Twin-Tube Strip lights

fishkid64

fishkid64

Large Fish
#1
Jul 8, 2004
269
0
0
33
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#1
Hey, Currently on my 38 gal. fake planted Mbuna Cichlid tank i have two single strip lights that acually come from a 15 gal. and a 20 gal. one with a 15 watt tube and one with a 20 watt light. Now, this is not enought light for my 38 gal tank, i should have at least 76 watts.

So i was wondering if anyone knows where i could get a good deal or one for relatively cheap Twin-Tube Strip light!

Thanks a mil!*PEACE!*
 

fishkid64

fishkid64

Large Fish
#4
Jul 8, 2004
269
0
0
33
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
#4
no definatly not live plants! lol, they already push the sound around and make holes down to the bottom glass! but yea and i was thinking 76 because i heard you need 2 watts of light per gallon, and about 4 for high light plants, so i figured 38 times 38 is 76 so i need about 76 watts of light.

currently i only have 35 tho and two strip lights that are both too small for the tank. and yes the length of my tank is 36" My avater is my current fish tank. and here is some more pictures of my tank, http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33022
I mean see what i mean, its pretty dark!

Relatively cheap is anywhere from like 10(lol kidding myself i know)-about 40$

Thank you so much for trying to help me! if you have any other questions just feel free to ask!
 

Last edited:
Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#5
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#5
Well, you don't really need more than about 1.5 or 2 watts per gallon to see your fish well. Obviously, it's not all about watts, some of it is about the length of the bulb. A 24" and an 18" bulb don't really cover your tank with light.

The bad news is that lighting gets expensive :( Big Als has T5 strips for about $45, that will give you 42 watts, but it will be brighter than what you have (it's a Coralife fixture). If you really want a lot of light, you could look into this fixture, which is really cheap for the amount of light: http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=144 I have heard reports of problems with that site if there's a problem with the light. I have a compact fluorescent fixture from them that works fine.

Big Als also has a twin standard fluorescent (would be a total of 60 watts) for $72.

Both compact fluorescents and T5s will give you brighter light than a standard fluorescent (T12).

You might find a good deal on eBay, if you're lucky.

If you're handy, it would be pretty easy for you to build a hood, get some ballasts and wire up some bulbs, but it does need someone who's into DIY. It still won't be that cheap, but you could probably do it for less than a standard fixture.
 

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