might sound dumb but, how can i get this many watts in this tank?

hops523

hops523

Member
Ok so I am getting a 20 gallon tank, and I am wondering how I can get somewhere around 80 watts in the tank? I looked at the petstore today, and cant really find anything. Im going to the lfs tomorrow to look. But the highest amount I can figure out how to get is 30 watts. All of the bulbs I see are too long. I did see a 50/50 mini compact bulb, but Im not sure that would work for light strips I have, unless they can some how be twisted into it?
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Enough t5s can get you there. Halides of course....
Why are you going at it this way? Watts really aren't relevant anymore.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
The reason is I cant find any T5 fixtures, only bulbs. I cant find any metal halide fixtures either. I know I could get them online, but I really dont want to do that.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Why not add a couple of 65 watt power compacts? They'll keep clams (if they are high in the tank) Just make sure that you will keep up with changing the builbs once every 6 months.
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
I Have a nova extreme sundial system for sale if your interested, compete with all bulbs plus 2 extra. Its a 30" long fixture so it would fit on your tank and you would have 96 watts of HO T5 lights. The light set is 4 months old and has only been used for a month and a half.
 
screamn79

screamn79

Member
Check to see if you have any organic plant stores in your area. I bought 2 150w mh for 200$ from one around here.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
Hey thanks guys. PerfectDark, I sent you a message. And screamn79 I will try and find a plant store. Maybe the hardware stores have them too.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
I havent seen this fixture until today and I dont know how it is but, what if I got two of the "Coralife Aqualight Dual Linear Strip T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture" It has two 14 watts in one bulb, and two bulbs in the whole fixture so 28 watts in one fixture. I am planning on getting two fixtures so I would have a total of 56 watts. The bulbs are: 14 watt 10,000K daylight and 14 watt true actinic 03 blue T-5 fluorescent lamps. It also says it have a highly polished reflector.
If that doesnt work I could switch some of the bulbs out for 20 or 24 watt T5 high out put bulbs, and switch the actinic bulbs to 20 watt actinic bulbs.
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by hops523
http:///forum/post/2551981
I havent seen this fixture until today and I dont know how it is but, what if I got two of the "Coralife Aqualight Dual Linear Strip T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture" It has two 14 watts in one bulb, and two bulbs in the whole fixture so 28 watts in one fixture. I am planning on getting two fixtures so I would have a total of 56 watts. The bulbs are: 14 watt 10,000K daylight and 14 watt true actinic 03 blue T-5 fluorescent lamps. It also says it have a highly polished reflector.
If that doesnt work I could switch some of the bulbs out for 20 or 24 watt T5 high out put bulbs, and switch the actinic bulbs to 20 watt actinic bulbs.
THey are not HO bulbs to begin with so other than benifiting from a polished reflector they are not any more intense than a PC light is.
You also cannot put HO Lights in that fixture because the ballast isnt the right type for it. They may light but they wont run at the wattage listed on the bulb.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
Oh alright, well what if I just kept the bulbs it comes with? Or just switched the bulbs out for high intensity lighting with high watts. Not T5 bulbs but just high wattage fluorescent bulbs.
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by hops523
http:///forum/post/2552030
Oh alright, well what if I just kept the bulbs it comes with? Or just switched the bulbs out for high intensity lighting with high watts. Not T5 bulbs but just high wattage fluorescent bulbs.
There arent variable watt bulbs in the same length. If you have a 24" bulb in normal out put, for t5 or flourescent then you can only get a 20 watt bulb for it. They dont make any higher wattages in that length. HO is your next step and although it only increses the wattage to 24, the difference is the lumens per watt they put out, they are much more in HO Bulbs.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
so do you think i should get he two fixtures or not?the guy who owns the lfs told me they would be enough for what i wanted.he seems like he knows what he is doing,but im not sure.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
Well these are the specific corals I wanted to maybe get:candy cane coral, brain coral, bubble coral, frogspawn, hammer coral, fox coral,maybe torch coral, and mushroom coraland maybe a some soft corals.So pretty much LPS. I did want to get a bubble tip anemone, but Im pretty sure that wouldnt work.
 
perfectdark

perfectdark

Active Member
Originally Posted by hops523
http:///forum/post/2552112
Well these are the specific corals I wanted to maybe get:candy cane coral, brain coral, bubble coral, frogspawn, hammer coral, fox coral,maybe torch coral, and mushroom coraland maybe a some soft corals.So pretty much LPS. I did want to get a bubble tip anemone, but Im pretty sure that wouldnt work.
With PC Lighting you should be ok with what you listed. The torch coral maybe a bit more finiky. Just remember with PC lighting you need to change the bulbs out every 6 to 8 months. If you decided to go with T5's its every 12 to 14 months. This makes the PC light fixture more expensive in the long run. Also that many watts on a 20gal PC lights are going to run very hot. Just FYI.
 
hops523

hops523

Member
Wait, the lighting I described is power compact?It says its T5. Also what do you think of just the regular nova extreme T5 fixture? It has 48 watts in one fixture, and I was thinking of getting two. And how about the Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights?
 
sh00tist

sh00tist

Member
for a 20 gallon the Nova with 48 watts would be fine for what you are trying too keep,they make a nicer unit with 4 bulbs,a fan and moonlights that would give 96 watts and I know for a fact keep about any coral. I would start slowly adding corals though start with some mushrooms and see how they do. The more difficult corals require progressively better water conditions and you dont want to kill a bunch of coral before you really get your water stable. Its a PITA but you really want to test your water often especially when you first start out,your parameters do not have to be ideal but they should always remain as stable as possible. To assure stability you must be diligent about keep the water topped off in your tank,if you are a bit lazy you will definitley want to get some sort of auto top off going. in a tank that small the salinity can chnage dramatically from evaporation. Make sure you are certain about providing proper levels of calcium and alkalinity and understand what it is you are doing. Good stable water paramaters ar just as important as proper lighting and flow,get good at it before you kill innocent creatures needlessly. When you start to add LPS try a frogspawn or hammer before you go with a torch,see how they do first,torches are more sensitive to improper conditions and will jelly up and perish in very little time,good luck.
 
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