How many watts again?

Reefdude5 · 11-21-2003, 05:03 PM

I'm looking at setting up a 50gal for a fuge(36"x16"x20"tall). I've decided to light it with pc's. How many watts should I use for extremely productive algae growth and maybe some zoos or softies!

Can I get these from Home Depot or Lows? Do they need ballasts? What would be an approximation of the cost?

Thanks!

Geoff · 11-21-2003, 05:07 PM

you can get 2 or 3 of those Lights of America PC lights for $30 a pop. they are 6500K lights. about as inexpensive as you can get. they are at HD.

G~

Reefdude5 · 11-21-2003, 05:09 PM

How many watts are they Geoff? And thanks!

Reefdude5 · 11-22-2003, 02:34 PM

So, what spectrum do macros grow best at?

Geoff · 11-22-2003, 06:07 PM

if i remember right they are 65w PC's. that is a lot of light. one does an OK job over my 40g refuge, i should prolly put another if i want more algae growing in there. then again my 40g refuge is 24" deep! they do not come with plugs, so you will need to grab one in the electrical aisle.

for macro and algae growth in general you will want daylight. 6500k is about perfect. you go much above that you start to loose overall brightness. below that is ok but you may start getting more micro algae growth then macro algae growth.

G~