Halogen lamp = Fish tank light? Why Not?

[AndyL]

Ok, so I'm somewhat out of options for further lighting upgrades on my 10g, without basically throwing out the tank and getting a new one. Or thats what AHSupply tells me (They can't help other than to provide a better reflector)

So, here's my question, I have 4 halogen lamps sitting here (3 unused) the reflectors could be made to fit the hole (11x7 approximately) So is there any reason I couldn't do this? I know heat is a big factor, but there are ways to fix that (ventilation, fan if necessary)

150W over a 10g tank... *DROOL* Think of the possibilities of 15wpg Luckily theyall have dimmers so that can be knocked down a bit!

So I ask you, why would I not want to do this?

Andy

 

[dattack]

Halogen lamps are usually in the 3000 Kelvin range which isn't optimal for plant or coral growth.  You would want at least around 6500 K.

 

[Matt Nace]

You only need one of these for a 10 gallon.
It would fit easily.

Look for these power compacts utilty lights at wal-mart. $24

65 watts
Lights of America

They are right next to the Halogen utility lights in the fans/lights section.

They have worked wonders for me for cheap.

 

[Framer]

Andy, the Halogen will not work. Halogen loses about 70% efficiency to heat. So your 150W would only produce about 50W of poor quality 2500K to 3000K lighting. The other 100W would be wasted through heat. Because Halogen produces light from heating a filament the bulbs have a short life too. There's lots of reasons Halogen are simply bad options for planted or fish only tanks.

IMO, you should take Matt's advice. Buy one of those 65W 6500K Fluorex Lights of America from Walmart. I have one on a 20G high and it's plenty of light, it'll be all you'd ever want for a 10G tank and it's very efficient, cool running, and only costs about $25.00. I built a 5 sided wood box, cut a hole in the top and sat the light on it. Very simple, inexpensive, and looks good. (Provided you paint the box)

 

[Matt Nace]

Framer,

Did you remove the front glass from yours?

I built a canopy, and removed the LOA glass, now there is no heat trapped in the lights.

 

[Framer]

[quote author=Matt Nace link=board=freshwatergeneral&num=1030855312&start=0#4 date=09/01/02 at 09:00:19]
Framer,

Did you remove the front glass from yours?

I built a canopy, and removed the LOA glass, now there is no heat trapped in the lights.

[/quote]No, it's still on. I have just the one light on a 20G tank. The five sided box has an opening in the top that the LOA "glass" sticks through. I've not noticed a heat buildup problem, but I'm sure it's because there's only one light and the light isn't enclosed under the canopy.

 

[aznpanther98]

with those halogens thats just beggin for a fire i had one that the bulb exploded (the connectors and the bulb) since then no halogens in this house sticking with incandesents and flouresents  *thumbsupsmiley*

how about try the screw in compact floursesents i got one thats like 28 watts and put a lil gutter for it's cover was one of my first gutter lights i made works great too on a 10 gal it's bright and plants grow and its' on an open top but no problems with it except the heat buildup those bulbs do make a bit of heatt but i put holes above the light to let the heat through, wish i could show ya a pic but dun have a digi cam or a scanner, u can just build a box measeured to fit one of these lights goto homedepot nd get a single light socket, cheap extension cord, a cf bulb and a timer or a switch, the socket i have has a lil chain string as a switch but i used  timer... well all u'll have to do is make  box to be able to fit this and enough room to let the heat out costed me somewhere around 15 bucks since i had some stuff already cords gutter timer, the only thing that costs most is the bulb 15 bucks for the one i have but worth it... i

also came across something called bookworms i found it on another board and mentioned that they're work pc work lights they'r smaller and i think they're 13 watts or something my mechanic has one in his garage but dunno if it's that type but was a power compact work lilght in a tube with a hanger i was gonna get them but i just got 2 2x36watt pc lights for a hundred bucks but now i'm tempted to get a 5gal and turn that into a planted tank lol