Lights out!

So newb question, the lights that came with my tank (that were cheap to begin with) have just both gone out... and from what i tell, its going to take a lot of searching to find lights that are both good enough for my tank without breaking the pocket book.

So my question is... I have a reading lamp that is 60w and is a clear lightbulb, will this be ok???

 

Do you have coral ?

 

heres prolly the cheapest t5s you can buy new..
T5 High Output

a good many people on here have them and just put ati bulbs in it when the stock bulbs go out and they are pleased with them..

check around and see if you can get a used fixture..i got a 250w sunpod for 50$ with a brand new bulb

 

If you have a fish only tank. A cheap replacement aquarium light should be enough.

If you have corals or anything else that's photosynthetic a stronger light will be needed. The T5 lights linked in the previous post will work .

 

I should have mentioned it's a 10g with only live rock and a blenny, but last night I saw 2 brittle starfish that must have hitched a ride on a piece of LR I bought about a week or 2 ago. But will this light be enough for healthy growth of LR?

 

I'd go T5 kust gives it a nicer look plus the reading light will rust :/
How about Amazon.com: CL26SL: Finnex Aquarium Nano Refugium Cliplight including 3U Blue White Bulb & Moonlight LED - SILVER GREY: Kitchen & Dining

 

Just a word of warning, I am not new to the hobby but I have been absent for a while, but I have read a lot and still know some things, but I apologize if anything I say is incorrect. How big is your tank? One desk lamp may not provide enough light for the fish. Is that 60 watts of incandescent or fluorescent light? If it's fluorescent light, you might be okay with using it as a temporary measure.

I've read that using the wrong color temperature of light might be a problem and can cause undesirable algae blooms while discouraging other things you might want to grow. Someone else may need to corroborate that. Incandescent bulbs really don't produce much in the way of ultraviolet light which anything photosynthetic might need; you might have an issue with that also. If it is an incandescent bulb, you can replace it with a compact fluorescent bulb that fits in an incandescent socket that at least will provide a higher color temperature of light than an incandescent bulb (look for a cool white bulb or a sunlight bulb, you can pick them up at Walmart or something for $2-3.) Obviously, you'll want as much light as possible, so get a bulb that is of the highest wattage (usually it's listed as light-equivalent.

That might be a lot of work for what will probably be a very temporary solution. And if you have corals, this is no solution at all! You need to get adequate light for them as soon as possible, if so. That one link to aquatraders is good. I got a fixture from them when I had a tank previously and it seemed to work fine. I got a 48" Catalina Aquariums light that seems to be performing well for about $160 shipped, with 3x54 bulbs and lunar lights on ebay. Just shop around. If you don't have the money right now and you don't have corals, use your desk lamp for a couple of weeks keeping in mind you will eventually need a replacement. Just a word of warning, though: do not let anything metal come in contact with your water.

In my eyes, it's better to spend a little extra money getting something that will work better for than to spend money on fixing something/replacing something that you will later replace anyway. If you have to take a few weeks to a month to save for something a little better, there's no reason to go out and buy something cheap that you don't want IF your desk lamp can suffice for a little while.

And, if corals aren't in your future, you can usually get a ordinary fluorescent hood (usually used for freshwater) for about $20-30 online if you look hard.