A friend of mine gave me a compact light retro kit and I was planning
on putting it on my heavily planted 10 gallon breeding tank. However,
it is 90 watts. I can put it elsewhere if that is a problem, but is
it? I have always struggled to get enough light and this has never
come up. Maybe the algae will go crazy? So, how many watts per
gallon is too much? And what are the consequences of too much light?

(Justin Cook) wrote:

A friend of mine gave me a compact light retro kit and I was planning
on putting it on my heavily planted 10 gallon breeding tank. However,
it is 90 watts. I can put it elsewhere if that is a problem, but is
it? I have always struggled to get enough light and this has never
come up. Maybe the algae will go crazy? So, how many watts per
gallon is too much? And what are the consequences of too much light?

That sounds like too much to me. Your first concern may be heat - that
much light on a small tank will definitely warm the water.

You'd very probably have to dose the tank with CO2 and fertilizers
like mad with that much light, just so that the desired plants could
stay ahead of the algae.


Tell you what... send the light to me so I can put it on the 30 gallon
tank I have waiting in the basement


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