Lighting (Incandescent bulbs)

Hey all.

So I'm a total noob to the fish tank world. I have a ten gallon tank and just bought a top for it today. Turns out it's a top where I can only install 2 normal/incandescent bulbs and not the fluorescent strip light/the lights that are long. I know that the top with the fluorescent strips are better but for now I have no choice but to stick with this. My question is "what are the best lights I can get for the closest results to fluorescent strip lights?" I've been researching and people say that incandescent bulbs produce too much heat to a tank too. Any inputs on this? Should I only turn the light on in moderation or just leave it on? Thanks a lot guys.

*Also, how strong should these lights be too in volts/watts?

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Permalink Reply by IMP on August 12, 2011 at 12:34am

Hey. Would you mind giving me a list of plants that are undemanding of light so whenever I go plant I can get them? Thanks a lot.

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Permalink Reply by IMP on August 12, 2011 at 12:16am

Well, I haven't actually looked at Walmart and stuff to see if they sell just the hood by itself or not. To my knowledge I can't recall ever seeing any. I know that at Petsmart and Petco they do but it's around 30 bucks. I'm trying to see what I can do with this top first before having to purchase a new one. As of right now my tank it plantless. I don't plan on having any live plants in it any time soon. Will incandescent lighting still be okay or will it be too my for my fellow guppies?

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Permalink Reply by IMP on August 12, 2011 at 12:23am

Haha. Alright then. So I assume you don't have any recommendations on what kind of incandescent lights I should have and at how many watts/volts they should be?

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Permalink Reply by IMP on August 12, 2011 at 12:29am

Alright then man. Thanks a lot though for everything.

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Permalink Reply by 2apes2gp667wr on August 12, 2011 at 12:14am

6500K CFL bulbs are readily available at most stores. Even better would be SHO CFL bulbs that can be ordered online, but might be too large for that hood. Two of those bulbs should be fine for a 10 gallon. Also standard incandescent bulbs are pretty much useless for aquarium use.

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Permalink Reply by IMP on August 12, 2011 at 12:18am

Okay. I'll look into this and see how things go. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by IMP on August 12, 2011 at 12:22am

At how many watts or volts would you recommend for the 6500K CFL bulbs?

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Permalink Reply by 2apes2gp667wr on August 12, 2011 at 1:39am

I would go with 2 of the 26W bulbs. They are the biggest.

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Permalink Reply by PaducahFishFan on August 12, 2011 at 12:57pm

For a small tank like that I would recommend you getting a glass top. Then just using fluorescent light strips like you find at a PetSmart.

You'll figure it out and your asking the right questions for a new guy. ;-)

My parents didn't want to let me get a tank cause they thought I would lose interest after a month. I read books on fish tanks and keeping for 3 years. The more you learn the more you will enjoy the hobby and FishTankTV is a great place to start. I've been keeping fish since the 70's and I'm still learning stuff from folks.

Post pics when you get it setup.