# 10 gallon lighting



## Guest (Mar 31, 2004)

how much watts is needed in a florescent light to cover a 10 gallon vivarium??


Jeremy


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## JJuchems (Feb 16, 2004)

I use on single 10 gallon tanks the cheap under counter light for you home. They cost around $8-15 at Lowe's and Home Depot.
Later and Happy frogging,
Jason Juchems


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## Guest (Mar 31, 2004)

how many watts is it??


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## JJuchems (Feb 16, 2004)

They are the 18 inch light 15W/118V/60HZ.
Later and Happy Frogging,
Jason Juchems


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## Moe (Feb 15, 2004)

Id use 2x36W from AHsupply if your keeping bright light needy plants,

M.N


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

In a vertical 10 gallon Ihave used 3-13watt C/P. 
Broms did very well


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

why did you use 3 iv seen people only use 1 and they have been fine.... i also live in good weather its never cold here.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

mainly just to see what it did to my plants.... 
The broms in that tanks produced more pups than 3 other tanks I had set up!


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

is there a method you use to know how much watts you should give for tank size or plants.

Jeremy


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

is there a method you use to know how much watts you should give for tank size or plants.

Jeremy


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

The frogs do not require high intensity lighting. Its the type of plants you have that do. If you have low light plants you can get away with one light. Broms will survive under lower light but do not expect to see the bright colors. On a 10 gallon i would use 2-4 13w cf's or 1-2 36watts cf. 

I would look at what plants you are going to have in there and decide, or post those in the plant section and see what people have to say.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

the main plants im useing are bromelaids so i guess ill go with 2, 36 watts fc


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

2 36 watts may get a bit hot, so make sure you have a fan or two in the hood. You will also want to look at the length of a 36 watt light versus the tank size.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

its a 10 gallon tank thats why i thought it was alittle odd useing 2, 36 watt lights


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

You can get 2 36 watt lights over a ten gallon i just wanted to warn you of the pitfalls. 

I personally run 4 13 watt lights over a 20 high. I also run a 40mm computer fan in the hood to provide good ventilation for the lights. Check out http://www.ahsupply.com for good kits. You can get the parts cheaper from other places but sometimes its nice to have everything bundled up and ready to go for you.


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

How do you wire the computer fans to run off the wall jack?


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

I went to radio shack and bought a variable volt adapter from. This plugs into the wall , i just cut off the plug and wired the two wires to the fan.


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## mindcrash (Mar 3, 2004)

sounds easy enough. Thanks!


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

cant i just go to home depot and buy a 36watt bulb for a lamp and use the lamp for my viv...


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2004)

Yes you can, make sure it is the correct color though. What we find pleasing to the eye is not good for plants. The color range you are looking for is 5000k +. most bulbs for human use are in the 2500 range. Also with the screw in bulbs you will generate alot of heat so you will need proper ventilation. Either through a fan or just simply enough space between the top and the light. 

Proper plant selection and placement will go a long way. Put your high light plants (broms) at the top of your tank and the low light ones (most ferns) at the bottom. For plants you need to remember that the sun is very bright so what your human eye thinks is bright is not the same as the sun. I am assuming this is your first viv. The best policy is the KISS method. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

Some people prefer low tech approaches some dont. If you are in home depot / lowes / menards etc.. look for a bulb designed for plants. Ill try to dig around for more weblinks. I am building a hood for my home built viv at the moment so alot of this stuff is on my mind at the moment.


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## Arklier (Mar 1, 2004)

mindcrash said:


> How do you wire the computer fans to run off the wall jack?


You can also go to a used computer store and buy a cheap AT power supply. Make sure it's AT and not ATX. You can tell the difference by the presence of a power switch. ATX power supplies won't work because they don't have a switch, they are turned on by the motherboard when the power switch is pressed. The advantage is that you can run many, many fans off them.


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2004)

Jeremy said:


> the main plants im useing are bromelaids so i guess ill go with 2, 36 watts fc


Homer has bulbs, ballasts, wires and endcaps that puts AHSupply prices to shame. PM him with your request and he will fix you up. Just a suggestion if you want to save some money and help a fellow frogger move his products.


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2004)

Jeremy said:


> cant i just go to home depot and buy a 36watt bulb for a lamp and use the lamp for my viv...


This may be a dumb question, but "lamp" got me thinking. You aren't thinking about a regular incandescent bulb lamp are you....like a table lamp? Incandescent bulbs get way too hot and don't provide a beneficial color temp for the plants. 

Once again, sorry if I assumed wrong


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2004)

ok can someone please tell me what to use because to many comments have confused me....


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2004)

Jeremy said:


> ok can someone please tell me what to use because to many comments have confused me....


Most of us would recommend either fluorescent lights....the long tubular bulbs you see in kitchens, offices, shops, etc, or compact fluorescents(cf)....which are basically the same thing but are much smaller with much brighter light...they are also about 5 times as much money, but well worth it. As stated earlier, incandescent bulbs burn way too hot and the color is too yellow to benefit your plants much. So read back through the posts, and the ones that say for example, 36 watt cf lighting, are talking about 36 watt compact fluorescent bulbs....check them out at http://www.ahsupply.com That site has a lot of good info, but you might be able to buy cheaper somewhere else.

If you are ever confused about something, please don't hesitate to ask for clarification. We are here to help.


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