OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On Mar 13, 1:08*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. *One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. *The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. *Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. *Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. *The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. *They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

My feeling is that if they have the same pin-out, a 45 should work.

What counts is what the ballast says it will operate. Wrong lamp you
might have short lamp life, or worst case overheat and have a fire.
If its electronic they frequently operate over a range. If its
magnetic they are usually a lot tighter range.

Mike M

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:08:13 +0000 (UTC), Larry Blanchard
wrote:

OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

On 3/13/2010 11:19 AM Mike M spake thus:

What counts is what the ballast says it will operate. Wrong lamp you
might have short lamp life, or worst case overheat and have a fire.
If its electronic they frequently operate over a range. If its
magnetic they are usually a lot tighter range.

[please don't top post]

Yabbut, it's OK to run a lamp with a smaller rating; that won't harm the
ballast. A larger lamp could. The 45-watt lamp should work just fine,
assuming it fits the socket.


--
You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it.

- a Usenet "apology"

"David Nebenzahl" wrote in message
.com...
On 3/13/2010 11:19 AM Mike M spake thus:

What counts is what the ballast says it will operate. Wrong lamp you
might have short lamp life, or worst case overheat and have a fire.
If its electronic they frequently operate over a range. If its
magnetic they are usually a lot tighter range.

[please don't top post]

Yabbut, it's OK to run a lamp with a smaller rating; that won't harm the
ballast. A larger lamp could. The 45-watt lamp should work just fine,
assuming it fits the socket.


--
Exactly. Fixtures/ballast have a maximum but seldom a minimum. The listed
wattage of a CF is usually the output but the actual wattage being used is
much less. Ex: a 65w CF bulb will use something along the lines of 23 watts
and a 45w bulb will use something like 13 watts.

If the socket is a medium base, then you'll be fine.

A netiquette Nazi who uses made up words. Ok.


On 3/13/10 1:32 PM, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 3/13/2010 11:19 AM Mike M spake thus:

What counts is what the ballast says it will operate. Wrong lamp you
might have short lamp life, or worst case overheat and have a fire.
If its electronic they frequently operate over a range. If its
magnetic they are usually a lot tighter range.

[please don't top post]

Yabbut, it's OK to run a lamp with a smaller rating; that won't harm the
ballast. A larger lamp could. The 45-watt lamp should work just fine,
assuming it fits the socket.



--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:34:49 -0500, SBH wrote:

If the socket is a medium base, then you'll be fine.

Oops - my bad. I missed that line until after I'd responded. You
obviously were talking about replacement CFs, and I was talking about the
regular 4 pin CFs. Sorry.

Actually, that would be my bad as I missed you indicating it being a 4 pin
CF.

Both are good choices. We had a yellow puffer fish that would
suck in a red snail and pop out the empty shell.
It was great when we got new plants from a tank that had red snails.

Martin

LDosser wrote:
"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

Have also you considered an algae eater such as one of the mini sucker
mouth cats or a mystery snail or two? How big a tank?

"Martin H. Eastburn" wrote in message
...
Both are good choices. We had a yellow puffer fish that would
suck in a red snail and pop out the empty shell.
It was great when we got new plants from a tank that had red snails.

We had a toby that ate the whole snail and died.

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:08:13 +0000 (UTC), the infamous Larry Blanchard
scrawled the following:

OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

I have a (website) client who does coral and aquariums. I passed your
question on to him and will give you his answer tomorrow(?)

--
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study
mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and
philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation,
commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to
study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and
porcelain.
-- John Adams

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:25:44 +0000 (UTC), the infamous Larry Blanchard
scrawled the following:

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:34:49 -0500, SBH wrote:

Exactly. Fixtures/ballast have a maximum but seldom a minimum. The
listed wattage of a CF is usually the output but the actual wattage
being used is much less. Ex: a 65w CF bulb will use something along the
lines of 23 watts and a 45w bulb will use something like 13 watts.

