new 10g question

[Joel]

I have a 10 gallon. I have 36W worth of lighting (2 14W bulbs, 1 8W bulb)
and the tank is 12" deep. I have some plants and four new small zebra
danios. I have plant food but I also got the new hagen CO2 yeast system.
Will this help them grow? And, is the lighting adequate (3.6W/gallon)??

Joel

[Dinky]

"Joel" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I have a 10 gallon. I have 36W worth of lighting (2 14W bulbs, 1 8W bulb)
> and the tank is 12" deep. I have some plants and four new small zebra
> danios. I have plant food but I also got the new hagen CO2 yeast system.
> Will this help them grow? And, is the lighting adequate (3.6W/gallon)??
>
> Joel
>
>

Your light may be *too* high for some plants. Assuming you've done your
research, and utilize the good tools you've provided yourself with, it looks
like you're well on your way.

Good luck, and keep us "posted". <g>

billy

[NetMax]

"Joel" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I have a 10 gallon. I have 36W worth of lighting (2 14W bulbs, 1 8W
bulb)
> and the tank is 12" deep. I have some plants and four new small zebra
> danios. I have plant food but I also got the new hagen CO2 yeast
system.
> Will this help them grow? And, is the lighting adequate (3.6W/gallon)??
>
> Joel

On paper, yes. If you are using the small CF lamps (a tube in a U
shape), I find that they are not as powerful as you would expect. My new
toy at work is a 5g waterhome with a 15w lamp. I expected 3w/g would get
plants going great, but it's not really that bright. It's still a great
little tank, and my plants are starting to catch. In your case, with
CO2, I think you will find the results very satisfying. There will be a
period of equilibrium while CO2 is going up, ferts are going down, algae
is starting and the plant's root systems are not yet established, so
don't judge your early results harshly if things are a bit out of kilter
for a while. If you haven't picked up any algae, then the plant's growth
is going to be quite elegant to watch in small tank.

NetMax

[Jeff Pratt]

NetMax wrote:

>
> "Joel" > wrote in message
> ink.net...
>> I have a 10 gallon. I have 36W worth of lighting (2 14W bulbs, 1 8W
> bulb)
>> and the tank is 12" deep. I have some plants and four new small zebra
>> danios. I have plant food but I also got the new hagen CO2 yeast
> system.
>> Will this help them grow? And, is the lighting adequate (3.6W/gallon)??
>>
>> Joel
>
> On paper, yes. If you are using the small CF lamps (a tube in a U
> shape), I find that they are not as powerful as you would expect. My new
> toy at work is a 5g waterhome with a 15w lamp. I expected 3w/g would get
> plants going great, but it's not really that bright. It's still a great
> little tank, and my plants are starting to catch. In your case, with
> CO2, I think you will find the results very satisfying. There will be a
> period of equilibrium while CO2 is going up, ferts are going down, algae
> is starting and the plant's root systems are not yet established, so
> don't judge your early results harshly if things are a bit out of kilter
> for a while. If you haven't picked up any algae, then the plant's growth
> is going to be quite elegant to watch in small tank.
>
> NetMax

FWIW, CF wattage rating tends to be for the whole unit (tube and ballast),
not simply the tube like we're used to with regular fluorescents. The
"true" rating for your CF tube is likely to be 11W (2.2WpG, rather than the
5WpG it seems like it should be). The OP's lighting is likely 2x11W + 6W
or 2.8WpG, which should still be adequate. (BTW, 11W and 6W are common CF
tube draws).

Jeff

[NetMax]

"Jeff Pratt" > wrote in message
news:IeRTb.17131$7O2.7021@edtnps89...
> NetMax wrote:
>
> >
> > "Joel" > wrote in message
> > ink.net...
> >> I have a 10 gallon. I have 36W worth of lighting (2 14W bulbs, 1 8W
> > bulb)
> >> and the tank is 12" deep. I have some plants and four new small
zebra
> >> danios. I have plant food but I also got the new hagen CO2 yeast
> > system.
> >> Will this help them grow? And, is the lighting adequate
(3.6W/gallon)??
> >>
> >> Joel
> >
> > On paper, yes. If you are using the small CF lamps (a tube in a U
> > shape), I find that they are not as powerful as you would expect. My
new
> > toy at work is a 5g waterhome with a 15w lamp. I expected 3w/g would
get
> > plants going great, but it's not really that bright. It's still a
great
> > little tank, and my plants are starting to catch. In your case, with
> > CO2, I think you will find the results very satisfying. There will
be a
> > period of equilibrium while CO2 is going up, ferts are going down,
algae
> > is starting and the plant's root systems are not yet established, so
> > don't judge your early results harshly if things are a bit out of
kilter
> > for a while. If you haven't picked up any algae, then the plant's
growth
> > is going to be quite elegant to watch in small tank.
> >
> > NetMax
>
> FWIW, CF wattage rating tends to be for the whole unit (tube and
ballast),
> not simply the tube like we're used to with regular fluorescents. The
> "true" rating for your CF tube is likely to be 11W (2.2WpG, rather than
the
> 5WpG it seems like it should be). The OP's lighting is likely 2x11W +
6W
> or 2.8WpG, which should still be adequate. (BTW, 11W and 6W are common
CF
> tube draws).
>
> Jeff

Hmm, that makes perfect sense. I'm used to thinking that the wattage is
the total power consumption (converted to light + heat) measured at the
connectors, but since fluorescent tubes need an external ballast, and
there are different models (singles & duals), then a tube's wattage might
not take into account the heat losses at the ballast. An integrated
design (like those little CF lights) would, so a 15W CF will not approach
the light output of a 15W tube. Thanks Jeff!

I wonder what the actual light/heat ratio is for CFs. Eyeballing it, I'd
guess it doesn't even make it to 10W. Another point of interest is the
spectrum (plant friendly?). I think I'll compose a letter to the
manufacturer. Inquiring minds want to know ;~).

NetMax