# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Anyone have experience with Spiral Compact Flourescents?



## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hi all,

I've searched through this forum, and haven't found a good answer to my query yet, so here I am to ask of the forum. I Learned LOTs of good info along the way though!

Anyhow, I'm wondering if anyone has used Spiral Compact Flourescents? Here's my situation - I'm a total tightwad..... er, budget-minded aquarium keeper. But I gotta have my aquarium plants! Back in college, I had a 10 gallon with a 15W flo bulb, and my plants grew so well that I struck up a deal with the local fish store to take plants in trade for my fish, and sometimes food. I don't have a big hobby budget - this is one of the main reasons I am enamored of natural, low tech aquariums, LOL! However, even the aquarium light solutions are rather pricey for my meager means - I'd rather use it for plants. The metal halide or Power Compact Flourescent fixtures are too expensive, besides which paying $40 for an aquarium Power CF lightbulb is just not an option for me. Here's what I'm trying now: A fixture created for reptiles (and only about $20), with ceramic normal-size lightbulb sockets (two in a 20" fixture, 3 in a 30" fixture). They're capable of handling up to 150 watts of incandescent-style lights. But, I'm using Sprial Compact Flourescents. I've been using three 14-watt, "daylight" (ie, 5500 Kelvin) spectrum spiral bulbs in a 30" fixture on top of the glass canopy of my 39 gal long tank (natural setup substrate). I put foil inside the bulb chamber to maximize light output downward into the tank. While the edges are a bit dark (fixtures are a bit "short"), I just keep watersprite in the corners and the swords and apons in the front, and most of the plants seem to be doing OK. Now I'm setting up a 20 high (24" across) in the same way, using a 20" two-socket fixture. I've come across 35 W Spiral CF "daylight" bulbs rated at 6500 K, with an "equivalent" of 150 watt incandescents. And at about $8 each (calculating shipping in there), they're within my budget constraints. 

So HOW DO I CALCULATE the WATTs PER GALLON? I'm confused. If I use the incandescent equivalent, the three 14W bulbs would "equal" 3 @ 60 W incandescent, or 180 watts total for a 39 gallon tank. This comes out at about 4.61 WPG. That doesn't seem correct. But if I use the 14 Watt actuals times 3 that equals 42 watts total on 39 gallons, or barely over 1 WPG. Given the decent plant growth (including hair grass which isn't breaking down the glass, but is nicely established and growing), that doesn't seem to make sense either. 

So....... now on to the "new" tank. If I use the 35 Watt/ 150 watt equivalent bulbs on the 20 high in the two bulb fixture, what should I calculate? 70 watt actual total divided by 20 gal = 3.5 WPG. But 2 @ 150 Watt = 300, divided by 20 = 15 WPG. But after reading that an overabundance of light in low-tech aquariums contributes mightily to algae, I'm spooked to use the boffo bulbs. 

Buit if I use the 14 watt ones, that would only be 28 watts/20 gal = 1.4 WPG. Given the deeper dimensions (and my deeply desire to use mini marselia clover, or even glosso (another topic entirely), I just don't know if that will be enough. 

So....... I guess it boils down whether the Spiral Compact Flourescents wattage is calculated the same way as the straight in-line bulb flourescents, or are they closer to Power CF? The "incandescent eqivalents" have me rather confused. 

Thanks to everyone in advance for any input you could give to me!
-Jane


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## imported_shalu (Feb 13, 2004)

NEVER use the incandescent numbers. We always talk about WPG for fluorescent lights when it comes to aquarium lighting. And wpg is a very rough estimate, actual light you get depends on a lot of things: bulb efficiency, reflectors,etc. Compared to other lights, spirals are quite inefficient, you get a lot of "restrike" due to how the tube is arranged, and there is usually no effecient reflectors associated with them. I am currently using 2x15w CF bulbs on 10 gallon, it works, but they will soon be replaced with a single 15w T6 bulb with AHSupply reflector. I actually expect the single 15w T6(linear tube) with good reflector to be much brighter than the 2x15w spirals, in this case, going from 3wpg to 1.5wpg is considered an upgrade


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Dunno if this helps, but I have 2 20 watt 6500K spirals over my 20 and 29 gallon tanks (which also get indirect light from a south window) and vals, swords, hygro, najas grass, wysteria and dwarf sag are doing fine.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

OK, so I'm not the only one with spiral CF over planted tanks! 

The reflector, admittedly does not direct the light into as wide an arc as I would like, its more straight-down in orientation. I have put foil in as a backing, after reading one of the posts on the Krib about lumens (as close as one can get to an actual intensity reading) getting a huge boost by using a foil backing in place of the standard white glossy paint.

So Shalu, it sounds like you've been using a "standard" incandescent strip light over your 10 gal - exactly what I've been doing on mine, with the "economy" hood. That's really interesting that you're considering the move from 3 wpg to 1.5 wpg as an upgrade. There is so much to consider, and so many variables. 

