lighting upgrade advice?

[lilduud]

i have the oppurtunity to change to the wave point 4 bulb 24 inch which would double my light to almost 10 watts per gallon
however my concern is that it will overheat my system as i already have 1-2 degree spikes toward the end of the day...both the lights i have now and the wavepoint 4 bulb are fanless and there for non-cooled.. any comments or suggestions?

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

Get a cheapo fan and point it across the surface of the water to help blow the hear away from the water. Works for me :)

 

[lilduud]

could i run it in between the light and the tank lid? i dont want to go lidless because of the evap rate with a tank this small...

 

[Bifferwine]

You are better off going lidless. Evaporation is what cools your tank, it's not bad -- it's just a hassle for you to top off. Tank lids are a no-no unless absolutely necessary to keep in certain fish.

 

[reeffreak]

Are you going to hang the lights?!10 Gallon aquariums are shallow so you could hang the lights pretty far away and have plenty of light.8-12'' high.

 

[lilduud]

well i do have fears of my mandarin jumping but the lids are mostly for the evap... he does jet up the water column when ever im working in there and he made it out of the water once... i will try hanging them first but i wasnt planning on that....

 

[lilduud]

You are better off going lidless. Evaporation is what cools your tank, it's not bad -- it's just a hassle for you to top off. Tank lids are a no-no unless absolutely necessary to keep in certain fish.

why lidless though? my tank makes such a mess all over my desk when the lids off.. not to mention the salt buildup on my light...
pllluus evap and the mandarin

 

[Bifferwine]

If you are getting a lot of salt buildup and salt creep, your equipment is spraying water everywhere, which it should be doing. Are you using any airstones or bubblers?

Why lidless? Because it keeps the tank cool and oxygenates the water. If you have a lid, the water isn't mixing with the air at the air-water interface. And you are trapping heat inside of it. You're basically running a greenhouse.

 

[lilduud]

yes i have an airstone... but i know my equipment should be making water move hah
my issue is that its on my computer desk and i do not want salt buildup on my aluminum computer or any of its equipment. or on the desk that its on... lidless is just way too much work and mess for my current set up...

 

[Bifferwine]

Get rid of the airstone. You should have a powerhead, not an airstone.

 

[lilduud]

even with just my hob filter on it makes a mess all over my desk... i have already been planning to change the airstone for two mini power heads but i still think i will need the lid...
will that starve things of oxygen? its not sealed just lidded