# [Wet Thumb Forum]-The Light heat problem?



## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

My tank is just 5 gal. I use Philips 50w Agro-lite it produce a lot of heat. The temp. when start the light is 72F but when the end of the day temp. up to 86F. I have 4 Otos they seem to have no problem with the temp. should I concern about this?


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## javalee (May 8, 2006)

That's a pretty jump in temp for one day! I'd be concerned that they'd be susceptible to illness in those conditions. Can you consider a fluorescent bulb of some type? Is that Agro fluorescent? Seems you would be fine with less wattage.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

I agree. It sounds like you're using an incandescent bulb. They produce a ton of heat..... that's why they're considered inefficient - most of the energy is given off as heat, rather than light. 

If your fixture will take one bulb with a screw-in base (called a standard "medium" base), you might consider using a compact flourescent bulb. Does the bulb mount sideways (horizontally) or straight down (vertically)? If you're using a standard hood with a horizontal mounting, a mini-compact flourescent would be needed to physically fit into the fixture space. I have a 10 gallon tank with an "Economy" hood, which is intended to fit two standard tube bulbs. The sockets are rated for 15 watts each. I use two compact mini spiral flourescents, (it says 15 watts of CF spirals is "equivalent" to 60 watts incandescent light to our eyes). Anyhow, with two 15 w Spiral CF, my planted 10 gallon tank is doing very nicely.

What kind of fixture are you using? I know it might not be practical to run out and get a new fixture, so maybe a spiral CF bulb would be a good solution. If your fixture socket is rated for 50 watts (the bulb you have in there now) you could certainly use a different kind of bulb. Even with a single 14 watt CF spiral (the most common one out there), you'd still have enough watts per gallon for most plants (roughly 7 wpg, but there is a lot of light lost to re-strike with the shape of a spiral bulb). Plus, they're now available in different light color temperature - 2700 Kelvin is a "warm" yellowish light, 4100 Kelvin is a bright white, 5000 Kelvin is often referred to as daylight, and 6500 Kelvin is like bright, mid-day daylight. Personally, I like the 5000 and 6500 "daylight" bulbs for the bright crisp colors they give the fish. Right now, with 50 wpg, it seems like a bit too much light. Excess light is implicated in giving energy to chemical reactions in the water column that make iron available to algae. So, more is not always better. 

That is a huge jump in temperature, and while its gradual throughout the day, it is tough on the fishes system in the long run. Plus, in the summer, the heat gain will be even greater. 

Tell us more, I've gotten some of the best unexpected suggestions from folks on the forum!
-Jane


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hey 10galAquatic,

I just saw your pictures over on the other thread. With that type of fixture (a nice looking clamp on lamp) the main output of light is "down" the cone of the lamp. I'd suggest you certainly could put a Compact Flourescent spiral bulb in there. Because there will be a lot of "restrike", you might want to get a 25 watt bulb (sold as "equivalents" of 75w or 100w incandescents). That way, you've got 25w/5 gal, or mathmatically 5 watts per gallon of lighting. Now, realistically, with restrike, etc, it will be less, but most "el natural" tanks run just fine with even half that - 2.5 wpg. So, I think it would still be fine for your setup, and the CF bulbs put out a LOT less heat!
-Jane


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## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

Yes I use clamp on lamp. I have a problem with the heat that produced by the Philips Agro-lite blub (it's a blub that design for plant grow but it's not a compact flourescent),I mention about the heat 72F-86F. So, yesterday, I change back to the Compact Flourescent spiral blub (GE 13w soft white), it gives a kind of yellow light but the temp. is aroud 72-74F







. Because of a lot of light lost on the back of the tank (the spilral blub is a little longer than the lamp cover) so I made a reflecter from to-go box with aluminum foil (see the pic). The reflecter is not look good but I think it helps a little (not compare to the "real" reflecter







) anybody have experience with this soft white blub, the plants still doing ok?


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## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

this is the tank with the soft white blub


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## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

the 1st light fixture with Agro-lite


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## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

chaged to GE 13w spiral flourescent (lot of less heat) with reflecter to help with the light lost back of the tank


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## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

My oto


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

The 13 w sprial CF will do for now, but you might want to try to get a higher wattage in there. Very clever with the foil reflector! There was a great article on the Krib site about increasing output that gets INTO the tank by using reflectors.

The "warm white" bulbs are usually 2700 - 3500 K, which is "color temp" (search on this website and you'll find a LOT of info about this). It appears as a "warmer" light to our eyes, as its rich in the yellows to reds, similar in appearance to incandescents. The plants will certainly grow under that light, but I find it a bit yellow for my tastes, aesthetically, However, the fish with "gold" in them really sparkled in the warm white light. 

My only concern would be the light intensity - can you increase the wattage of the CF bulb, or add another in a second clamp-on lamp?

Your Otto looks very happy!
-Jane


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## 10GALAQUATIC (Apr 18, 2005)

thanks for your comment and advises







Jane


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