[longtail4711]

I'm seriously stupid about this. I've been trying to educate myself reading threads here and elsewhere on the net, but I still don't quite get it. When I look at all the brands of lights out there, I just boggle at the selection.

Most everything I have needs "low" to "moderate" lighting and is fairly easy to care for. Cryptocoryne wendtii "Bronze", dwarf hair grass, anubias, java moss, java fern, and wisteria. I think the hair grass it the most complicated thing I own, really.

The 29 Gal. has a stock light. No identification. What kind of bulb do I need to replace it with?

The 10 Gal. has a bulb made by GE Aquarays. It says "15fT8-AR-FS" and is 15W. I know it's a 15 watt florescent bulb and the tube size is T8. I don't know what "AR-FS" means? Anybody have a clue on that? Do I need to replace this bulb or is that going to be fine?

How do I choose bulb size? Are listed lengths of lights (Like 18", 24", etc) based on the length of the light bulb, or the length of the hood it's supposed to go in?

What's considered "Moderate" lighting?

 

[beaslbob]

ar-fs full spectrum? just a guess.

15w is fine for a 10g. when the tube burns out try to find a 6500k to replace it.

On the 29g try measuring the tube. Length and diameter. t8 is 8/1/8' t 12 is12 1/8's I think.

I used the 6500k spiral pig tail bulbs in round reflectors (clip on) sitting on egg crate for a 20g long. tank looked awesome and you should be able to get 45 or so watts over the 29g tank.

my .02

 

[NursePlaty]

Stock lights usually only light up a tank and dont provide the right color for plant growth. You need 6700K color or something close, I use 6500K. The numbers do not mean intensity, it is the color that gives off. The higher the number such as 20,000K gives off a blue color, which is for growing Corals. I dont know what that AR-FS means. If you are buying new bulbs, the bulbs that you want to buy might not fit the stock light fixture that you currently have. So you might have to buy a new fixture that holds the bulbs you want.

Any bulbs that give the right color will do. You just need to focus on the amount of watts you need depending on the plants you own. I made my own fixture with fan light sockets. And I use 3x CFL spiral pigtail 6500K 23watt bulbs from Lowes over a 20g long so I have about 3.45wpg. If you know how to deal with curcuits you can make your own too and save ALOT of money because those fancy light fixtures are not cheap. Rather make your own fixture and blow the money on pressurized CO2

Heres an example of a light fixture that people commonly buy. (Dont buy it, its overpriced for ebay. Just showing you an example of how they look)
30 Inch 2x24 Watt AquaticLife T5 HO Light Link Fixture - eBay (item 200387929735 end time Jul-22-10 11:42:15 PDT)

I consider 1-2wpg Low, 2-3wpg Medium, 3+ High. Different sites have different numbers.

For your 10gallon, the 15w is fine for Low.
For the 29gallon you need 29w-57w for Low.

 

[longtail4711]

Ok, thank you!

I hope I can just buy a light bulb for the hood today, because I really don't want to have to spend for another fixture. Thankfully though, I have a very knowledgeable brother that if it came down to it, he could make one for me.

 

[David C]

I am using this light from Big Al's online. It is compact and has a low profile on the tank. That is the 24" version so to get an idea of price to the one NursePlaty posted. Mine is a 36". I am working on what I want to do with the 29g tank. I am here learning about the plants and lighting as well.