aquarium lighting

[ongtw]

hi guys,

i've got a cube tank. probably about 16*16*16 when i filled it up with water.

the light i'm using is about 22 watts. is it enough for plants like HC and jap hairgrass?

[alechim]

16 inch or 16 cm?

[ongtw]

sorry, measurements are in inches.

[ongtw]

one more question guys,

if the lighting is not enough, what i have currently is a light with two bulbs inside each emitting about 11 watts. can i safely replace those with let say 20 watts each from lfs?

i suspect there's a ballast inside the light but its hidden from view. my concern is if i get a higher wattage, will it blow up my lights or something?

pls advice.

[Vaahnan]

one more question guys,

if the lighting is not enough, what i have currently is a light with two bulbs inside each emitting about 11 watts. can i safely replace those with let say 20 watts each from lfs?

i suspect there's a ballast inside the light but its hidden from view. my concern is if i get a higher wattage, will it blow up my lights or something?

pls advice.

You definetly would have to check the rating of the ballast there are different ratings for certain range of wattage....quite normally fish tank manufacturers make the ballast accessible in case in the future u may need to change it due to corrosion from the fact that it comes in contact with condensation within the tank...is yours a e-ballast "( this one needs no starter) or iron core ballast( this one needs a starter...those blue capsules)...try and see if u can dismantle and check what kind of ballast it is first...

I am guessing yours would be around the 22 watts - 30 watts range...which is very well for two 11 watts...but no no for two 20 watts.....

[torque6]

should be fine. ADA cube gardens are all using the standard 27w solaris for their tanks. I'm still however using 12w for it as im keeping only HG+mosses.