What size light do I need?

[mnestroy]

I have a question, I have a 40 galon breeder tank. I think... its 36" long. (i think its an All-Glass brand..)

I currently have a sheet of plexyglass as the top of the tank, and I have a 24" light with two fluoresent bulbs in it... It lights the tank farely well however I'd like to get a bit more light...

I was thinking about just buying another 2bulb light stripe just like i have.. I have the room.. I could almost put another 2 stripes on there.

My question is..l know the glass is 36" from edge to edge, when they say "36 light stripes is that exactly 36 inches? If so it wont fit, I actualy think i need 34 or 35 so it dosent hang over the edge..(I dont want light blasting out lighting up the room)

Also is it worth investing in a upgraded light fixture such as one of those compact lights? It all so confusing to make a good decision without seeing the quality of the light output before buying it... I know they are higher watts, but they only have one bulb instead of 2 or 3?

I guess I want to get away with spending the least money, its only a fresh water, currently no plants, but I would like to get plants..

Thanks!

 

[revfred]

The 36" lite strip will fit your 40 breeder. You will get better results if you replace the plexiglass cover with a glass cover. IMO I'm sold on power compact lighting. But if it is a question of dollars, then go with another 2 bulb strip . . . that will likely mean you will have to move the light every time you want to get into the tank.

 

[mnestroy]

So a 36" light isnt exactly 36" long?

What do you suggest for compact lightingh for this tank if i want to go with fresh water plants/ I dont need to know brand etc, just how long/watts etc..

As far as room put another 4 bulbs on the tank shouldnt be the problem i dont ahv e aproblem moving the light to the ground if i ahve to get inside... I have the room on top for 2more stripes if i need to

 

[Navyblue]

What do you have in there? What light to have and how much light to have depends on your lifestock (plants, corals or other photosynthetic animal).

If none of your lifestock needs light to live, I'd suggest you keep light to the minimum (say 1 W/G), just bright enough for it to look "illuminated". Firstly it lowers the temperature fluctuation caused by the heat from the lighting which in turn lessen lifestocks stresses, secondly some fish tend to look for shelter when the light is turned on, simply because they feel they are more secure in the lower light condition, which in turn also lesses the livestocks stresses.

Another point is about Revfred's point about glass is better than plexiglass. I would not totally agree nor disagree to this. I have conflicting opinion regarding this. Some says plexiglass has a higher transmittance of light (if I recall correctly glass only allows 70-90% of light passing through it, depending on thinckness). However one obvious disadvantages of plexiglass is it will get yellow over time and thus reducing its transmittance. I don't have the fact with me so I might not be in a position to comment on this :$

 

[Navyblue]

For a tank of this size I would suggest at least a total of 120W (being 3 W/G). 3x55W PC might be a good idea. If you are using NO fluorescent you will need more strips than PC.

 

[revfred]

Not sure of the measurements . . . but a 36" strip light will fit a 36" tank, and a 30" strip lite will fit a 30' tank and so on. The details don't matter . .. it works. Yep, Navy is right . . . the refraction index is better for glass, but as he said the obvious disadvantage of plexiglass is it does yellow, get cloudy, scratched, etc. The 3W/gal is a good rule, I've found that I can grow just about anything with 2-2.5 W/gal with the addition of CO2. Also the breeder tanks are not as deep and therefore you have a bit more leeway with the 3W/gal rule. But you also have quite a selection of plants . . . if that is what you want to do that will grow with less light...but get to as close to 3W/gal as you can unless you want to spend the $$.

 

[aquatic-store]

jbj makes a nice powercomact that should fit that