hps light

viva la viv · #1 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 03:19 AM

Was wondering if anyone uses a hps light A buddy gave me one It says 75 watts and i was planning on using it over one of them cheapy 10gal tanks from wallmart, It just has my sons gold fish in it and I wonder if it would do to grow plants in the tank....

Epiphile · #2 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 07:23 AM

HPS is ordinarily used as supplemental light in greenhouses due to it's really low colour temperature (though I believe there are bulbs that go a bit higher up the spectrum now, and also metal halide conversion bulbs that will run on an HPS ballast)- it's a really sickly yellow glow. If you did use it you'd have to make sure you had some serious room and or air movement between the lamp and that little tank- even though 75W isn't too high wattage, relatively speaking, these lamps put off a lot of heat. I think that you'd be better off with fluorescent lights in this case, personally, but you may hear other opinions here.

beckdg · #3 (**permalink**) 10-13-2009, 10:24 PM

i think you got a good handle on this one epiphile.

that 75 is liable to get awful hot under a plastic hood. hps is likely to be very bright and horrendous looking also.

ge daylight cfl 20 - 27 watts would probably be best in this scenario. n:vision daylight isn't too bad either though.

goldfish are not exactly plant friendly. i would choose anubias and java fern species because they'll root to hard objects like wood or rocks. that way the goldfish can't uproot it.

last but not least a 10 gallon is awful small for a goldfish.

all in all the hps should be sufficient if not overkill for your tank. like i said though i'd worry about the tank hood!

viva la viv · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 03:15 AM

thanks for the advice guys I knew i would have to keep the light away from the water so i made a frame out of egg crate that sits on top of the tank and raises the lid 5 inch and gives open air flow under the light hopefully this will do. And ya that little gold fish is kinda big for the tank but it is his winter home till he goes back in the yard pond. and there is plants in the tank right now under a one bulb florecent It meets the watt requirment of 2.5 watts per gal but the light intensity is too low so they look sad Took me a while to find plants the gold fish won't bother as long as i hide the roots there his fav. anyway thanks again I'm off now to build one of them diy co2 gen. they look fun so take care...

Epiphile · #5 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 07:29 AM

Ha ha ha...

Where's a moderator when you need one?

beckdg · #6 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 10:34 AM

no problem viva... keep an eye on your ammonia though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by slifirgil

Hello everybody!
I am a new member in this forum.I love it so much .
I aslo want to ask you one question.Please tell me your idea.It is so important to me :
How cam I make friend with a pretty girl ?
Thank a lot!

do some research and learn how to care for a bearded dragon. set up an enclosure for one and get everything working just right. buy one and keep it until you find the right girl. give her a sob story and tell her you can't keep it anymore and give it to her. explain to her it needs very special care and that you'd want to come over from time to time and provide that care until she's comfortable and knowledgeable to handle things. after that just don't screw it up and you're good to go.

so yeah, where's a mod when you need one?

froggsong · #7 (**permalink**) 10-14-2009, 11:42 AM

We don't HAVE any mods, lol... Just good ol' me.

User will be banned for spamming shortly. And guys, don't feed the trolls, or the spam monsters. If too well fed they may spawn and then we'll never eradicated them... lol

I probably won't have internet for a while, I need to pick someone to be a mod while I'm away at least...

Mikey8567 · #8 (**permalink**) 11-30-2009, 10:22 PM

Being an electrician by trade I advise any to stay away from HPS (High Pressure Sodium) and Metal Halide lighting short of yard lighting.They run very hot! Just an idea, any lighting fixture requires by National Electric Code to have wiring inside a house to be MIN of 90C (194F) rated, and also the wiring inside a fixture. But in those two fixtures the wiring is rated 120c Min (285F) because of the heat that not only the bulb but the ballest generates. I've see those two fixtures melt vinyl siding (incorrectly installed) and even the wire nuts used to make the connections inside. It would be way too hot to be used ad a lighting source for any pet. And another issue is that the high pressure vessel inside the bulb can burst when it burns out (they have started shielding that with a glass tube for better protection). so as you can see too many bad things to be used in a lighting source for any pet.