# how many watts per gallon



## sean_130 (Sep 19, 2012)

What's the formula to calculate how many watts per gallon(s) of water you have in your tank


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## kcrunch (Aug 17, 2012)

for light
A good basic rule to follow is to provide 1 to 2 watts of lighting per gallon for fish-only aquariums, 2 to 5 watts per gallon for freshwater planted aquariums, and 4 to 8 watts per gallon for reef aquariums. To calculate the number of watts per gallon an aquarium receives from a light fixture, simply divide the total wattage of the light fixture by the number of gallons of the aquarium.

for heat
The basic rule of 3-5 watts per gallon is recommended for keeping your aquarium at optimal temperatures. Cold rooms where the aquarium is kept will require more watts per gallon. For example, if you house is 75F and you need to heat a 55 gallon reef aquarium, then a 200 watt heater would be best. However, if the room is 68 degrees you may need a 300 watt heater.


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## sean_130 (Sep 19, 2012)

I'm gonna need more lights well at least one more in the near future


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## sean_130 (Sep 19, 2012)

Thanks kcrunch


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## kcrunch (Aug 17, 2012)

I just used a shop light 48" with day light bulbs and it is excellent lighting. Though I dont have many live plants the ones that I do have are not suffering due to the lights I used.


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## sean_130 (Sep 19, 2012)

Yeah I have one aqueon 18" t8 15w floramax on top of my 29 gallon in the hood then with a simple low light bulb wish I could remember what exactly what it is but in a 60w 120v light that sits on the side of my tank to help produce some light to the lower portion of my tank once I move tho I plan on getting a shop light to cover both of my tanks my 29 and 20 long


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## kcrunch (Aug 17, 2012)

Sounds good to me as i have seen here and on friends tanks shop light is good enough, and if specialized lighting is required for plants etc. Just use the aquarium bulbs type shop light


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