Question about lighting

[MitcherNeaf]

I read the sticky about all the types of light for a tank and am pretty confused. I have a 55 gallon tank and want to do medium light plants w/o CO2. What type of lighting is going to be cheapest to set up and maintain over the years. I was thinking just VHO cause im guessing i dont have to buy new fixtures. BTW i have 2 i believe they are 18 inch fixtures. not exactly sure on the size. thankyou very much
mitch

 

[SCFatz]

Think med to low Mitch..and think about a vesitop lid (all glass) so you can get another "regular" bulb over the tank.

You do not need CO2 to be planted...you really don't need huge watts per gallon either.Just choose the plants for low WPG and expect slow growth...a little patience and understanding later its planted to the point of trimming.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I use this fixture: http://www.hellolights.com/482xcofraq2x.html over my 55g without CO2. I can grow a nice range of plants, from low light to medium. It would mean buying a new fixture, but for $100 its a good deal IMO. And you mentioned yours are 18" (I'm guessing they are 24"), you can still use the 48" long fixture. I'd also recommend buying the legs for this fixture...they are great for doing maintenance in the tank.

You could possibly buy a retrofit kit and fit a 55w compact fluorescent bulb in each of your fixtures. Check out http://www.ahsupply.com for the 2x55w retrofit kit.

 

[MitcherNeaf]

Thankyou for those 2 sites, now are both of those pretty much the same thing, just one must be put together or what. Not sure if im into spending this much just for lighting but im glad im finding out all this stuff before i jumped into it.
thanks
mitch