Tropical Fish Forums

[xJasminex]

Hello!!
I am new to this site and I mostly just read everything that is posted but now I am faced with a dilemma.
I am really looking forward to setting up a new tank, its a 2.5 gallon that will house a small betta and maybe a shrimp and snail. I would also like to have plants too, and I am finding it increasingly hard to find a light with low enough wattage for my tank. I have read that I need at most 2 watts per gallon and the loswest wattage I have found is a 6 watt bulb. This is 2.4 watts per gallon.

I was hoping that maybe someone could suggest a website that I could find a five watt or less bulb that I could buy, I would really hate to fry my plants!

Any suggestions would be helpful!
Thanks!

Jasmine

[DaleJr]

You can use that light but raise it some. Like 3-5 inches from the top.

[xJasminex]

That probably would work.
But I have the aqueon mini bow, so it has the top that sits on the tank, and I like how it all fits togather. Pluss I have cats, and they might go fishing if there is space to stick a paw.....and then I have dogs. Dogs that shed a lot. And this tank is in my room where the majority of the hair collets and its everywhere! Its even hard to keep it out of my other covered tank =/

But thank you for the suggestion!
Maybe when I don't have a zoo that might work!

[xJasminex]

Hmm, what if I used a flourescent bulb from the hardware store......I'm betting I can't but I figured I would ask anyway.....
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30 Gallon- 2 fancy fantails and an albino cory

[unissuh]

Wpg rule breaks down over small tanks...your light sounds OK to me. Try it and see would be my advice.

Even if you could find a 2-4w bulb it probably wouldn't be enough to grow plants with. IME there is a minimum threshold around 6-8w needed for fluorescents/compact fluorescents, once you go below that the bulbs just don't seem to put out enough light to grow much regardless of tank size.
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Fishing in the Rivers of Light

[xJasminex]

Hey! Thanks for the knowledge!
You are really helpful!

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30 Gallon- 2 fancy fantails and an albino cory