I am writing this article specifically for aquarium lovers who can't afford to buy expensive aquarium lights. Trust me you can very well light your aquarium from house hold lamps at a very cheap cost.

Basically there are 3 type of light that you can select from

--Household incandescent (normal house hold) bulb, these are very cheap
-- Common Household CFL or tube lights (these comes in different wattages)
--You can get fitted CFL (with case) which are exclusively designed for Aquarium. I personally find find difficult to get the right model/type bulbs to replace and they are expensive.
--The incandescent (normal) light produces golden yellow colour where as CFL produces white colour (until and unless you select coloured CFL)
--Incandescent produces a lot of heat where are CFL is almost no heat radiation.
--CFL is expensive then an incandescent light

If you are using an aquarium heater then you can go for CFL. But if you are not using a heater and you live in a cold temperature then you can use an incandescent (normal) bulb up to 60 watt. Make sure your bulbs are covered and away from water.

For my tanks I am using the following:
For my 4' tank I am using a 2x 20 watt tube light (2' length) bulbs
For my 2' tank I am using a 2x 11 watt CFL Bulbs

Also read my article on consideration for aquarium lighting.


Deepak,
I Love My Fish Tank