[Rainman69]

So I found an old 5 gal hexagon buried in the closet and thought I'd put it to use. For lighting I'm going to use a 16 watt cf spotlight mounted in a pendant type desk lamp.I use something similar in a fuge for saltwater with good plant growth,though plants grow more on surface. I am a little unsure about light level. they tell you 16 watts same as 60. So any opinions or plant suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hoppycalif]

The "watts that count" when lighting an aquarium are the actual watts used by the bulb, not some advertising man's guess at how bright the bulbs are. So, a 16 watt bulb is a 16 watt bulb, no matter what the advertising man thinks they are the "equivalent to". With such a small tank, and one that is deeper than standard for its size, 16 watts is not very much light for a 5 gallon hex tank. If you keep that bulb right above the water, maybe an inch above the water, you might have enough for low to moderate light needing plants, but you also might not have enough.