Switch light bulb, is this OK?

[firerock]

I wanted to purchase the 20" Current USA SunPod for my tank, but I can't decide which wattage to purchase. It comes in both 150W and 70W.

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium...ght.asp?CartId=

If I purchase the 150W model, is it OK to change the bulb from 150W to 70W if it heats up the tank too much during the summer? I want to avoid using chiller on the tank, but also want something that's more future proof since the price difference between the two is very little.

Thanks for the help.

 

[plugpitch]

no, you can't do that. how big is your tank? for heat issues, you can always keep the light high to let heat from the light dissapate.

 

[firerock]

It is only 16g, at 150W it'll boil the water in no time. I was hoping to upgrade to larger tank in the future without having to purchase another fixture. Oh well... What'll happen? Will it burn the bulb?

Just curious, can the opposite be done? That is, putting a 150W bulb in the 70W fixture. I assume the 150W bulb will put out only 70W of power.

 

[SteveOhh]

The wattage of a bulb is rated to match the wattage of the ballast. You can't run a mismatched bulb & ballast. If you run the bigger ballast & the smaller bulb, the bulb won't last you longer then a month at best. If you run the bigger bulb & smaller ballast, the bulb will never burn bright enough to reach the spectrum it's designed for.

Buy the 150 & run a fan across the top of th water during the summer. It will amaze you how much that fan will lower your water temps.

If you purchase the Viper clip on lamp, you can also raise & lower the lamp quite easily to account for hot days.

HTH

Steve

 

[rockindacheeks]

my 10 gallon has a 150 and my temps dont go over 81 in the summer. I wouldnt worry about it heating up your tank too much

 

[firerock]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8432912#post8432912 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rockindacheeks
my 10 gallon has a 150 and my temps dont go over 81 in the summer. I wouldnt worry about it heating up your tank too much

SteveOhh, thanks for the info.

rockindacheeks, what's your room temperature and temperature of the tank at night when the light's off? TIA.

 

[firerock]

rockindacheeks, also, do you know how many degrees of heat the light adds to the tank? TIA

 

[rockindacheeks]

before i had halides my tank was 78 so it added at the most 4 degrees. The tank is at work and the room temp is usually 72-75. Since it is at work i dont know what the temp drops to at night. I have a 50w heater just incase it gets low tho.

oh and its in an enclosed canopy so something like the sunpod, viper, or Aqualight HOT (hang on tank) shouldnt heat the water as much.

 

[firerock]

Great, thanks for the info. :thumbsup: