Has anyone had experience with the lamps that seem to be made more for terrariums and reptiles? My lighting in my tank is extremely low and before I blow a wad on a new strip system I was thinking of purchasing a clamp lamp from the reptile section with a 50w bulb and using it mainly on my Amazon Swords.

What I was wondering is will this be too extreme and "burn" the plants or do you think it will actually give them a growth boost? The lamps/bulbs are not really rated for plants and I don't always trust the information from my local pet store.

Currently my 56 gallon (deep, not long) tank has a single 20-ish watt lamp which is obviously not adequate for proper growth. And probably not very adequate for day to day living. But again, before I blow a huge chunk on an adequate system I was just going to give this a try, specifically for my Swords.

Any thoughts?

__________________
I like big fish tanks and I can not lie. You other brothers can't deny.

Hello logan...

Don't know anything about non aquarium lighting, but if you keep low light plants, then you don't need more than a standard 6500 K, 32 watt, T8 bulb. The light strip that comes with your tank should have space for this size bulb. The bulbs are cheap, a few dollars each at the local hardware stores.

I have several 55 G tanks and keep low light plants and use just a single bulb. The plants grow very well in this lighting, along with a little liquid fert dosed regularly. There's really no need for high end lighting, unless you decide to keep more demanding plants.

B

__________________
Low Tech Water Building Keeper

Thanks for the response, BBradbury!

My hood is a 24 incher, since the tank is deep instead of long, and I haven't been able to find a nice, strong 32 watt bulb in that size. I'll keep looking for them!

If I can't find one I was going to purchase a T5 dual strip so I can get about 34 watts from two 17 bulbs. Right now I'm just trying to be frugal, hehe. :D

Thank you!

__________________
I like big fish tanks and I can not lie. You other brothers can't deny.

Yeah. I think you're right about the two bulb approach. That must be quite a tall tank. I have a 45 G tall and the strip light is 36 inches long. I can still get a 32 watt, but it has to be a T12. You might try looking for a bulb that's bigger around. You'll still get the same amount of light, but since a T12 will distribute the light over a larger area, it won't be as intense.

Isn't lighting on a budget wonderful????

B

__________________
Low Tech Water Building Keeper