# lighting a 20 gallon long



## fishdude1984 (Feb 17, 2005)

so dose anyone other than me have a 20gal Long tank, if so i was wondering what you guys use for lights, its hard to find good light fixtrues in the 30inche size, i use a 65 watt CF Coralife fixture but the blubs only 21inches so theres light and dark spots, what do you people use?


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I use the Coralife fixture also on my 20G long tank. The only dark spot that I have is on the far right hand side, and I considered it dim not dark. I don't know of any fixtures that have full length bulbs that extend end to end.


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## JaySilverman (Jun 19, 2005)

2 x 33watt from AHSupply would work great.


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## fishdude1984 (Feb 17, 2005)

i thought the same thing but they said "The 36 watt bulbs are really too short for a 30" long tank. If you stagger their placement you will get uneven lighting that won't look good at all."


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

kind of doubt if anyone is still reading this thread, but i thought i would chirp in since i have a 20 gallon long tank as well.

the lighting i'm using currently, because i'm too lazy to really shop  are 4 - 20W 24" T12 6500K fluorescent bulbs that i put together myself. DIY all the way  

the only dark spots i have are shadows immediatly below driftwood and plant leaves. i did have T8's and might go back if i can find 6500K bulbs locally, otherwise i'll stick with T12's


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## Ollie (Jan 7, 2006)

fishdude1984 said:


> i thought the same thing but they said "The 36 watt bulbs are really too short for a 30" long tank. If you stagger their placement you will get uneven lighting that won't look good at all."


Did they mention anything about the 1x55W kit? It's 22" long. I am considering getting the 2x55W kit and mount them front to back to cover the entire tank length, but it may be overkill.


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## hir0 (Nov 11, 2005)

i use a formosa 65w x1. works pretty good but you are right, the edges are not as bright. However, it's bright enough to grow plants IME.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

My 29 gallon tank is also 30 inches long, and I use three T8 fluorescent tubes 24" long. It gives pretty good light all the way across, but I need brighter bulbs. I expect to shift to AH Supply in a few months, and I, too, have been wondering which kit or kits to use.


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## gnome (Jan 27, 2004)

I have a 65W JBJ on my 20-long. The noise from the fan drives me crazy. Personally, I have a strong preference for normal-output fluorescents, so if I were to replace the JBJ, I'd seriously consider a double-bulb strip light. I'd love a triple, but I don't think they make one for this size. For a PC I really love the form and everything of the JBJ, but I hate the fans more. 

-Naomi


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