# Converted to CFLs, but...



## Quizcat (Dec 21, 2014)

Last night, I converted an old Florescent Perfecto 10 Gallon Tank Cover to (2) 60 Watt (13-Watt Actual Consumed Wattage Each) CFL bulbs. These have a reduced footprint compared to the normal sized CFLs, Micro Minis, and they fit perfectly in the space where the florescent bulb went, but there is very little room to spare.

The CFL bulbs do get hot compared to the florescent, and I've still got to gauge whether the fixture housing can take the heat or not. I also lined the inside of the bulb chamber with reflective tape in order to deliver as much light as possible to the tank. I can put my fingers on the bulbs, but I wouldn't want to leave them there, just a little too hot for comfort. 

I was formerly using a Current Brand Freshwater Satellite LED fixture, 18-24" version, with the remote, where you can vary the weather patterns, etc...and I loved the look of it to the human eye. But, I decided that the 18 Watts being put out by the Current Satellite LED might not be quite enough to nourish the Ludwigia Repens, and the Dwarf Hair Grass, which I just added this week, and especially if I add some CO2 pretty soon.

Anyway, it kind of seems like it might be a little bit of overkill to me, going from 18 Watts of LED to 120 Watts of CFL. Did I need to boost the wattage to something more than just the 18 Watt LED fixture to meet the requirements of the "medium light" plants, such as the Ludwigia Repens, and the Dwarf Hair Grass, and what about after adding CO2? 

I also have some Pennywort, Anubias, Java Fern, and Java Wort in the tank as well, and they're "low light" plants, so I assume that the 18 watts would have been adequate for them. They were already showing some moderate growth, but there was no CO2 in the tank yet. 

Using the CFLs, it would seem to me that they're receiving much more than even "High Light" Plants require, which has me a little concerned, 12 Watts Per Gallon of full spektrum. Not sure of the PAR/PUR values on the CFL fixture either, but it just seems like I might be pushing it, assuming PAR/PUR is also proprotionally high. PAR/PUR is difficult to ascertain because the environment varies in each individual tank, plus I don't have the equipment to even take PAR readings. 

Can I over-dose the amount of light with the CFLs, and introduce too many watts per gallon, too much PAR/PUR, assuming it would also translate to being a relatively high PAR/PUR value based on watts per gallon, 2 x 60 Watt (13W) CFLs in a 10 gallon tank?


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## TropTrea (Jan 10, 2014)

Keep in mind the comparison of 60 Watts to 13 Watts is not apples to apples. The 60 Watt would be incandescent equivalent which is less light then you would get with a 20 Florescent tube. Also do to the nature of Compact Florescent bulbs they are not as efficient per watt as even a standard florescent bulb. The big advantage of them is you can put more wattage into a small space to make up for there lack of efficiency.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

+1 for TropTrea's advice.

How large is your tank? I routinely use two 13w spiral CFLs over 10 and 15 tall tanks with good results.


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## Quizcat (Dec 21, 2014)

The tank where I have these is a 10 gallon tank, with (2) 25 Watt, 6500K CFL "mini micro" light bulbs oriented vertically in the light chamber of a standard tank cover/light fixture, in the area where the florescent light would normal go. After a week or more, the heat generated by these bulbs, while unpleasant to touch for too long, doesn't seem to be any problem at all for the housing to handle.

I'm almost finished building a 22-1.4" wide version, but this time I used (3) 25 Watt mini micros for my 20H tank, and I have these oriented horizontally inside a piece of aluminum guttering with end caps that I purchased from Lowes. I used reflective foil tape on the inside of the guttering for a reflector. I haven't tried it yet because I still have to put the plug on the end of the cord so I can plug it in the wall socket. Some in the forums, and on You Tube, have mentioned that the light energy from horizontally oriented bulbs is more efficient than what I have on the 10 gallon tank, oriented vertically inside the chamber where the florescent bulb would normally go. The CFL bulbs I used in this newest fixture are also "mini micros," 6500K, but they seem even shorter in length than the 25 Watt, 6500K, CFLs that I used in the 10 gallon tank fixture.

The one on the 10 gallon tank has been there for a week or so, and I'm seeing little light green spurts of growth on the java moss, and the plants in this tank actually look more vibrant than the ones in my other 10 gallon tank, which has a commercially produced "Current Satellite Freshwater Plus," 18 Watt LED light, the one with the fancy LED lights that change between red, white, blue, purple leds to simulate partly cloudy, sunny, cloudy, lightening storms, programmable, with timer, etc...

So, it looks like even the most basic CFL arrangement will out perform the relatively expensive LED fixture, based on the growth I'm seeing. Both are on the exact length of time each day, around 10-12 hours a day.


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