Hi Dawn,
Yes, these screw-in fluorescent bulbs are a type of compact fluorescents
(CFL's). They're the latest in energy saving innovations made to replace
the normal incandescent bulbs in household ceiling fixtures and lamps, etc.
A CFL bulb producing the equivilent amount of light of a 60 Watt
incandescent bulb uses only 13 Watts though, so it doesn't produce the amount of heat
you're probably thinking of. It's advertised to use 75% less energy than
"ordinary" bulbs. It does still get hot though, but unlike an incandescent
bulb with which you'd get burned if you tried to touch it while it's
working, you can actually hold one of these smaller wattage CFL bulbs while it's
working without risk of being burned.
Still, I agree with you that to avoid unnecessary heat (especially in the
Summer), that a hobbyist would be better off using a T8 fluorescent bulb --
for a smaller (shallower) tank -- and probably a T5 for the deeper tank for
normal aquarium illumination. I don't know if one produces much more heat
than the other, as John is suggesting, although just one 18" (18 W) T8
tube for a 10 gallon tank is often not enough light for growing medium-light
requiring plants like Amazon Swords. When dealing with fluorescent bulbs,
the lumens really need to be considered rather that the wattage -- in
addition to the "temperature" (Kelvin) for the plants' needs -- and I don't know
what 18 Watts of fluorescent lighting equates to in lumens. I wouldn't
think though, the difference in heat produced by these two tubes wouldn't be
all that great, unless John has cause to explain differently, but either one
has to be so much better in reducing heat than an incandescent, and still
better than a CFL.
Ray
In a message dated 7/5/2013 5:44:56 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
dawnshungryeyes4u2c@yahoo.com writes:
One thing I would like to point out here is that the depth of the tank has
a lot to do with choice of "proper" lighting needs regardless of what
animals/plants you are keeping. This being a 10 gallon tank which is shallow,
T5 lighting would be quite strong for such a small tank, so be careful not to
over light the tank. Not only will too much lighting contribute to algae
growth but it can also affect animals in saltwater situations and plant
growth in freshwater situations.
Not knowing what you are keeping in this tank, I am still going to suggest
standard fluorescent lighting to you simply due to the depth of your tank.
For freshwater, standard T8 fluorescent lighting is strong enough to grow
Amazon swords, which is a plant that requires high light, and is also
strong enough for saltwater to grow anything but things such as some of the SPS
corals that require very high lighting.
Because T8 is sufficient to grow almost anything in that size of a tank,
jumping up to T5 lighting would be overkill in my opinion, and would likely
cause more harm than good as an end result. Standard T8 lighting can work
well over any type of cover and will fight right over the standard deluxe
hood the same way the incandescent fixture does now.
The "screw in fluorescent" bulbs that I heard mentioned in this thread are
something else I have to question. This sounds like compact fluorescent
bulbs to me, and that is another I would avoid because CF lighting can put
out a great deal of heat as well... much more so than incandescent. For that
reason I would avoid those since that would simply add to your current
problem rather than resolve it, and has the potential to melt the plastic of
your deluxe hood/cover that you are currently using. There are some
situations where CF lighting can work great... but over a 10 gallon tank... not so
much.
Also to clarify the info I posted earlier about the quality of LED
fixtures... there are a few on the market that are excellent, but the cost for
them would make no sense if standard fluorescent will resolve your problem and
suit your needs. You would be talking about a difference of anywhere from
$50 - $100 for a good quality LED fixture vs standard fluorescent T8
lighting to get the same results. Unless you are keeping something such as
special SPS corals in a saltwater situation, I don't see that as being worth the
extra expense, thus my recommendation to not bother with the LED for this
tank. It simply wouldn't be worth it. T8 doesn't give off excessive amounts
of heat such as the incandescent or CF bulbs would, and should be plenty to
fix your problem without raiding your pocketbook.
Dawn
--- In _AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com_ (mailto:AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com) ,
"rachell7" <rachell7@...> wrote:
>
> What do you use for lighting in your tank? My 10 gallon still has the
original hood with incandescent light blubs which need replacing far more
often then I like and do contribute to heating my tank, great in the winter
but not so great in the summer when it's 112 outside! But with summer here,
to keep the heat down, I borrowed the hood from a friend's empty 20 gallon
tank that has florescent lights and I like it. So now I am thinking about
changing to either the florescent or LED. Give me your opinion please! I
believe Dawn you said you use the LEDs when I commented on your photos?
> Rachell
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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