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Ok, when people say 1 watt per gallon, are they meaning 1 wpg at the standard ammount of lumines? ie. 48 lumines or so for a 24in. long bulb? because i just got a 150 lumine in the same length and it has made a huge difference to the tank, and i'm wondering if that would count as being equivalent to about 2.25 wats per gallon in a 33 gal. tank? I know WPG is a loose rule and realy depends on a combination of things like water clarity and tank depth, but generaly does what i have translate?

Hi,
A lumen is a measure for the flow of light equal to
one international candle. A way to measure this is
with a light meter. However, water proofing one
so that you could place it on the surface of the
substrate to get a reading is kinda rough.

Watts/per gallon is an easier way to figure how
much light to use in a tank. In the states we
all become familiar with how much light a 40, 60,
or 100 watt, light bulb emits. These are incandescent.
A flourscent tube is rated in watts as well, it is
how much energy is consumed to emit a given amount
of light. It is all relative, and it is easier to
use values and terms that we are familiar with.

I believe that European literature uses lumens more
than we do stateside, and suspect that you should
be able to find numerous charts, and explainations
to your question using an internet search.

Here are three sites that relate to plants and
aquarium lighting:

http://faq.thekrib.com/plant-lighting.html
http://www.fitchfamily.com/lighting.html
http://www.aqua-web.org/users/saurama/index.htm

Hope these help...
Frank


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