lighting understanding

[jjmg125]

Brand new. Sorry if this is a dumb question. CFL list watts and incandescent equivalent. Ex. 15 watt CFL = 60 watt reg. If I run two 15w cfl, does that equal 120 watts for my watts per gallon calculation? Any answers would be appreciated.

[dublo8]

Is this for a sump? Or are trying to light a tank with it? It can be done but you in no way are going to grow coral and the color may not be to your liking (too yellow). It might work for a fowlr but the spectrums of light output are going to be really good at growing algae as well. Don't go by watts per gallon. It's not something you want to use as a measurement. We use par and pur as measurements of light output when it comes to our tanks.

Lighting is not something you want to try and skimp on but if you are insisting then look at fishneedit.com or get a cheap t5 or PC fixture off CL.


Sent from my who cares they all do it now.

[jjmg125]

Thanks for the input. I will do some more research. It is for lighting of a tank. Not trying to grow corals at this time. (need way more experience).

[jeff@zina.com]

Watts per gallon is a worthless number. And for fish only, any lighting will work.

Jeff


Text mangled by iPhone spell check...

[Zappo]

If you just want some inexpensive lighting that will give you the option of adding a few corals later, check out your local reef club or craigslist for a used t5 ho fixture. People are always upgrading their lights and selling off their old ones cheap.

[nlgill13]

watts per gallon might be a good estimate for the amount of light you would need in some units but lights like led's are much more powerful per watt than say a CFL's

I would definitely suggest going with a t5 setup, they are reasonably priced and you can adjust the colors by buying different bulbs (to your liking of course). Plus if the tank is not to deep you can most likely grow some corals after the tank has matured

PS- All questions are good questions, always make sure to ask if you have any doubts, and welcome to ReefCentral !!!

[Misled]

What Jeff said. Lighting is dependent on what corals, (or lack there of), you plan on keeping.