# Lighting for 75 gallon aquarium vivarium



## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

I have a terrarium that is 21 inches deep, 48 long, 18 wide.
I will be using compact fluorescent lighting.

would 220 watts of lighting be too much? I was thinking of getting a fixture that takes four 55w compacts. It will be pretty bright.

I do plan to have mounted broms and things, if that matters.

thanks


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

why is it that the last 3 times I posted a question it took a week or more to get one single response? I feel singled out here and I am not sure why this happens.


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## Curt61 (Jan 16, 2007)

Hey, it isn't you being singled out, some people are taking vacations and other things right now, it seems like there arn't as many people on the board lately, that being said, I just got back from a week long vacation.
If I were you I would just use a 4 foot long shop light. They are cheap and they get the job done. But the other lights you are talking about will probley be brighter. I don't see why the other lights you are talking about wouldn't work though. 


Curt.


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## brettlt (Oct 5, 2006)

Hi Fishmommy,

220 watts of cf over 75 gallons equals out to 2.93 watts per gallon. That is pretty bright, but not outrageous. I have a 96 watt over my 40 gallon or 2.4 watts/gallon, and I am happy about the light output. I recently saw, a think it was a 72 or 75 gallon bow front, with 220 watts and it looked good. It does depend a bit on how the fixtures are located, and what type of reflectors you are using.

I have 7 broms in mine, 5 of them are pupping right now, and they have a good color. My Flaming Lovely is a really nice shade of red. 

In summation, I think it will be just fine. Those broms take quite a bit of light to really color up well.


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

thank you so much! 8)


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## Android1313 (Dec 15, 2006)

I have a 2x65 watt aqualight over my 30 extra tall (24highx24widex12deep)
And it is bright at the top of the tank, not so much on the viv floor tho... overall I would say it is sufficient. :wink:


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

That's on par (wattage wise) with what I ran over my 75g but I was using T12s. I always wanted more light, so figure the increased efficiency of the CFs, I think you'll have the amount of light I always wanted.


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## fishmommy (Dec 23, 2006)

awesome!
I am going to order my lights right now 

hoping to pick up a bunch of plants at the NH herp show this weekend from Black Jungle's booth :mrgreen: 

thanks everyone, you really set my mind at ease! As a noob the whole construction process has been somewhat nerve-wracking. I am just about done and so far very satisfied with the results thanks to this board!

sorry about whining before...it's been a strange couple of weeks for me


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

I know I am a little late in this, but that is pretty much what I have over my 55 gallon. I have four 54w T-5's, the bromeliads keep their color nicely too. THe only thing I have noticed is even during this cool time of year, on the warmer days, even if it is 65 or 70 in my house, the tank will get into the high 70's or even 80 to 81. This is with the fixture probably a foot away from the lid. It will have to be moved higher once summer comes, which is one advantage I guess of having bright light, or I will have to reverse photoperiods, add a window ac... etc. One thing too, I would definately get a temp/hydrometer probe and let the tank sit for a week or two to get an idea of your temp range before you stick animals in there. That way you can have a pretty good idea of when you need to adjust your light (that is if you have it hanging and not in a hood like mine.) If it is in a hood, well, I know there are plenty of people that ventilate their hoods to draw heat out...


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