Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Where do you get your Fluorescent bulbs? Up until now I have used reptiglow bulbs for my tanks, but they are a bit pricey. Just wondering where you guys get your Fluorescent bulbs and what type do you use? I plan to use 2 18 inch lights on my latest tank (15 gal high) and I am looking to spend a little less on the bulbs. I might just stick with one, but right now I am thinking 2.

Thanks,
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

Well i got mine from reptile depot, im almost hesitant to say anything else without my post being deleted.

but i got my 36" repti-glo 2.0s for $11 each i think. I searched for a month for a good bulb at a good price. (well i found other good ones but they had to be bought by the case!).

let us know where you get yours at, you could find a great price that we havent found before!
aj
-----
Click Here to see my vivarium and steps on how to make a basic vivarium UPDATED 7.18.03 Now complete! All that is needed are some New River Tincs!

kungfu28181: My god. You are insane. -Mon Jun 30 21:41:05

As long as it was worded well I don't think your post would be deleted, but hey what do I know. Did you have a problem?
That does seem a little cheaper than I can get them locally, but I've heard of people using some bulbs from Walmart that work very well. When i have looked they have only had full size ones and no smaller ones.

Anyone else?
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

I just buy the kitchen and bath bulbs made by ge they usually sell them at the grocery store, then get the 6 dollar undercabinet light thats 18 inches long from home depot then make hood for the tank or just lay them on top of the glass.

n.p.

I agree with the under the cabinet light, i'm plan to do that part, and have already used that on a 10 gal I setup.

On the bulb though I can say that after having the same or similar bulb (i think mine was philips) right next to a repti-glo there is no comparison. I would say the other is 4000K, and the 6500k makes a huge difference. Unless you found a 6500k for $6. Thus why I am asking the question.
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

I know the phillips bulbs you are talking about but these are much brighter I think they are 6500k

Do they come in 18 inch size?
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

They have at my store in 18 inch 24 and 48

What store is that?
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

I usually get mine from publix but I have seen them at all grocery store here in St. Pete, Florida. Home Depot and Lowes around here dont carry them, they only carry the duller utillity bulbs

Concerning lighting, stay away from anything bought at pet stores!

On most of my tanks, I use 2 48 inch shop lights ($7 a piece at Walmart). With these, I use a combination of 2 GE Plants and Aquarium bulbs ($6 each at WM) and 2 GE Sunshine bulbs, rated at 6500K for the same price. This combination produced wonderful plant growth and is very pleasing to the eye; not too red and not too blue. The 48 inch fixtures fit my 50 gallon perfectly, but with the smaller tanks, I have arranged them on my rack so that two tanks are illuminated by the fixtures. Originally, I was using a repti-glo 2.0 and 5.0, and it is my opinion that they are a COMPLETE waste of money...my plants grow better with the combination I use. I now use the repti-glo bulbs for my carnivorous plant terrarium, which isn't a show piece like my frog vivariums.

On my 30 gallon imitator tank, I use two Lights of America security lights that put out 6500k and the fluorescent hood fixture that came with the tank with a red Fritz marine bulb to offset the blues. The Lights of America fixtures were an experiment, and $25 each from Home Depot...the quality is similar to that of power compacts, and growth is superb; I've had to elevate them from the tank with egg crate as they do run a little warm.

My suggestion is to set up your tanks to utilize the 48 inch shop light, the most popular fluorescent light fixture available (check the price of a 2 bulb 48 inch fixture at the aquarium store, about 80 bucks), and therefore the cheapest. You can easily hide the white of the fixture with spray paint or get a little creative with wood paneling. The 48 inch bulbs are also the cheapest. The Plants and Aquariums bulbs are in a blue and white package and the Sunshine bulbs are in an orange package.

Ahh, something else I just remembered, Home Depot sells screw in daylight (6500K) fluorescent bulbs to be used in incandescent fixutres for about $9.

Sorry about the long rambling post!

David
Tempe, AZ

Not too long, and great info. I agree that pet store lights are WAY overpriced. That is the reason I asked. My only problem is that most others do not make these bulbs in smaller sizes. I would love to use a longer fixture and I will on a later project, but for my current tank i will need a hood and a small light or two since it will be going in my living room.

I have heard about the screw in ones, but are the full spectrum, and do they heat up too much. Has anyone used them? I could also build a small lid using these.

Thanks,
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

I use two for my ten gallon planted fish tank and one for my orchids. They're not full spectrum, but plants use mostly the blue/green side of the spectrum, which is what these bulbs produce. Remember also that if you're using UV bulbs, most of the rays are filtered through glass and plastic, making the extra money you spend pretty much null and void.

David
Tempe, AZ

The screw in compacts run pretty hot I used my temp gun to measure it after it was on for about five hours and they were 204 degrees

WOW thats a bit HOT.

Maybe I will just go for the compact ones from www.ahsupply.com as most people say to use. They are cheaper, but not as cheap as the $8 fixture I can get at home depot.
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

The compacts from ahsupply arent as hot because the bulb isnt wound around in a spiral like the screw in fluoroscents, I would go with the home depot lights because they are already wired and everything but if I was putting it in a living room like you said you were I would probably get the lights from ahsupply because they are bit easier to mount in a hood plus you can put the balast up to 20 inches away(i think its 20 inches), most of the heat from fluorescentrs comes from the ballast.

I will have to see, i'm really just trying to find some cheaper bulbs to use in the under the cabinet fixture from home depot. I think thats the cheapest way to go and provide the best light.
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

The undercabinet lights are probably the best for your tank, there cheap and alot of stores carry them and you dont have to wire anything. I use the undercabinet lights for most of my tanks except for a few 55 gallon tanks that I use four foot shop lights for.

I think that is what I will use, just need to find the bulbs you were talking about.
-----
Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
D. leucomelas
D. azureus

We've had some unusually hot weather for here--in the 80's, so I've been turning off my (pet store type) fluorescents during the middle of the day to help keep the temps down. The plants are etiolating (stretching up) from doing this for a couple of weeks. I do have one bank with a ballast that is separate and sits in a different location. From what you say, I could probably leave this one on with less heat effect. I never even thought about this before.
-----
Patty
Lost River, Idaho

D. auratus blue
D. galactonotus
D. imitator
D. leukomelas
D. pumilio Bastimentos (soon)

I just checked my 6500k bulb: 165 for the inside of the bulb, the top of the tank 4 inches away is 75.

David
Tempe, AZ

i have a 36" fixture for my 36" long tank. i use the GE sunshine lights for my FBT tank. BUt i can find any high kalvin rated 36" lights at stores. Have you ever seen any? all i have found are 24" and 48" high kalvin lights.

I have also looked for the lights of america fixtures but they dont have around here!

aj
-----
Click Here to see my vivarium and steps on how to make a basic vivarium UPDATED 7.18.03 Now complete! All that is needed are some New River Tincs!

kungfu28181: My god. You are insane. -Mon Jun 30 21:41:05

I have seen smaller sizes at WM before, but I've never investigated because all I use are the 48 inch (which happen to be cheaper than the smaller bulbs). I'm sure you can order the size you need from GE or another source.

The LoA fixtures I use were bought at Home Depot...they are in the security lighting section...the ones I bought are the higher wattage and were $25 each. They were recommended by a local breeder as well as a huge number of people on a reef aquarist forum...they seriously put out the same quality light as power compacts (basically that is what they are).

David
Tempe, AZ