Do all light bulbs work the same? Can I use Wal Mart bulbs?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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daveman12345

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 17, 2008
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Hey guys,

I currently have a 24" fish tank with 20 watt light bulbs. I dropped by my local fish store and they charged $12 a bulb which seemed overpriced. At Wal Mart they have the bulb I need for $6 but the thing is the overall width of the bulb is thicker. Also, the current bulb in my tank is blueish while I'm pretty sure the Wal Mart one will be the standard yellowish one. So, my question is:

1. Is it OK to get the light bulb at Wal Mart that is a little bit thicker? The length is 24" but it's just fatter overall and I'm not sure if it'll fit into my tanks light fixture.

2. Is there a certain term for light bulbs I should look for so that it's blueish, and/or so that it doesn't hurt my fish. It would suck if the light cooked them!!

3. Are there any other suggestions for the light bulb instead of Wal Mart? My local fish store totally overprices the bulbs.
 
The diameter of the bulb will indicate if it's a T12, T8, or T5. Match the diameter because they're not always interchangeable. I would also not use the yellowish bulb (5000k) not because they wont work, but because they don't look good.

Go to a hardware store, find a bulb that matches the diameter of the one you've removed, and buy it in a "daylight" model. It'll look nicer and still save you a few bones.
 
the blue light is a actinic light good for getting down deep, still makes my ghost knife hide the neon danios look good under it and it can keep plants alive
 
home depot sells a buld thats 6700k called daylight deluxe. I get a 48" 2 pack for like 7-8 dollars, could be cheaper for you depending on your buld size. Also its a nice bright white light, no yellow tint.
 
stumble;3276354; said:
the blue light is a actinic light good for getting down deep, still makes my ghost knife hide the neon danios look good under it and it can keep plants alive
Click to expand...


wrong. actinic lights are no good for FW plants, they are totally the wrong spectrum
 
I bought a replacement tube at Walmart years ago for my first tank. It was more blue than the lamp that came with the tank & its still going strong to this day (3 yrs later?). I think it was a Philips Aqua Rays or something like that.
 
If you're not growing plants & the lamp tube fits your fixture, your eye is the only deciding factor. If you like the color or not... My planted tanks get expensive Power-Glo tubes, but my brackish tank gets WalMart tubes.
 
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