can you tell me if the watts on lights are enough

hi there .
these lights in photo are 16w i can also get then in 28 w
question is will 2 16w lights be enough on both sides of screen , the screens 12in wide by 12in long
i was also considering this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :middle:uk
pic
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/h...s120609008.jpg

Use the basic guideline of 0.5 W per gallon of water, for regular power. Or 1.0 W per gallon, for high power. Yes you will want to reflect all light back to the screen.

Also bear in mind various things:[list]
-The lights are quite far away from the screen (I have mine around 1.5" away from the screen with glass inbetween)
-The glass is pretty thick, which will reduce light output.
-The lights will get hot, especially with the higher power bulbs, so make sure you have a fan over the top - adding 50% more light onto my unit (with fans) has increased the overall tank temperature by 1 degree on a reasonable sized 6x2x2 tank[/list]

I'd use the 28watt lights if you could.

I'd also put one small pancake fan right in the center of each light bay blowing down. That will probably eliminate water heating and will keep the bulb's drivers happy by forcing the air up and out on either side.

BTW I like your design. Pretty clever.

BTW I cannot stress enough that you MUST run your lights from a GFI protected outlet! Any breach in water integrity and you will have a bad, nasty situation develop that can result in a dead tank, or a fire, or electrocution, or all of the above.

hi kcress
question one were can i get a pancake fan
question too what does gfi stand for
the lights will be three inches away on each side of screen .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ocean rock

hi kcress question one were can i get a pancake fan

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Those are the fans you find in PCs. They are just about everywhere. Find some 12VDC ones(the most common), and a little 9VDC wall power supply to run them all. The 9V will run them silently but fast enough to do the job.
This is an example not a site recommendation.
http://www.xoxide.com/casefans.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ocean rock

hi kcress question too what does gfi stand for

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Sorry. GFI = Ground Fault Interrupter.
A device that protects you from electrocution by sensing current flowing in the wrong places.
You may have seen them. They are strange looking outlets.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... er+Outlets

Note they usually cost about $18US not the absurd price shown on this site.

In the US they've been required for any places that are wet.
If you aren't up to installing one yourself get someone to help you or you can buy the style that plugs into any outlet and then you plug your things into it like a power strip.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ocean rock

the lights will be three inches away on each side of screen .

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Fine.

cheers m8 for all the info