well, i've been dying to buy a compact fluorscent light for my tank. i've been doing some research on compact fluorscent lights and i decided to pick up a coralife freshwater aqualight single. i couldnt believe how much better my tank looked with these lights. my goldfish looked beautiful and more vibrant.
i also always wanted to get a lunar light for my goldfish. i know it doesnt do anything for them, but its nice for people to log onto my webcam at night and still see them. i was amazed at these coralife compact fluorscent lights. i'm dying to pick up some plants tomorrow. these pictures speak for themselves...


before:

after:

Wowsa! Now I want some ! GORGEOUS!
THose look like some happy fish a very clean and lovely tank!

Very big difference. I am going to go check out the fish at night!
Your tank looks so pro! What about evaporation? Do you think the fish can jump out (I doubt they would but...) Has it helped stop the flaoting by not having a lid?

What plants are you going to get?! So much fun!

PS - I am watching your fish sleep! How cool is that?!!?
PPS - THat last pic looks your CPU is hooked up to your fish tank - like HAL is running your tank! I guess it is fo rthe camera - but it's funny - looks like the command center for the tank!

thanks, graham. i love the coralife aqualights!

i have yet to see my fish jump out of the tank. water does evaporate, but i'm not very concerned about it. i just add more water to the tank. i'm really glad the coralife aqualight has an acrylic lens conver, so it'll prevent the water from splashing up and hitting the fluorscent lights.

i thinking about picking up some amazon swords.

Which type of bulb did you decide on? I saw the Hagen/Nutrafin nitrate test kit sitting on the top of your tank, did you ever resolve the difference in the results between the Hagen/Nutrafin and API nitrate test kits?

Im sold!!!!! I will have to look into it. I have a 36 inch tank with a 24 inch flourescent. Thats how the package came I have the same lunar lights (2) that I incorporated into the light fixture and they are so relaxing to look at. Im going to a new shop today with my son. I will definately inquire about these lamps.... what a difference.

Hey fondoo,the tank looks awesome with the new lights.Great job!

Your tank looks really nice with that light!

I have wanted to get one of those but have never seen them locally in the lfs.

Did you buy online? How did you choose? Is it by lenght of your tank? Sorry for all the questions I just never knew how you choose these lights or where the best place to get them is.

Thanks, and again, your tank is beautiful!

thanks for everyones compliments.

bak2it: i'm using the two single 6700K bulbs 130watt (2-65watt) 21" straight pin base. is there another bulb u recommended? thanks for your help on the API and hagen nitrate test kit. it was API nitrate water test that was giving me errors. the API nitrate bottles i had was almost empty, so i bought a new API nitrate test kit and now it matches with hagen.


vmlola: i've been comparing prices online and so far the best price with free shipping is www.bigalsonline.com, 101.99 on sale for 48". drfostersmith.com had them for the same price, but it was not free shipping. since i live in upstate ny and bigal's warehouse is nigara falls. the package arrived here in 1 day after shipped.
i have a 55gal tank and the suitable size was a 48" compact fluorscent light. you should request a free catalog from drfostersmith.com and check out the lights.

i went out today and picked up some plants and 2 more medium red/white ryukins.

Nope... 67K is a very good bulb for a freshwater tank.

fondoo, thanks for the info! Your tank looks so nice and I have always liked the way that lighting system looks.

Your new fish look great too!

Thanks again!

Oh! New fish! Yeah! I really like that blue background you have - the plants look great against it! How are the new guys getting on?

Your tank and fish and plants look great with the new lights! I will also look into the compact lighting.

wow! it looks great fondoo

this is exactly what i have in mind when i upgrade the 30 to a 55. i keep putting it off because we are probably moving this year and i would rather wait until after that. we are downsizing from 3 stories to one main level and a basement. with the family grown and my ra progressing, i'm ready and i can't wait to get a 55gsetup!

i'm glad i came across this thread and rekindled my idea. the light looks a lot better on your tank than i have seen on some other tanks.

can you use these lights with the glass canopy top also? or will it produce too much heat on the glass?

thx

OK.. you've sold me on this one Fondo. OMG it's so bright and clear. I love it. And when you added plants... all the colours just POP! It's absolutely awesome! Thanks for sharing all the information and pictures.

graham: at first the two new ryukins were very shy. hiding behind the plants. the BIG guys were afraid of the plants. LOL! i started to feed them a little this evening just to get the BIG guys over to the right side of the tank. they're slowing getting used to having plants in the aquarium. the new ryukins are still exploring the new tank, but they are getting along with the other fish very well. i hope they'll get as big as the other BIG guys! i'll post some new pics soon..

The Coralife Freshwater Aqualights are AWESOME! money well spend

They are about 5+ inches each!

Are Aqualights safe to use with acrylic aquariums? I guess I better go read up!

Coralife Aqualight power compact fluorescent lighting fixtures are great for acrylic aquariums, but since the top of a larger acrylic aquarium is closed you'd need to use different mounting legs than the ones used by Fondoo.

This is how the Aqualight looks with the mounting legs for an acrylic tank.


Another option you might consider is updating your existing light fixture so it can run power compact fluorescent bulbs.