wattage in my 20 gallon high

[cee219]

I am pretty sure in my 20G high that it's a 24 inch strip. I need good lighting because I have amazon swords... but the only wattage for that size I can find is a 20 watt. Are there certain brands better than others, can anyone show me a good place on the internet to purchase a lightstrip for my tank?

Thanks

 

[WaterPond]

you will probably want to go compact flourecent then. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...a_Gen_Page-_-Lighting&subref=AA&N=2004+113345

There is a good one and at a price that wont break the bank. The 24" fixture is 65w of light. That should be plenty for growing your swordplant and many other plants aswell.

 

[ezy33]

If you want cheapest try http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=312

 

[WaterPond]

apparently that brand has a tendancy to either catch fire, or die after only a short time of use. It all depends on what you want though and how much you can put into it.

 

[neilanh]

also checkout http://tricitytropicals.com They sell refurbished units for a bit cheaper. 1x65W is a great light for a 20H with CO2. I've been running that setup with great success.

 

[JustOneMore20]

With the Odyssea, you get what you pay for IME. I have a small 15" fixture that I have over my 5.5g and so far so good for about 4 months. It hasn't caught fire or anything yet. Its not the best brand IMO, but if its all you can afford, then go for it.

 

[7Enigma]

You currently have the typical N.O. 10w per foot of lighting that almost all hood lights have. They produce relatively poor usable light for the plant and are pretty much maxed by design at 10wpf (not counting overdriving the bulbs). Anywho....

I have the exact same tank as you and use this:

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=104

It's a great light that is silent (no fans) and seems to be of very good quality. My only possible regret I have was to not purchase the legs (its summer and my tank tends to warm up quite a bit when the light is on during the heat of the day). I think having the fixture an inch or two above the glass top would keep the water a bit cooler. Other then that, I've had zero problems with the light and I've had it for about a year now.

I would recommend if you are new to planted tanks that you start off with a 50/50 bulb. Then if you decide to you can replace the bulb with the full usable 65w. Please keep in mind a daylight (6700 or 10000k) bulb will put your tank over 4wpg. This is quite a lot of light and nutrient deficiency and algae are very easy to induce. At at that level DIY or pressurized CO2 is a requirement.

If you order from that site purchase the extra 50/50 bulb AT THE SAME TIME YOU PURCHASE THE SETUP (Extra_bulb1 pull-down box), as the bulb is 1/2 price ($11). That's a cheap price for a replacement bulb and you can easily switch back and forth if you want to as each will give your tank a much different look.

I'm actually just switching back to the 50/50 from the 6700k bulb because of slight algae/deficiency issues and the fact that spending 30-60min each week cutting out 1/2 my tank is getting tiresome. I also remember again why I love the 50/50's lighting on the tank so much, it really brings out the shades of green/blue in the plants I have.

HTH