# CPL question?



## dimsum_424 (May 26, 2005)

I was wondering if i could just buy light bulb adapters that let you screw in some cheap CP bulbs in...the ones that connect to an outlet...and use that for my lighting in my standard 10 gallon tank....would this work?....and if so... would this be efficent enough to grow some low to medium light plants?...like some java ferns...java moss...anubias nana...etc....
just wondering...you know :-s


----------



## stcyrwm (Apr 20, 2005)

Do you mean compact flourescent? If so, you should have no problem. I have a 10 gallon with 2 20 watt (6700 kelvin) and 2 10 watt screw in compact flourescent bulbs. I'm growing anubias nana, bacopa moneiri, rotala indica and hornwort. I'm also using diy co2 because of the high wpg. I'm getting some Riccia this week. I used reflecters from AH Supply and wired them myself. I have a glass cover below it. With the plants you are talking about you should only need 2 bulbs probably the 10 watt would be enough if you were OK with slow growth or you could use stronger bulbs but then you need to think about co2. Make sure you get something in the right Kelvin range. I think it needs to be 5000 to 10,000 and most people I've read seem to prefer 5000 to 6700.

Bill


----------



## dimsum_424 (May 26, 2005)

I was thinking about using something like this for the screw in compact fluorescents...im thinking about getting two of these with 23 watt bulbs... 
would this work?... or would this socket be inefficent in lighting and just be crappy lighting?...or would this be something good to do for less than $10?... :???:


----------



## stcyrwm (Apr 20, 2005)

You could make it work but you need to think about electrical safety too. How are you going to mount it over the tank? I use a glass cover and think that "hard wiring" them would be safer. I did this two ways. One I used a dual bulb outlet from an incandescent aquarium strip. I like this way because it comes with a way to mount the socket to the reflecter. The other I used "construction site sockets". These are similar to yours except they are rubber for weatherproofing and they have 2 wire leads coming out of them instead of the plug. I then wired them with shrink tubing to further waterproof them.
As for efficiency there are three issues. First is the reflecter you are going to use. If you could afford it I would get a reflecter from AH Supply - these are the best. I think the one for the 36 W light would probably work for you. While you are there you could consider one of their complete setups too (more than 10 bucks). I've heard some people use a piece of aluminum roof gutter with unfinished inside as inexpensive reflecter - check out the DIY forum. The better the reflecter the more light you will get in the tank.
The second efficiency factor is restrike. This is the amount of light that gets blocked by the bulb itself. Obviously the simpler the bulb layout the better. I'm assuming your bulb like mine are the coil type and some of the coils will block the light from other parts of the bulb. But even if you figure 25% loss you would still have over 3 watts per gallon - thats a good amount of light. As a matter of fact it's enough light that you will probably need to add DIY co2 or you'll get algae problems. You could get smaller bulbs and not have to deal with co2. I think the rule of thumb is over 2 wpg you need co2. Your plants would all do fine with the lower lighting btw.
The third factor is the Kelvin rating of the bulbs. I think you need to be in the 5000 to 10000 range to get this to work.

Bill


----------



## dimsum_424 (May 26, 2005)

Hi again...yeah i have considered about a DIY CO2 injector and making a reactor for it soon....just right now, i'm thinking about the lighting before anything else...is this what you were referring to in your set up stcyrwm?...









im not really good with my hands but im willing to try and maybe make something happen with my lighting....and as for this socket...how did u wire your lights??....any pics of your setup would be appreciated....

im planning to make my own hood and using that to hold my lighting...and ill see if i can find some rain gutters to make as my reflectors...

also...i was checking out places like home depot...but i cant find any CP bulbs that are around 5000 Kelvins and above....i only see ones that are around 2000...would these work as well as the ones ranging around 5000?...any advice from other members would also be appreciated....thanks....


----------



## neonfish3 (Feb 12, 2004)

I use screw-in compacts on 4 of my plant tanks. They can work very well.









This is the lights over my 55 gallon tank(don't laugh, it works) It's a 8 light bathroom light bar that I got on clearance for $10. I could add more Y sockets and more bulbs, but I think I have enough.









I also use two screw-ins over my 7 gallon (14w 5500k)










As you can see glosso, hair grass are no problem. The 7 gallon hood is a standard 10 gallon incandescent top with 2 sockets. I bought all my bulbs at home depot. I think they are Commercial Electric or Lights of America *daylight* screw-ins and I paid about $13 for a 3 pack. All Glass Aquarium also make a screw-in 6500k that you can find at WalMart. The lower k bulbs will grow plants just as good but they don't look as nice as they have a very yellow cast. I did use them at first as that was all I could afford. then I slowly replaced them with the more expensive daylight ones.
That first pic you had with the plug in incandescent socket intrigued me. I could see a surge protector with 8 plugs and 8 of those sockets and 8 bulbs. But screw-ins are kinda heavy and I don't think those plug in sockets would hold them in.

Steve T.


----------



## cS (Jan 27, 2004)

I have a similar setup but I wouldn't do this again. The material costs, energy, and light output were better invested in a ready made fixture (i.e. Coralife fixtures). Nonetheless, I had these spiral bulbs from when I first started the hobby and, like you, wanted to save some money. I should have known better. :mrgreen: Here is my setup:



















But in a 10G standard incandescent hood (if you have it already), you can replace the bulbs they have with 2 spiral ones for a low/moderate light setup. Also for nano tanks where adequate lighting options are quite limited, these bulbs make excellent light sources.


----------

