Lighting/covers

[Capt.Gorilla]

I want to buy a lighted hood for my 36"x12.5" aquarium But I don't really know what to look for, I looked around on bigals but everything is like $500+.

Is there such thing as a cheap good hood? my tanked doesn't have alot of plants, i'm really just looking for asthetics.

 

[snapcrackler]

Do you mean a full wood hood with all of the lighting inside?

 

[madasafish]

Bigals has a really really ambiguous lighting page. You know why? Coz they don't ship full hoods for small aquariums. They break too easily (I asked last week). You have two options:

1) buy it at www.drsfostersmith.com, where you'll pay $35 (black) - $37 (oak).

2) buy it at the LFS, where you'll probably pay $55. Mind you, with the shipping, there's not a HUGE difference... And you can't beat the convenience of the LFS!

 

[madasafish]

Let the record show.... I still think bigals is God's gift to the aquarist (oops, I'm an atheist... not supposed to mention the big G).

Oh, also. Here's the drsfostersmith page: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3780

 

[justDIY]

some more to visit:

www.hellolights.com

www.marinedepot.com

 

[Madame_X]

My advice--stay away from those generic plastic hoods made to fit "all tanks" (i.e. remove tabs 1 & 3 for a Perfecto tank, remove tabs A & C for an All Glass tank, etc.). They're garbage!

I bought a tank kit that came with one and the thing was so flimsy we threw it in the trash and went out and bought a glass canopy. It was only $15, so why they don't offer up a decent kit with a glass canopy and light instead of those thin plastic things is beyond me.

drsfostersmith.com sells the glass canopies for a decent price too. You'll need to add a strip light, as they don't come with one.

 

[TankGirl]

I vote for the glass top and a strip light. You could even use the strip lights designed to be used around the house and set it on top, since you will protect it from the water with the glass canopy, or get a strip light from the LFS. That way if later on you decide to grow plants you won't have to chuck the standard cheap single-strip hood (since it is woefully inadequate for growing plants).

 

[Capt.Gorilla]

Also, If I was going to get a hood it would have to be able to acomodate 2 hob filters.
And whats a strip light?

 

[TankGirl]

If you get glass tops they do not usually cover the entire opening, but leave an area open at the back for HOB filters and the like. A strip light is the actual light component of the hood that holds the light, with the rest of the hood comprised of a frame and then a hinged door for feeding and such. You can buy just the strip light separately and set that on top of the glass that you can buy (both are relatively inexpensive) If the strip lights at the LFS are pricey, I have gone to Home Depot type store and gotten fluorescent fixtures that are meant to be screwed to a wall or under a kitchen cabinet (usually white and the bulb is covered, with a switch on the light fixture itself) and they are about $14.99 US.