will I burn the house down?

[DivaSkyChick]

Hi there. I have decided to turn my very basic five gallon quarantine tank into a beautifully planted nano tank, not a reef tank. However I think you'll be able to tell me if I just made a huge mistake.

The very basic hood that came with my used tank had a small bulb in it - I think maybe 5 or 10 watts of yellow /orange light. It's a screw in bulb.

I happened to have a 65 watt energy saver compact florescent bulb which fit right in. Now the tank is lit up beautifully!

The hood is hot where the bulb is but not to the point of melting. What are the odds that it will get to that point? Are there any other repercussions I should be aware of?

Thanks for any help!

 

[incysor]

Hi there. I have decided to turn my very basic five gallon quarantine tank into a beautifully planted nano tank, not a reef tank. However I think you'll be able to tell me if I just made a huge mistake.

The very basic hood that came with my used tank had a small bulb in it - I think maybe 5 or 10 watts of yellow /orange light. It's a screw in bulb.

I happened to have a 65 watt energy saver compact florescent bulb which fit right in. Now the tank is lit up beautifully!

The hood is hot where the bulb is but not to the point of melting. What are the odds that it will get to that point? Are there any other repercussions I should be aware of?

Thanks for any help!

I'd get a dremel, or a hand drill, remove the bulb, and drill lots of little holes in the hood directly over where the bulb sits, then put it back together and see if putting in these 'vent' holes will drop the temp a bit.

B

 

[waterdog]

maybe buy some alluminum flashing, it will act as a reflector and a heat sheild

 

[wettank]

I have several planted freshwater tanks with co2 injection and so forth.The 65 watt light you plan to use maybe a little high for plants

 

[leakyfaucet]

I'd be careful that that bulb isn't drawing out too much more than the fixture is designed for. Think of it as putting a 100 wat bulb in a lamp rated only for 25 watts. Something will give, either the bulb or the wiring itself... if your lucky the bulb may just burn out. Worst case could be that a wire starts melting somewhere causing a short and possibly a fire.

 

[Dickie52]

I wouldn't go to sleep with the light on.....

 

[skipm]

Is the actual wattage of the bulb 65 or is it equivalent to a 65 watt incandescent bulb? Either way I would at least make some ventilation holes like DJ suggested or retrofit a fan into the hood.