The intensity gets exponentially weaker the further away you go.

*not an expert by any means.


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## grgrn (Jan 14, 2016)

The tank is 72x18x29 high so the light would be about 30"above the substrate.


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## Boreas (Dec 8, 2015)

That's very tall. You'll need more light to make it down to the substrate. Two t8s are for sure not enough.


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## grgrn (Jan 14, 2016)

Thanks for the input. I just put a 2 bulb fixture on a short while ago. It seems pretty bright but I guess as the plants fill in it will for sure need more, I can also lower the light another 3 or 4 inches. I'll probably do that tomorrow.


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## Boreas (Dec 8, 2015)

If you're not into adding another fixture, stick with low light plants and you'll get growth. If you do a quick Web search there are a number of lists that knowledgeable people have put together.


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