Update....
Today I spent the day maintaining my other tanks. I collected a boat load of clippings and my DHG. I placed them in a baggy and shot down to my parent's house with all my other aquarium goodies. I'll start setting up tomorrow... But first, I want to share my excitement of how this Finnex light fixture seems to be a perfect fit for this aquarium
When I ordered the Finnex Ray 2, I thought I was going to have to ditch the hood on the Aqueon Bow Front and get one of those glass versa tops. But to my delight, after removing the stock light fixture, I discovered that there's a glass splash shield attached to the hood and not the fixture. Further, the width and length looked just about right for the Finnex to sit right on it without docking legs or having to ditch the hood... Wow, it's like the Finnex was made for this tank! Don't you just love it when a plan comes together, especially when it wasn't fully planned that way?? LOL
Best of all... The Finnex uses just 1 more watt than the stock florescent fixture (19w vs. 20w) but delivers a substantial increase in lighting. I just love efficiency!
Here's some comparison shots (no post picture adjustments were made, taken with same camera, and same ambient conditions):
Here's the glass shield integrated in the hood...
And the Finnex sitting nicely right on the glass. Super slim and sleek.. From the front, you can't even see a fixture
I'm considering spray painting it black.. But most likely not because the silver doesn't bother me much.