I just purchased a fish tank from a pet store and it comes with a hood but the lights are dull yellow light, can i put 15w flourescent lights that shine as if they were 60w or that to bright?
2007-11-26 11:07:18 · 7 answers · asked by crxrd 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Is your fixture meant for a fluorescent tube or a screw in bulb? It sounds as though you're describing a household compact fluorescent (uses 15 watts instead of the 60w that an equivalent incandescent light would use). I've replaced incandescents in minibows and some Eclipse hoods that have screw-in with these, so it can definitely. Not only is the color better, it's better for growing plants in the tank. But just be sure the actual wattage doesn't exceed the maximum for your hood.
If you're asking about changing a fluorescent tube (has two pins on each end), when there's a big change in wattage, there's usually a change in the diameter of the tube and ballast type, so you may burn out a ficture if you try this. Instead, you want to look at the Kelvin rating - lower numbers (in the 5,000 range) will be "yellower" than those on an 8,000-10,000 range, so use this number as a guide.
2007-11-26 11:41:26 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fish are very sensitive to light. The brighter the light, the easier to see but the fish wont like it too much and wont be as active. The 60w might not be good because algae will grow a lot faster and so will other bacteria, so if you dont mind cleaning the tank more, then i guess you could try out the light... How big is the tank? because that would also be a factor
2007-11-26 22:35:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I keep 2-3 watts of light per gallon over a lot of my aquariums and they look fantastic. This is a live plant range of lighting though keep up on the water changes and keep the nutrient level low if it's fish only and more light is a great thing. Remember more light makes it easier to get algae so you have to be careful about the nutrient load. People say salt water aquariums are so much nicer than freshwater though they haven't seen a great lighting system on a freshwater plant tank or nice freshwater fish.
2007-11-26 20:22:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It will be fine as long as the water doesn't overheat and your fish have plants or rocks to hide under. If you notice algae growing out of hand then reduce your lighting. Most lights that come with a kit are cheap and not great for growing plants
2007-11-26 19:14:34 · answer #4 · answered by Marine 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you will be fine with the brighter light assuming your light hood can handle it. If you have a dull yellow light I'm guessing it is an iridescent hood. If you you can by compact florescent bulbs that are designed for aquarium hoods and fit in the iridescent fittings.
2007-11-26 19:14:58 · answer #5 · answered by . 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you might want to get a light that hangs over the tank instead of on top off it so you dont cook the little fishies but bright light are fine just remeber to turn them off at night
2007-11-26 19:17:29 · answer #6 · answered by Juliebelle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It should be fine, as long as it's not to close to the water or a really high watt.
2007-11-27 22:49:25 · answer #7 · answered by Kimmie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