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I'm going to be setting up a 75 gallon planted aquarium and I want to build my own light fixture. I was wondering about those new helical compact fluorescent lights that screw into a conventional incandescent light socket. I was going to build a box and mount 4 of those lights. Inside the box would be lined with reflective foil. GE makes a 60 watt fixture (that only uses 13 watts). Four of those would be 240 watt output. I also have a single fluorescent T8 strip light with a 6700 K lamp at 32 watts. That would equal 272 watts on 75 gallons, about 3.5 watts/gal. I tend to use relatively easy plants. My other planted tanks have vals, anubias, crypts, rotala, hygro. difformis and hygro. polysperma. The only thing I don't know is the spectral output of the helical compact fluorescents. I just wanted some other opinions. My goal is economy, but I don't want to waste the time building this fixture if you guys don't think it will work.. Thanks in advance!!

To be accurate with the screw in compact fluorescents you have to go by their wattage consumption not their equivalent to incandescent. So you will have 4x13w and one 32w for 84 watts. That's not a whole lot on a 75. The anubias, crypts, java fern, and java moss will do well, but most other plants won't under that amount of light.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Hi,
Someone has already built a DIY hood with those bulbs
and detailed its construction and theory in another thread.
I'll look for it when I have some time and edit this post
to show the thread.

Meanwhile, in answer to your question on which wattage
value to use when computing your watts per gallon, go
to the Technicial Tinkering forum, and read this thread:
"Screw-in Compact Fluorescents - what wattage?"
http://fishprofiles.com/files/threads/34027.1.htm?11#

Frank

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

So, if I understand correctly, if I go up to the 26 watt screw in fixtures and use 6, with the 32 watt strip light I would be at 2.5 watts/gal. I could not find the thread about screw in fixtures in the Technical Tinkering forum, but after reading many other older threads about lighting, it sounds like as long as the bulbs say "daylight" or "sunlight" on them, they should be about 6000-7000K. The other concern I thought about is heat. I didn't think they get as hot as incandescents, but will they be ok without a fan in an enclosed box???

Definitely go with the daylight ones. I have two on my 10g and they look great as compared to the "cool white" I used to have. I believe they were rated on the box as 6500k.