OK I'll give it a try. Thanks to all for the responses.

BTW, my experience has been that on the incandescent replacement CFs, the
65W equivalent, 23W actual is indeed the case. For other CFs that don't
have ballasts and aren't intended as replacements, the wattage given is
the actual. At least for aquarium fixtures. A 65W CF gives a *lot* more
light than a 65W incandescent.

My 23W CFLs are rated at 100W (incandescent replacement value) and put
out a whole lot more lovely, blue-white light. None of that yellow
crap. Your figures don't track. Absolutely all the CFLs I've seen
rated 100W take between 23 and 27 watts.

--
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study
mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and
philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation,
commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to
study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and
porcelain.
-- John Adams

"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

I just empty the hood and install an entire light fixture.

When the beloved and I had a large hex column tank, we had two
20 watts in the top. one or the other or both...

It was 32" tall and 24" across the flats.

Martin

Pat wrote:
"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
...
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

I just empty the hood and install an entire light fixture.

On Mar 13, 2:08*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. *One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. *The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. *Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. *Turns out they don't make 55 watt any
more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. *The stores all tell me the 65
will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. *They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Pin base CFLs have the ballast in the fixture. You need the
same wattage. Pin base CFL bulbs are also cheap, because
you're only replacing half of the functioning unit. Buy the same
wattage generic bulb from Walmart, HD, whatever, instead of
the repackaged, marked-up specialty bulb from the fish store.
The only difference between bulbs of a given output is color
temperature (degrees K). Match that figure, and you have
the exact replacement.

As for the bulb stimulating algae growth, that's due mostly
to blue output. 6500K daylights put out more blue and UV
than 5700K "sunshine" and 3500K cool whites. 6500K
bulbs are great for plant lights and hence for algae.

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:11:54 -0700, Father Haskell wrote:

On Mar 13, 2:08Â*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. Â*One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. Â*The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. Â*Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. Â*Turns out they don't make 55 watt
any more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. Â*The stores all tell me
the 65 will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. Â*They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Pin base CFLs have the ballast in the fixture. You need the same
wattage.

So you're saying that a lower wattage bulb won't work? BTW, it seems 45
watt bulbs aren't available any more. I'd have to drop down to a 40 watt.


As for the bulb stimulating algae growth, that's due mostly to blue
output. 6500K daylights put out more blue and UV than 5700K "sunshine"
and 3500K cool whites. 6500K bulbs are great for plant lights and
hence for algae.

Agreed, but I have a heavily planted tank so want the 6500K. But your
post does suggest an alternate solution. I could switch to a less
effective bulb for at least a short time without harming the plants.
Once the plants grew to a respectable size I could go back to the plant
light. Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On Mar 15, 12:28*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:11:54 -0700, Father Haskell wrote:
On Mar 13, 2:08*pm, Larry Blanchard wrote:
OK, maybe waaay OT, but I've found a lot of general knowledge in this
group.

I have an aquarium hood that takes a 55 watt CF. *One of the U-shaped
ones with 4 in-line pins. *The fixture comes with dire warnings to only
replace with the same kind of bulb.

55 watts is too much wattage for the tank without some extra doodads
(mainly CO2 injection) - I get lots of algae growth. *Eventually the
plants will win out over the algae, but in the meantime ...

I went out looking for a new bulb. *Turns out they don't make 55 watt
any more, they make a 45 watt and a 65 watt. *The stores all tell me
the 65 will work, but they give conflicting answers on the 45 watt.

If someone here is well versed in the do's and don'ts of CF bulbs and
fixtures, please let me know if a 45 watt will work. *They're too
expensive to experiment :-).

Thanks.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

Pin base CFLs have the ballast in the fixture. *You need the same
wattage.

So you're saying that a lower wattage bulb won't work? *BTW, it seems 45
watt bulbs aren't available any more. *I'd have to drop down to a 40 watt.