60W in a 30W fitting - safe?

[stef25]

I purchased a Jewel tank that comes with a 30W light for 120L. Since 120L is about 30 gallons, that comes down to about 1WPG – not enough!

The light fitting which is built into the tank says “30W”. Im not much of an electrician – is it safe to stick in say a 60W or 90W light?

Im unable to put in a new fitting, since its pretty much merged with the plastic cover of the tank.

 

[prettypleco]

I would say not. If it is only rated for 30 watts i wouldn't go sticking double or triple what it's rated for. You could over load the system and start a fire.

 

[bigredspecial]

The ballast is what controls the wattage, not the bulb. If you stuck in a larger bulb, it either 1)won't work, or 2) will only produce 30 watts.

I'm assuming this is a flourescent light of course.

 

[stef25]

yes its a fluorescent; so my only option is getting another hood i guess ...

 

[bigredspecial]

not necessarily; depending on how mechanically inclined you are, you can retrofit a bigger ballast in there, or even a second ballast.

Here's my setup, which started its life as an old incandescent hood(Scroll down to the bottom to see my lighting):
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33623

I basically stuck an electronic ballast on the outside, and screwed the tube ends on the inside.

 

[stef25]

hmm thanks for the tip. im not quite sure what a "ballast" is?

i think i will try to put fittings in there so i can double the wattage, bringing me to 2WPG

i wonder if i can drill into the plastic hood? dont see another way of attaching stuff to the inside ...

 

[bigredspecial]

a ballast is the big ugly heavy black rectangular box. The power cord enters it, and the individual wires exit it, going to the ends of the tubes. In order to attach more tubes, you'll need to get another ballast. You can find them at any electrical supply store, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. They're very easy to wire, and instructions are actually on the ballast itself.

If you look at the link I posted above, you can see where I screwed a ballast onto the outside of my hood, and put the flourescent tube inside.