ikea lights for 2ft?

[spilopterus]

Was just reading the lighting articles in AQ. Good one. Problem is, I have no idea what the K is for my tubes that I am using now. *sigh*

Anyway, to the main topic. I've got a 2ft that I intend to make into a planted. But it's on the lower half of a two tier. So small lights is definitely a plus point. I am thinking of growing either glosso or hairgrass the entire tank. So light intense needed. I am considering between these few.

1. Expensive but standard set up: Buy e-ballast and 2X36W
2. Cheap but untested set-up: Buy halogen lamp and just fit it in! But apparently from the articles, I've to up my wattage by 3 times. So meaning, to match 2X36Wpl, I'll need to get a halogen lamp that is 150-200W. Power consuming!!
3. cheap, untested and somewhat bulky: Small compact flourescent lamps. They seem to work pretty well and are quite cheap too.

Comments please and would really love to hear from those who have used halogen lamps. I'm so tempted by it, it's so small and easy to DIY but the inefficiency and power consumption is what bugs me. Heat is minor problem that can be corrected with fans.

Also, anyone knows how to look at the k measurement for lights? I just bought two pl lamps. Couldn't find K rating, but I think the Osram one is doing a really good job than those china ones I bought. But $8 more expensive. not funny, almost double the price.

[plantmania]

How big is your 2 ft ? 2x1x1 or 2x2x2 or 2x1.5x1.5 ???....

Using 3 watt per gallon....Depth has a heavier impact on lighting needs for ground hugging plants....

2x1x1 (13 gal) = 1x36 watts PL is enough to grow your plants ...or you can try 2x24 watts of T5....

2x1.5x1.5 (30gal) = 3x36 watts PL or 4 x 24 watts of T5.

2x2x2 (53gal) = 1 x 150 watt MH or 4x36 watts PL or 6 x 24 watts of T5...

Forget about using Halogen.... Or you can just use 2.5 watt per gallon, plants will also do fine...

[plantmania]

You need to weight between initial "buying" cost against long term "energy" cost.

[spilopterus]

It's about 2x1x1.2 like that. Height is about 15 inches. So slightly over one feet high. Lights is something that has always been the bane for me since I started planted tanks years back. Never ever seem to get enough.

Anyway, what pl lights do you people use? I just found out why the osram one worked so well for me. It's daylight.

Oh, and on the energy cost. Yeah. that's what I am thinking of too. See, if I get halogen, I probably only need to change it once a year which is still very cheap. For PL lights, it's a huge hole simply because their life spans are just so short. In 6 months, they're almost as good as useless. Unless I'm growing windelov of course.

Plantmania - are you saying i I choose to use halogen, I should choose a wattage that'll give me 2.5wpg?

[plantmania]

I said forget about halogen You need to multiply by 3 to 4 times, 7.5 to 10 watts per gallon.... (1x100 watt or 1x150 watt halogen bulb for your case, take note the color of the light is very yellow....) Paying for 3 times the electric bills, but great for plants though. Halogen has strong spectrum in the plant growth area.... If you really want to go for halogen, make very sure you have some protective glass to prevent water splashing on the bulb,it's very hot and it can explode. It's hot, hotter than MH, need cooling fan.


2.5 watts per gallon for flourescent type of lighting like PL, FL, T5, T8,T12....
Your tank is small, use option 1... 1x36 watt (PL) or 2 x 24 watt (T5)

[plantmania]

Oh, and on the energy cost. Yeah. that's what I am thinking of too. See, if I get halogen, I probably only need to change it once a year which is still very cheap. For PL lights, it's a huge hole simply because their life spans are just so short. In 6 months, they're almost as good as useless. Unless I'm growing windelov of course.

Emm.... Halogen spotlights only have at most 3000 hours of life with an average life of 1500 hours PL on the other hand has a life of 10,000 hours.....

You will need to change the halogen bulb every 3 months or less...

Once a year, applies to Metal Halides

Anyway check out the following
INCANDESCENT vs. COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS
Bulb Type 100W Incandescent 23W Compact Fluorescent
Purchase Price $0.75 $11.00
Life of the Bulb 750 hours 10,000 hours
Number of Hours Burned per Day 4 hours 4 hours
Number of Bulbs Needed About 6 over 3 years 1 over 6.8 years
Total Cost of Bulbs $4.50 $11.00
Lumens Produced 1,690 1,500
Total Cost of Electricity
(8 cents/kilowatt-hour) $35.04 $8.06
Your Total Cost over 3 years $39.54 $19.06
Total Savings over three years with the Compact Fluorescent: $20.50
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration

[curahee]

I wonder this table lamp from ikea, will it be a gd choice to illuminate a 1 ft nano planted tank?? Its bulb is a 75 watt and an adjustable arm and head. feel tat its perfect for my desk top nano tank.

[Simon]

[quote:e638bec7="curahee"]

I wonder this table lamp from ikea, will it be a gd choice to illuminate a 1 ft nano planted tank?? Its bulb is a 75 watt and an adjustable arm and head. feel tat its perfect for my desk top nano tank.[/quote:e638bec7]

75watts? I suggest changing the bulb to a more whitish spectrum for your tank.. you can even use energy saving ones with 5000k and above