[hilikus16]

well i just set up my first planted tank. i've had freshwater tanks for the last 9 years or so but they've all been with plastics so i finally made the jump. I have a 3g eclipse and i want to make the lighting a bit better.

I currently have Echinodorus argentinensis, java fern, and....mondo(sp?) grass. I did my research a little too late on the mondo grass so it will be in the trash asap. I plan on having some HC in the forground and some Lilaeopsis mauritiana or Didiplis diandra as my other background plant and maybe some java moss on my drift wood.

My two lighting options are (1) adding another 4 watt 8" florescent to go along with the stock 6 watt or (2) retrofitting 2 incandescent sockets and putting two 13 watt flourescent bulbs in them in replacement of the stock lighting. I kinda want slow(ish) growth with my plants simply because i dont want to trim them too often, but if they won't grow healthy and eventually die under the 10 watt option, i'm willing to retrofit up to 26 watts. Which option should i go with? would the HC be fine under 10 watts?

 

[gunk]

If I were you I'd go to Home Depot and pick up a natural daylight desk lamp for $20. It'll give you 27 watts at just the right spectrum (6500k). It'll be plenty of light, but you'll probably have algae problems if you don't have any CO2 injection. For that, you could probably just use the DIY method (look it up in the DIY forum).

 

[hilikus16]

thanks for the suggestion but i'd really like to try to keep the stock hood and avoid having to use co2 because i'd like this tank to be relatively low maintenance

 

[Church]

Small spiral type CFL's will work just fine. I see them in 6500k all the time, so they are very accessible. Good luck!

 

[jestep]

Let me know if you figured something out for this. I have a system 3 in my garage that I want to retro. Not a lot of space in the hood. The stock 6W T5 isn't going to cut it.

 

[Hybridtheoryd16]

i have the cfl bulbs in mine and the glosso is carpeting nicely and needs trimmed regularly.

I did not use any kind of a reflector so I am using 2 of the 15w 6500k cfl bulbs. With diy co2.

I bought the 2way incadescent accessory that has a push button on the back and screw thread around that. So all I did was trim some of the plastic inside the hood for better fitment and after gutting the hood all you have to do is drill 2 holes. One for the cord and one for the 2way to mount thru.

Hope that helps

PS also the cfl accessory allows you to upgrade or down grade if needed. The 6500k bulbs are availiable in 10/13/15/26watt to suit your needs.

 

[King Friday]

I bought the 2way incadescent accessory that has a push button on the back and screw thread around that. So all I did was trim some of the plastic inside the hood for better fitment and after gutting the hood all you have to do is drill 2 holes. One for the cord and one for the 2way to mount thru.

Got any pictures of this setup? I've got an Eclipse 3 gal that I'm very keen to retrofit.

 

[thrillreefer]

+1 on the 6500K spiral CFLs. I've got a 5 L column that is 15" high and only 8" diameter, so I can only fit one. It works fine even without a reflector but when I jury-rigged a tinfoil reflector, the light is genuinely bright all the way to the bottom. May contribute to algae growth as who knows the exact spectral output, but nothing a few shrimp can't control.

 

[chadly]

I removed the filter on my 3g eclipse hood and then took a dual incandescent 10 gal fixture and removed the socket. I then drilled a hole in the back of the hood and screwed the socket on with the nut that fits around the switch. The filter was junk so I just took it out.

 

[King Friday]

So what do you use for a filter now? External canister?

 

[chadly]

well, this tank is long gone. I still have the light now and I'm using it for a temporary lighting on a 5.5 I just setup. I used a mini sponge filter for the time it was up. The tank ended up getting fine cracks in it all over the place so I turned it into an emmersed setup which consequently turned to mush and I basically just tossed the tank.