[surpera1]

noob here - sorry for my ignorance - i have a well established 55 gallon tank - but my lighting is woefully inadequate - i do grow water sprite albeit slowly - hahahahaahaha - anyway - i need a good lighting fixture for my setup that wont break the bank - any suggestions ? i really want to grow java fern and water sprite - many years ago - i once had tremendous success with java fern - and water sprite - my tank has 2 marineland hang on the back waterfall type filters - 2 large plecos , 4 pictus cats , and 2 angelfish - i use the water sprite as my guide to water quality - so - any suggestions ? right now all i have is a 40 watt grow light on it - i probably need at least 200 watts - right ? thanks !

 

[supersmirky]

watersprite and java fern do not require high lighting.

I prefer the t5ho lighting which you can get for a very good price here: http://fishneedit.com/t5ho-4ft--2lamp-aquarium-light.html

 

[surpera1]

i would like it to be a complete hood unit - and i was thinking of the extra wattage for any future plants i might want to try

 

[supersmirky]

Oh okay, go nova extreme then. You can get this for about $100 which gives about 108 watts

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16770

Or something like this for $139.00

http://fishneedit.com/4ft4bulbs-with-l44.html

As for a full hood unit, why would you want to have a full hood unit? An alternative, is you can get glass tops and put the fixture over the glass tops but I am not sure they sell complete hood units with enough light. I could be wrong.

 

[surpera1]

i have a 2 year old girl - so i must be able to secure it - but i'll have a look at those - seems like i researched this once before and there was a unit that took 4 ) 54 watt bulbs out there for like $200 - once i get these kids under control - i really want a larger tank - but i'll just play with what i have for now - but yeah - i can get glass cut or build something if i need to - that kid is driving me crazy - but ya know - you dont have to drive - its a very short walk - hahahahahahaahah

 

[supersmirky]

LOL...understandable.

Here, pet-o-rama glass tops run about $12 each. Two would probably cover your aquarium (1 on each side of the brace).

Or you can get a canopy and hang shop lights in there since they would be hidden out of sight

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

I've always used customized canopy for my lighting. Basically I buy shop lights from home depot and screw that into the top of the canopy. When I open the canopy top, lights will come up as well giving me access into the tank without moving anything else. You can try similar things if you like doing DIY projects.

 

[surpera1]

how about this ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-4ft-T5-HO-Aq...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1307|301:1|293:1|294:50