Lighting Requirements

Elahrairah

I hear a lot about the 2-3 watt/gallon rule here,

But is that for incandescent only? What about fluorescent?

By this theory, I should be using a 120 watt bulb, but I can't find any....the bulb I have now is only 20 watts (it is a bulb I purchased from Petsmart which says it's spectrum is designed for plants)...In fact, I feel 120 watt bulb may fry my hood fixture.

Please clarify. Thanks.

fish_4_all

http://woo.gotdns.com/Aquarium/Lighting.htm

This information is also in the stickies for future reference.

If you are talking about incandescents, which I don't think you are, then 120 watt bulb in a hood would cause huge problems.

use the site to experiment with different dimensions and you will get an idea of how surface area effects how much light you need.