Betty, my tanks are in my "dining alcove" which is rapidly becoming the Aquarium Alcove. Absolutely NO natural light, which is part of the reason why I like the green glow of the aquariums in there *grin*. I wonder if that's why I had success in the past with the single 15 w flo tube over the ten gallon tank - it WAS getting natural light where I used to live. 

Hmmmm. What sort of hood or "strip light" are you using over your 20 & 29 gallong tanks? Is it the standard issue (Perfecto, All-Glass) incandescent light fixture? Or do you have something else rigged up? Please tell us! That's why I got the reptile fixture - it was able to handle more than the 15 watt "Max" of the regular incandescent aquarium fixtures. 

I put one 35 W Spiral CF over the 20 high last night - there is definitely a brighter side of the tank (the other is still the 14 W Sp CF). 

Thank you so much for the feedback and input! I checked out the AH Supply website a bit, but I couldn't figure out just what you have to do yourself - wiring things myself makes me nervous. But I think I should look more closely - the prices seemed very different than I see in the pet supply catalogs.

Thanks Again!
-Jane


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## imported_shalu (Feb 13, 2004)

Here is a pic of modified standard hood. I have used two types of bulbs, spirals and folded tubes, they are very similar. The bulbs in the pic are with folded tubes.
 

and the tank
 

I can show you some comparison photos once I finish the "upgrade".


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## Endlersmom (Feb 29, 2004)

shalu thanks for the pictures. Nice tank. I never tried the U tubes in the ten gal. I need to try that.

I am using spirals in my ten gal hood. They work better then incadenscent, other then that, I do not like them. I can not always find spirals (with enough K) that slim enough to fit nicely into the fixture. Some work better then others. I plan on getting a tube fixture for the ten gal. I figure a simple under the counter type strip will do the job.

If you are looking at cost. Look at the future costs. Florescents ideally should be replaced every six months. If your tank does not get natural sun light. You will need to be changing bulbs often. What is the cost of the spirals compared to tubes. Find out what size fixture can fit on your tank, then go to a local hardware store and check out the price of 24inch tubes. Check out the price of the ballist etc. Compare the total cost for about 5 years, keeping in mind that you will need to change the bulbs every six months.

Other then the cost, I do not think that the spirals penetrate the water that deeply. With florescent lighting, I would not go more then 18inches into the water. The tank, I am setting up now, is 24inches deep, I am planning on using 18inches of water and letting floatting plants stick out the top. The hood on this corner tank takes 15inche bulbs, which will be expensive. I will most likly modify it so I can use more readly available tubes into it.


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## imported_shalu (Feb 13, 2004)

Replacing bulbs every 6 months? Not for me, I run all bulbs till they burn out, that inludes Power PCs, NO fluorescents, spirals/U shaped tubes. The ONLY reason I use spirals/U shaped(the one I used has FOUR U shapes in one tube, so it is just as inefficient as spirals) is that they cost <$1 each locally, the 23W spirals are now 3 for $1 at the checkout counter of supermarket







. But yes, like I said, they are NOT efficient for aquarium usage, I am upgrading. Electricity in California is very expensive, so I will save money on electricity long term.


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## DataGuru (Mar 11, 2005)

Here's the fixture I built for the 125








I just added 6 more of the smaller clamp lights to it for a total of 11 20 watt 6500K bulbs.
Here's what it looks like now:
Left side:








Right side:








The dwarf sag isn't dwarf in this tank! Two swords are putting off runners with bunches of plantlets on them.

On the bowfront I have a piece of plexiglass on top with a clamp light sitting on one side and one of those clamp on desk lamps on the other side. ghetto. LOL








I originally had only 1 20 watt 6500K spiral over it and it gets light from the south window. In the winter that was fine cuz it got quite a bit of direct sunlight. It had a bunch of stem plants in it, but the hair algae took over, so I increased the lighting and have replaced the stem plants with swords to make it easier to pull hair algae out of it. 









on the 20 tall, I modified the standard plastic hood by drilling a hole on each end and using rubber grommets to seat light fixtures for the screw in bulbs.
















I had the stock lighting over it till a couple of months ago. Had the same trouble with hair algae and the dwarf sag wasn't growing. So I replanted it with vals and swords. It's looking a lot better now.


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## imported_shalu (Feb 13, 2004)

Betty, those pendants look great! It reminds me of the MH pendants. How reflective are the insides of the pendants?

Here is another 10 gallon, this one has two 23w spirals, one in a desklamp and one in a clamp-on lamp. The tank mainly grows demanding plants, the current lights work ok, but I will also upgrade it to 2x15w T6 tubes.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

WHOA, thank you Shalu and Betty, for the fabulous pictures!

