Erin Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 Okay I have 4X13Watt CFL bulbs... do I go with what it would be in watts or what it is in watts to find the WPG??? I'm confused! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 4 x 13 = 52; divide that by # of gallons to get WPG (watts per gallon.) eg. for a 20 gal tank you'd have 2.6 WPG Just keep in mind that WPG ratings aren't a hard and fast rule, more like a guideline. For example: -What type of lights are being used? Different types of bulb are more/less efficient at producing light (not heat) from their given wattage (think of the classic example of incandescent vs. CF). -3WPG on a deep tank will be less effective than 3WPG on a shallow tank of the same volume. More light is absorbed by the water as it gets deeper. -Got some driftwood that's leaching tannins? A bit lax on your water changes? Lots of dissolved organics means that even more light will be absorbed by the water. -What wavelengths of light do your bulbs emit? A high wattage bulb is ineffective if it's putting out the wrong parts of the spectrum for photosynthesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedarkstar Posted February 18, 2009 Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 For CFL its pretty much "daylight" or bust lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted February 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2009 They are daylight, all 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayen Posted February 19, 2009 Report Share Posted February 19, 2009 Due to their weird shape i generally consider them 75% effective or less due to restrike issues as alot of thel ight is INSIDE the spiral as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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