# Lighting suggestions for a 2.5g!



## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

I recently picked up a 2.5g from a friend, i'm not sure what to do with it yet. I would like to hear any suggestions on how I should light this tank. The tank will probably be most likely grow one species of plant; glosso, dwarf hairgrass, or HC.

I was thinking of something like a 13watt kit from AH supply, but i'm not sure if I wanna spend $30 to light the tank.


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

I also have a 2.5 gallon. I would like to try a miniature scape much like the ones in Amano's book (2?). I was thinking Riccia (I'd like to go with dwarf Riccia) and some Rotala indica. I'm unsure about what other species to use. I would have to shop around a little, but I have enough projects going on already. A tank that small probably would not need filtration or a heater if kept in a warm spot. A nano diffuser would work great in there too. This tank is 10 liters (2.64 gallons)


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## deepdiver (May 30, 2006)

sorry, that link doesn't work. You can see some tiny tanks in Amano's second book. The smallest is a 10cm cube!


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## wiste (Feb 10, 2006)

In photobucket use the Img and not url for APC posts.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Perfecto 2.5 Gallon Light Strip

If you can find a Daylight Compact Fluorescent light Bulb, it should work out perfect in this. Of course I found out after picking up my 2.5 Gallon Perfecto Tank from PetsMart that you can only order the light from their website. Unless you are lucky enough to have the PetsMart nearby you have it in stock.

Or you can just use a nice desk lamp and use the same type of CF daylight bulb.

Anyone know where I can find one of those bulbs now? The last bunch I got were at Wal*Mart (Lights of America) and now I can't find them.



> I was thinking of something like a 13watt kit from AH supply, but i'm not sure if I wanna spend $30 to light the tank.


 Oh, and I was thinking the EXACT same thing after I bought my 2.5 Gallon. 
It would be nice practice though to building one like John N.'s!


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Jimbo - That light strip looks nice, I would so much want that 13watt bright kit and put together with that light fixture, but man! that's like almost $50 bucks to light the 2.5g. 

Keep those suggestions going, i'll choose whats the best for me.


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## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

I use a 20w lights of america brand CF bulb on my 2.5. It grows lileaopsis well. No CO2, but I throw some excel in there about once a week. I picked up the socket at lowes wired it up with an old computer power cable. I made the fixture with a cheap 1x4 and some nails. It couldn't have cost more than $20 including a can of spray paint.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Yoink, do you have any pictures?


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## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

Sadly it is at work. I can try to get a picture tomorrow.


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## Jdinh04 (Oct 7, 2004)

Alright, that's fine.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> I use a 20w lights of america brand CF bulb on my 2.5.


Yoink, which store did you find that bulb in? 
Is it Daylight spectrum or cool white (bluish) ?

As you can tell, I am trying to track these down and stock up.


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## abnormalsanon (Jun 6, 2006)

Check out the Coralife Mini 18w from Hellolights.com--$25 for the fixture with the bulbs included. I have three 2.5 gallon tanks and use this fixture on all of them. If you look at my nano thread in my signature, you'll see another user's idea for mounting the light on legs. I just place it on the glass top. Either way, it works very well for a tank this size.


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## hooha (Apr 21, 2005)

most economical is a 23w daylight desktop lamp from Home depot. Couldn't find it on their website though to show you a picture, but it's $20 and comes with a bulb.

The other option is to get a cheap, $10 desktop lamp at Target and a daylight bulb (13w to 25w) at Walmart/Lowes for $4-6.

I have the Perfecto fixture, it's okay but you can only put in one bulb and the typical spiral CF bulbs (even the 13w) are too fat to fit completely in the fixture. I got a 6700k 10w bulb in the aquarium section of walmart that fits nicely in it though. But the lighting isn't very bright, I actually use a Corallife 18w (very expensive for what you're looking for) in addition to it and grow out HC slowly but well with dosing and excel.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Thanks. It is wintertime here in Upstate New York and getting pretty dark at night time. 
In addition to my aquariums, I use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs for almost my entire house. 
I would like to stock up again (it's that time of year) on the DAYLIGHT CF bulbs, not just for my tanks; 
but also so my wife and kids and myself don't complain about that 'fluorescent' light look. You know? 

I love the Daylight Bulb look. Brighter, whiter, closer to sunlight color in the rooms. 
I just can't stand the bluish look my bathroom now has from the ones now sold in Wal*Mart. 

I will keep looking in other stores when I get a chance. 
Or I would purchase a bunch (8-10) online if I KNEW what it really looked like when using it. 

Where's the guy with that stuff in his signature about this stuff?


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## redstrat (Apr 3, 2006)

They should have them at Lowes, Home Depot or even the grocery store but about the best prices i've seen are at Light, Light Bulbs, Emergency Lighting, Ballast, Philips Lighting. I can't speak about thier customer service or anythign like that because I haven't ordered from them yet but I plan to next time.

Jimbo205-It sure is nice to see more people caring about these issues.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

> Jimbo205-It sure is nice to see more people caring about these issues.


 Well, when you are a Dad that *pays the lighting bills.....* Oh, and when the cost of electricity is what it is in Upstate New York - you call the power company and ASK what to do to lower the bill - AND THEN YOU DO IT. Or at least as well as you can. :smile:

I KNOW they make 6500K CF bulbs. :frusty:

I bought one this summer. I just don't trust the ones that say 2700K, 4100K, 5000K, etc. If it doesn't say 6500K or 6700K, I just expect it to have weird colors.

davis.1841 if you can find one of those (package of 10 please) - I'll buy some with you or from you. :smile: Unless, I find a store nearby me in the next 6 months that has them. Am I too picky?


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

i use the coralife 18w freshwater light and its great! 6700k cf lamp with custom aqualight legs retrofit to hold the lamp up on my 2.5g and i get great riccia and baby tear growth in my tank.

no ferts, no co2 and just lots of RCS


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