Shalu, I think your 10 gal "shrimptank", with the two sprial bulbs is LOVELY! Is that glosso or mini marselia as the groundcover? You're able to grow those with the folded-type bulbs - amazing! 

And the second set of photos - with "demanding" plants is also lovely! I wonder if part of the difference is that the fixtures point the light down into the tank more efficiently?

And Betty - I'm truly INSPIRED! I love the retro fit thing you did with the rubber grommets. VERY COOL - I think I'm going to have to learn a bit more about electrical wiring. 

And the clamp-on light pendants - I've been thinking about that sort of setup too. I found cheap clamp-on lights, aluminum so the inside is very reflective, at an "Ocean State Job Lot". I was thinking of spraypainting the outside with heat-resistant paint (for BBQ grills, etcl) and putting them on the top of glass canopies. I really like the fixture you've rigged up, though! Thanks SO much for posting the detailed pictures. Now I'm all full of ideas, LOL! How much time elapsed between your "beginning" and "now" picts of your big tank? Hubba, hubba, its a fabulous water jungle! I assume you used the soil--under-gravel substrate? (ps, got a good chuckle with your "ghetto" comment...... guess I can join THAT club, LOL)

I'm currently lusting after a used 65 gal on craigslist. I'd have to buy glass canopies, but with the clamp-on lights, this might be do-able...... *wheels turning*........

Thanks for all the inspiration!!!! Woo-hoo there goes the grocery money for the next few weeks, good thing I've got a stockpile of mac-N-cheese and legumes, LOL!

Thanks!
-Jane


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## zabak80 (Mar 31, 2007)

Anyone have any final results on how the spiral CL bulbs worked? Also, how do you handle the electrical safety issues?


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

I have a 5 gallon tank and I got the Coralife Colormax "u" tube bulb, the ones like the spirals that screw into a normal light socket. I then got the car light, silver with a clip like the onex over the 125 gallon in this thread. I fashioned a hanging bracket and then hung the fixture (clamp removed) over it and it works just fine. First I got the 10 watt, and then realized for a few $$ more that they have a 20 watt.
I have A. Reineckii in there that grows very well. Crypt Wendetti tropica, cabomba, crypt "mi oyo" and tonnia fluvals (sp?) in there and they all grow slow but very full and healthy.

I also just use a small sponge filter, Eco Complete and don't really dose anything but a tiny bit of excell once in a great while.

I think this set up works very nice for what it is and for the $25 I spent for the light bulb, reflector, EMT tubeing for the hanger and the fasteners.


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## 01krisp10 (Feb 18, 2007)

OK, I also have a question about spirals.

I setup a 5g tank with a small 15w hood. I have an 15w incandescent bulb in it currently, but after reading this I found a 13w spiral (no idea what the equivalent rating is, cut that part of the package off forever ago, my best guess after looking around is 60w).

My first question... Is it safe to use a lower rated build 13w in a 15w fixture?

Second, from the picture below the 13w spiral on the left it seems that the 13w is dong a much better job than the 15w incandescent, but is it to much light? (this is void if its not safe to use)


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## zabak80 (Mar 31, 2007)

No, a spiral compact is safe to use as long as the watts is equal to or under the rates maximum watts.


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## goalcreas (Nov 20, 2006)

No problem and you are right, it looks much better, but you might consider this light, with the "u" shaped tubes, you might get more light in the tank. Also the color temp is more for plant growing then the Spiral might be, IMO

here is a link

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...ll&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1

They make a 20 watt for a little more, have to go to that pet place / that fish place or another online vendor, but you would need to up your fixture to something that would be safe to run that bulb.


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## TeutonJon78 (Nov 10, 2004)

I don't think that light will be "too much" by any means. Although, with those light patterns, it looks like the edges of the tank aren't getting much light. since those bulbs are more limited in their directionality vs a tube light, you might want to raise it slightly off of the surface if possible.


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## 01krisp10 (Feb 18, 2007)

Those coralife ones look great, going to go pick one up today at the LFS for $12, good deal if you add shipping online it evens out.  I'll post a pic once I have it installed.

Thanks Jon, good idea. I may line the inside with aluminium foil, bet that will help with the edges, if that doesn't work I'll rig something up with clamps. Don't forget this will be getting sunlight as well!


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## 01krisp10 (Feb 18, 2007)

Well I was busy today and came up with this. 10W Coralife Colormax.










And this is the result, notice I removed the hornwort to see the spread of light.










Let me know what y'all think.


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## TeutonJon78 (Nov 10, 2004)

well, definitely better spread, but it looks kind of purple. Is that from the picture, or how it looks? Of course, the plants only care about the spectrum, not the human visible color.


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## 01krisp10 (Feb 18, 2007)

Yeah I don't view the color as better, but better for growth, maybe easier on the future inhabitants?


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