deep tank where can i get lights?

by **hardluckchris** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 8:03 am

ok so ive been having trouble with my plants and mosses not growing, ive worked out that its because my lights arnt strong enough, ive got a square tank it 2.5 feet wide 2.5 high and 2 deep, my problem is because its only 2.5 wide the only lights i seem to be able to find are only 15w i have two of these but being a 50 gallon tank there just not up to scratch, the only higher wattage lights are alot bigger and wont fit!

anyone know where i can get a high wattage light thats only 2.5 feet? at the moment im at .7wpg ! id like to be at 2wpg so i need 100w ahhhh any help would be great ive attached a pic to show you the tank

by **hardluckchris** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:37 am

this mite be a stupid question but is there anything stopping me putting an ordinary house hold floresant in there jus to up the wattage a bit? they do quite small ones with high wattage

by **Okiimiru** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 5:52 pm

No, there's nothing wrong with using house hold lights on an aquarium, especially if you can purchase full spectrum light bulbs. I actually use lights from Home Depot on my tank, myself. Because my tank is 4 feet long, I use this model: "Lithonia Lighting All Weather 4 Ft. 2 Light T8 Fluorescent Unit Shop light" http://www.homedepot.com/buy/lighting-f ... 38672.html
I rest it on the top of the aquarium and it works very well. Two of them overlap one another and fit perfectly to prevent any fish from jumping out. Here are some pictures:
What one lighting fixture looks like: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /039-1.jpg
What both look like: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /013-2.jpg and http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /018-4.jpg
That was during the day, though. Here's a video of one of the lights tilted up and at night, so you can see how powerful they are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTA7y9Tns5M

I also use non-aquarium lights on my 10 gallon tank, and again with full spectrum bulbs. It works great. Here are some pictures:
Just one on, so you can see how I taped the edges: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /006-6.jpg
Both lights:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /004-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /003-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/ ... /014-5.jpg

You can use any light you want on your aquarium. It doesn't have to be one sold just for the fish hobby. Buying your lights at a home improvement store rather than a pet store can save you a lot of money. :)

by **hardluckchris** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:24 pm

ah thats cool thanks for your help that solves my problem, right im off to buy some lights then! thanks for your help

by **Watmedo** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 8:17 pm

T5 LIghting from Petco with 10k superdaylight bulb and acintic blue(coral sun) should brighten things up alot not to mentionthe nighttime settin

deep tank where can i get lights?

5 posts