hmm.....Lighting........go with it or not??

[chris17]

Ok, I went to a reliable lfs today......talked with a guy who has been working there for a few years........ and he has his own 12g nano swt. He told me , what he did for his lights was the following:
He took 2 Mini Compact Fluorescent 50/50 coralife 10w bulbs and 2 Mini Compact Fluorescent Colormax 10w bulbs , picked up 2 double sided fixture sockets. He then made a small canopy to fit on the 12g. He linned it with ten foil and mounted the 2 double sided fixtures in it , stagard. So what he has is 20watts of 50/50 and 20watts of the daylight bulbs. He has 40watts over his 12g nano, that would be 4watts per gallon for me cause I have a 10g............how does that sound??? What if I added 2 more bulbs to mine for 60watts of lighting....would that be even better...............:thinking: thanks

 

[droshi]

More light is usually better, but watts per gallon is not a good gauge of what is enough light. Just try to see if you can get varying heights on your rock to place corals and such so they get the light they need. Sounds like a good setup for a nano, goodluck.

 

[chris17]

Thanks for the reply, I think it will work out well, I have to go back b/c they did not have 4 bulbs in they only had 2 in stock, but I think I am goin to try and get 6 bulbs , I think that will be all I can fit in there.............would I be able to put xenia in the tank with that kind of lighting??? I should shouldnt I????:thinking:

 

[footbag]

You can get 1 32w Daylight PC and 1 32w Actinic PC instead of using 4 10w fixtures. It will probably be cheaper, as well as easier. CSL made them, but they went out of business. The fixtures are still available, can't post the site though. I have one on my 7g minibow. I am adding a 70w Metal Halide. 14w per gallon = watts per gallon rule stinks!

 

[chris17]

Can those bulbs screw into a normal light fixture?? If so , then I will prob. get those..........if I do it my way ( I just figured out how ) I can prob. get 9 of those bulbs into my lil canopy, giving the bulbs about 1" to 1/2" inbetween the bulbs themselvs...the ones down the middle anyway.....I would do it with 3 double fixtures running down the middle, so the bulbs would run parrallel to the front of the tank , and then mount 1 fixture in the remaining room on the left and right side of bulbs in the middle....is that understandable????

 

[chris17]

.......bump..........