MountainAsh87
Aquarium Advice Regular
Okay, so I went against my typical behavior and got a number of plants without truly researching them first (that was my first mistake), and I listened to the guy at the LFS who said the light that comes with the kit would be enough to grow plants (that was my second mistake).
I used a substrate called Activ-Flora that supposedly comes with nutrients pre-mixed in, and I've been using Flourish Excel. The plants in my tank are now languishing, probably due to to insufficient light & CO2. My tank is a bowfront, so it's only 20" long, and the included reflector holds a bulb only 18" long. The included bulb is full spectrum, but only 15W. Using either the WPG or LSI, that just doesn't seem like enough light.
Here's the part I'm having trouble with: I can't seem to find a bulb that's high enough wattage, falls in the right spectrum, and fits in that light fixture. Has anyone else run into this problem? I found this light on HelloLights.com - would it be enough, and am I likely to find one in a store? (I hate paying shipping costs on anything, but I will if there's no other option.)
I'd like to get this sorted out in time to save the plants I currently have, rather than having to start from scratch.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I used a substrate called Activ-Flora that supposedly comes with nutrients pre-mixed in, and I've been using Flourish Excel. The plants in my tank are now languishing, probably due to to insufficient light & CO2. My tank is a bowfront, so it's only 20" long, and the included reflector holds a bulb only 18" long. The included bulb is full spectrum, but only 15W. Using either the WPG or LSI, that just doesn't seem like enough light.
Here's the part I'm having trouble with: I can't seem to find a bulb that's high enough wattage, falls in the right spectrum, and fits in that light fixture. Has anyone else run into this problem? I found this light on HelloLights.com - would it be enough, and am I likely to find one in a store? (I hate paying shipping costs on anything, but I will if there's no other option.)
I'd like to get this sorted out in time to save the plants I currently have, rather than having to start from scratch.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Would the light I linked to in the original post be strong enough for a planted tank, or do I need a double strip? I'd like to minimize the new equipment I have to get; it means I'll have equipment lying around unused. 
