not to be CHEAP, but........

[mgkaelen]

do 36" INCANDESCENT hoods even EXIST? the largest i can find is 30" and that , surprisingly, was at petco! i can't find ANYTHING online... (the 30" was $35-40... can't remember)

the reason i ask was for my (possibly future) planted 29gal planted tank.... the lighting now sucks so i was planning to do an incandescent hood with compact fluorescent bulbs. this will work, right ? (as long as the wattage is suitable for the plants)

if this isn't an option, i'll be buying the ahsupply kit. will a 1x55 kit($42) be enougH? i'll probably go with the 2x55($65) kit to be sure and need a [acronym:568479b1e7="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:568479b1e7] system. also, i'm confused on the website becuase i can't quite understand what size tanks these fit... do you build it to your tank length specification ??

also, the following is meant for reptiles, but would this be an option for my tank? i do'nt really need the fluorescent, but....

http://lllreptile.com/v2/content/cat...uorescent-hood

i mean for this price i might as well get the 2x55, right?

sorry for the repetitive post, i just don't fully grasp the lighting stuff (retrofitted, ballasts, etc etc) yet. thanks guys =]

[tkos]

I think that over a certain size they don't bother with incandescent. If you want to use screw in you can always make yourself a hood.

Those cheap spiral screw in [acronym:6ff9cf4a42="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:6ff9cf4a42] are great if you are stuck with a incandescent hood but they are no where near as good as the standard flourescent bulbs. The kelvin is a lot lower. Unless you are willing to buy the expensive screw in bulbs that cost 25$ each or so then you are best getting the AHsupply setup.

[TankGirl]

The AH Supply kits are mostly retrofits, so you will need to mount them in an existing light strip. If you get the whole thing just make sure it is the entire fixture, as I know their site can be a bit confusing. The best thing to do is to call them, because they will be able to tell you exactly what you need and the cheapest way to go about it. They are extremely helpful and know how to set you up with just about any aquarium lighting configuration you can think of. If you are at all unsure, call and you will get some great help.

You would be much better off with a 2x55 than a 1x55. A 1x55 would give you a low light tank. A 2x55 would allow you to grow just about anything you want. You will need something to mount them in. And you pretty much have to have some sort of wooden hood. AH Supply sells basic wooden enclosures that work just fine and work over a glass cover. I managed to snag a wooden canopy for my 29 gallon tank last week at PetCo for $11. They were marked down from $89 to $22 and clearance stuff was 50% off. What a deal!

[mgkaelen]

rex, i already have the glass which came with my tank.... which part of the hood is the canopy/enclosure? do i definitely not have one already? SORRY for the STUPID questions ! ! i thought that a canopy was just a matching top that goes with a stand ..

The terminology gets confusing. Normally a canopy is a matching part that goes with a stand. And the glass thing should be called a cover. A hood would be another name for a canopy. If you go to www.ahsupply.com they will have pictures of their enclosures. They are not a true canopy as they are just a wooden box you can mount the lights in.

[mgkaelen]

OH I SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so the kit just lets you set up the actual electrical portion, and you attach it to the enclosure you make yourself which sits on the tank/glass ?!

i think i'm getting the hang of it .

[mgkaelen]

one more thing, what is the LENGTH of one 55w strip? i hope not longer than 36 inches as that's how long my tank is ...

[BrianNY]

Yep, you're getting it!! . The length of each reflector is 22 inches. So 2 X 55 gives you 110 watts. Ideally, you'll want a full glass cover. For that size light enclosure you'll want to build your own. If I can do it, so can you

Or you could get a 96 watt kit which is 34" long.