Hoods and which one to use?

[KristaButler]

Hello! I just upgraded to a 29 gallon from a 10 gallon! Yippee! So this is what I was curious about.... I have just a regular hood with a fluorescent bulb. I have been seeing tanks with lights that hover over the aquarium. I've seen the ones that attach from one side (like a clip on) and I've seen the ones that look like regular lights but attach by all four corners (hovering over the tank). I like both of these and wish to change from the regular hood to one of these. I don't know where to begin tho. I also just purchased a java fern and peacock moss. Can anybody give there opinions or knowledge on what type of hood I should use? And the differences between them? I know this is not a very specific question. Thanks for taking the time to answer this. Krista


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[KristaButler]

Holy cow. I just found a website that has the type I like and they are 250$ ouch!


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[troyd75826]

Checkout drsfostersmith.com


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[Fresh2o]

Your lighting will depend on what you want to keep plant wise. With the plants you mentioned, low to maybe low medium lighting should be fine. A 29g tank requires a 30" (or close to it) fixture.
There are incandescent, fluorescent, and LED fixtures (there are others as well). And there are high end and cheap models available for each type. Higher cost does not always guarantee a quality product. I am partial to LED fixtures since they are typically smaller/sleeker, consume less energy, give off little heat and (can) produce decent lighting. You cannot change the bulbs but they have a duration of several (or more) thousands of hours. Finnex and Current brands come to mind.
The expensive fixtures you were looking at produce a great deal of light. So much so that you would have to provide ferts and carbon source to keep the plants healthy and to control algae.
Not a complete answer but hope it helps.


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[KristaButler]

Thank you so much. I've been curious about the led lights. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I might invest in a clip on led.


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[Fresh2o]

There is a wide selection of models to choose from. I usually do a search in Google with the name of the product plus the word "review" to find links for user reviews. The more you research then less chance to be disappointed with a purchase.
Two years ago I decided to start a planted tank. Ended up going real cheap with the lighting fixture and months later was not happy because the lighting did not match the plant's needs, etc. I also bought more plants than I needed to save in shipping and a lot of them died in the process. Turns out that some of the best plants I got came from other AA members through trades and freebies.
Good luck and if you have any questions, post them!


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[KristaButler]

Thanks fresh 2o for the insight. !


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