Lights for Ten Gallon?

[DreaminginBlue]

I have a ten gallon tank I'm setting up that currently has no lights or hood or lid. I'm running a heater and sponge filter on it, but that's it. I was wondering what options I have for lighting? I'm hoping to find a solution that won't cost me too much but will be effective for growing easy, low to medium light plants (i.e. anubias, java fern, java moss, water wisteria, etc).
Is it worth it to just buy a lighted hood, or should I get some clip on lamps from the hardware store? I intend to put shrimp in this tank, so I didn't think they'd need a lid.
Also... are incandescent lights any good? What are the best kinds of lights to use? Is there a lighted hood or light strip you'd recommend?
Sorry for the 101 questions. Lighting is the one area I'm completely uninformed about.

 

[rlederer]

I'd get an LED light. You can get one for your tank for about $30 or so. More expensive than incandescent or flourescent, but take up less space, last longer, and are cheaper to run (use less electric). Plus I think they look nice.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Okay, thank you!

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Does anyone know of a good brand fluorescent or LED light? Strips or hood would be great, as I'm not sure whether or not cherry shrimp need a lid. Some sites say yes, other no. I tried browsing lights and ended up more confused than I was when I started.
Perhaps if anyone knows of good "Lighting 101" articles, you can point me to them?

 

[McClapyourhands]

Shrimp and fish sometimes jump so I would put on a lid. I have heard crazy stories. I know not everyone is a fan of Wal-Mart, but they gave a decent 10 gallon LED lid. It is the cheapest place I have found one. LEDS give you better lighting and 2di not need to be replaced. Incandescent or florescent lights will burn out over time. They also tend to get corrosion on the metal parts of the lights over time. Both are helpful for plants and provide adaquit lighting.
Check out the fresh water plant forms on here. There is a ton of advise about the amount of lighting and caring for the plants.

 

[abw0004]

It all depends on how much money you want to spend. The two top brands for freshwater LED lights are Finnex and Current. Expensive, but you get quality. I personally have the Current Satellite Pro+ and love it. Others have the Finnex and love it. All up to you and what you want out of the lights.

 

[Barliman]

I have a Finnex Stingray on mine. Inexpensive and a great light, and good for the plants you mentioned.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

I'll have to look into that. If I get that sort of light, do I need to buy a glass top to go between it and the tank? Are there any good lights built into a hood?

 

[TMaier]

I'm a big fan of tops. I hate things leaping, crawling or creeping out of the tank. It helps keep the heat and water in too. Less topping off due to evaporation.

LED is great because it doesn't add heat or cost $$$ to run. This hood is what I use. Comes with one bulb but has a second slot to add another. I added the "beauty" one to boost color. Plants are doing fine.
http://www.petmountain.com/product/...m_medium=cpc&gclid=CMiLlv-M6NQCFY17fgod89gIhg

 

[McClapyourhands]

My tank is no where near TMair's beauty! However, I do have a simple 10 gallon tank. Please ignore the cloudy water and lack of plants, long story short I had to do an emergency replacement when my tank busted.

BUT what I wanted to show you is the difference between the LED and the incandescent lights. Both of these hoods are with built in lighting. This picture is with the LED light. You will notice it gives more color to the fish in my opinion. The hood is also flatter.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Thanks, TMaier! That seems perfect for my needs and it's not going to break my budget.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Thanks again to everyone who has offered advice. At the beginning I had no clue what the differences between incandescent and LED were, but thanks to all of you I've discovered LED is perfect for my lighting needs. Now I just have to get my hands on a good LED hood, whether ordered online or at the local pet store, and I'll be all set.

 

[McClapyourhands]

Here is the incandescent lights. The hood is taller and you can see that it kind of gives a yellowish color to the whole tank. This hood I got at Petco for about $20-25 dollars. The LED came with my new tank but I have seen them at the local fish store around $30. Again, this is based on 10 gallon size.

 

[McClapyourhands]

 

[DreaminginBlue]

@MrClapyourhands
Wow, the difference is really astonishing. I agree that the LED lights look much better and bring out the colors of the plants and fish more. The hood also looks sleeker (an addded bonus to go with those beautiful lights!)

 

[TMaier]

My tank is no where near TMair's beauty! However, I do have a simple 10 gallon tank. Please ignore the cloudy water and lack of plants, long story short I had to do an emergency replacement when my tank busted.

BUT what I wanted to show you is the difference between the LED and the incandescent lights. Both of these hoods are with built in lighting. This picture is with the LED light. You will notice it gives more color to the fish in my opinion. The hood is also flatter. View attachment 301006View attachment 301007

I had years amassing and growing plants. You'll get there. And all of these are low demand on light. I run them 12 hours and no problems with algae. But my critters are pretty good at clean up.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

What stock do you have that keep things clean? I have two nerites, but one is really lazy and only gets the easy algae on the glass or noms on the driftwood. The other is so industrious, he climbs everywhere and eats it off of most of the leaves. I've had a few plants break beceause he was trying to clean them.
My cherry shrimp seem to be a doing a pretty good job of getting it off of the leaves. Even my platy tries to help by eating some.

 

[TMaier]

I lost my shrimp when I changed my substrate a few months back. But my snail babies are always hoovering. Going to add more shrimp soon.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

They're so beautiful! Makes me want an inverts only tank for snails and shrimp. Also, where'd you get them from? I haven't seen ones that brightly colored in any of the fish stores I've been to.

 

[TMaier]

My hubbie order me some purple snails years ago online and I keep breeding them for the best color. I will be selling these in a month or so when they are bigger.