# 6g Eclipse Lighting Upgrade



## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

Hey everybody,
I have a six gallon eclipse tank that has one eight watt T5, which really isn't enought for a six gallon aquarium. Pretty much all I've been able to grow in it has been anubias, and even they grow ridiculously slowly in it. I'm trying el natural with it so it probably doesn't need that much light because it gets some sun, but I think it would be possible to upgrade and make it more plant-worthy. I searched it and found this link:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/lighting/65372-lighting-eclipse-6-gallon-tank.html
Do you guys have any more advice?
Thank you!


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

yeah your local walmart should sell that usual lightbulb socket kit for like 4 bucks, just a reminder the usual 2 wpg rule doesn't apply to 10 gal and lower, so you'll be needing at least 2 spiral bulbs. i have a 23 watt bulb over my 2.5 tank and the dwarf four leaf clover is growing happily ^^ that's like 12. something wpg. i wouldn't get the 6 gallon eclipse simply because of the design of the tank... you'll find modding the tank very inconvenient and also everytime you need to feed you have to lift the hood... i recommend picking up a 20 gal long, it'll be worth the investment, or get a 2.5 gallon tank


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## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

I have the 6g, and am very happy with it. Haven't modded it, but I am eager to see the solution you end up choosing for my future plans...


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## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

Thanks, guys. neilshieh, I'll get to a Walmart as soon as possible, but my town is so small we don't have a local one, so that might be a while. Obiquiet, I agree with you in that it is a really nice tank. Have you been able to grow any plants in it?


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## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

Sorry for taking 2 months, ObiQuiet. I kinda forgot about this aquarium... Anyway, I've been looking at this again. I recently moved the aquarium to a window, which helps, but I haven't put any plants in yet because I'm still not sure if there is enough light. I'm not sure if a regular socket, attached to the filter, would be very safe next to the water. I was also looking at taking the hood off altogether and replacing it with a hanging shoplight. That, however, would be REALLY ugly, and probably not something I would want in a very prominent place, which is where windows happen to be in my house. I could move it to a less prominent place, without the window but with the shoplight. Would 27 watts be enough for the tank? Especially with a big ol' filter blocking a large amount of it? 
Questions, questions.


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## ObiQuiet (Oct 9, 2009)

Hmm... thinking some more about this:
1. The window is probably the best bet for light.

2. The plastic-- I worry that a larger light inside the hood will heat and warp the plastic over time. I've had that happen with another, larger Eclipse hood. Not the hood's fault, just the result of the heat.

3. The self-contained tank is an advantage in a window -- no extra wires or stuff behind, so why not use the advantage? It's a nice, window-sized set up.

4. You're right that a shop like will not look good, and without the hood, the pump hosing and filter also contribute to the ugliness...  

Wish I had a window to put mine in...

Cheers!


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

it shouldn't be direct sunlight for the window, otherwise you'd be begging for algae. I really hate the 6g eclipse, its poorly made, with the thought of modern sleekness not practical or user friendly.


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## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I think I'm going to stick with the window. I think it should provide the right amount of light.


> I really hate the 6g eclipse, its poorly made, with the thought of modern sleekness not practical or user friendly.


I think, for the most part, it's pretty nice, except for a few things. It's acrylic, which I hate, and it definitely isn't really very user friendly when it comes to adding the necessary things for planted aquariums, but it's got a really nice filter, and looks pretty nice too. 
The tank doesn't get direct sunlight, but does get a lot of light. It's got a lot of algae now, but I think that won't be as big of a problem when I have plants in.


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## neilshieh (Jun 24, 2010)

i personally dislike the hood... how did they expect you to operate it efficiently? you have to dissemble the whole hood to do maintenance. I agree the filter is good, but it breaks easily and its resting on one rod... the acrylic scratches so easily. the plus is that the tank seems a whole lot bigger than 6 gallons...
do yourself a favor and get a bn pleco or other algae eating critters.


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## PeterE (Feb 9, 2010)

Yep, I'll get some more algae eating fish as soon as possible. I have one bristlenose pleco and he gets to alternate tank to tank for the algae. I haven't put him in for a while though, so it doesn't look so good. However, I think I'm going to go dry start as soon as I can find somebody to give a krib to. And I definitely don't like the acrylic. It scratched from a filter pad!


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