Which of these light strips would be better..?

[RoK]

for a 20g long low-light planted tank:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=23835;category_id=1853
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=32847;category_id=2543

Or should I just go with one of those full hoods that only allows and comes with 1 bulb? Would it be sufficient for low-light plants such as hornwort, java moss and fern?

I don't know much about the different types of light bulbs. I know PC and metal halides are more powerful but don't really understand the differences with different kinds of flourescent bulbs.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I would probably prefer the 2nd one.

And if you did the PC such as the single 65W fixture, then you would definitely be in the CO2 injection realm. So I wouldn't recommend PC's for your needs, unless you used a 50/50 bulb with it. And even then, it's a close call.

 

[ringfinger]

Yeah, go with the Coralife. I have that same fixture on my 20L and really like it a lot! I used to run a 65W PC, but decided to switch to something easier to manage. I'm sure the other fixture would work just as well, but the Coralife is much smaller and better looking in my opinion.

 

[malkore]

both fixtures will put you at 2wpg. If you don't inject CO2, I would keep a bottle of Excel on-hand, and use it regularly.

 

[RoK]

I've decided to just get a versa-top for now; so that whatever I decide to get, can go on there. I was thinking the Coralife would be better. Do the Coralife's bulbs really make much of a difference for the plants though?

 

[ringfinger]

The bulbs included with the Coralife strip are perfect for plant growth. You might want to go with the twin-tube versa-top incase you use a larger light strip later on.

 

[RoK]

Oh wow, I didn't know there were twin-tube versa-tops.