captaincritical
Aquarium Advice Freak
Hellohello,
I'd like to preface this by saying that I know next to nothing about aquarium lighting. I've read a few basic articles so I understand a little, but not a whole lot. That being said, if you've got any links to articles that won't confuse the heck out of me, they'd be much appreciated.
To put it bluntly, my aquarium lighting is terrible. I've got a Perfecto brand hood and I'm using the stock light that came with it, which as far as I can tell is a cheap, 20W, 24" fluorescent bulb. The top of my tank looks decent, but any fish that swim below the middle are washed-out and almost completely lost against my black substrate and background. Tank dimensions are 36" W x 12" D x 19" H.
The only way my tank looks well-lit to me is when I have on the desk lamp next to it, which has a warmer-toned light that reflects beautifully off the scales of the fish.
I don't currently have plants (for obvious reasons), but in the future I'd like to try my hand at some low-light varieties like anubias, java fern, a moss of some sort, etc. I want low-light plants so that I don't have to worry about a CO2 system just yet.
Basically, my questions are as follows:
- Can I replace the bulb in my current unit with a better bulb or do I have to buy a new unit entirely?
- Do I have to buy aquarium bulbs specifically, or can I go to a hardware store and browse what they have?
- What would you suggest as the lowest-cost option for decent lighting for me?
Thanks, everybody! I don't know what I'd do without you to ask.
I'd like to preface this by saying that I know next to nothing about aquarium lighting. I've read a few basic articles so I understand a little, but not a whole lot. That being said, if you've got any links to articles that won't confuse the heck out of me, they'd be much appreciated.
To put it bluntly, my aquarium lighting is terrible. I've got a Perfecto brand hood and I'm using the stock light that came with it, which as far as I can tell is a cheap, 20W, 24" fluorescent bulb. The top of my tank looks decent, but any fish that swim below the middle are washed-out and almost completely lost against my black substrate and background. Tank dimensions are 36" W x 12" D x 19" H.
The only way my tank looks well-lit to me is when I have on the desk lamp next to it, which has a warmer-toned light that reflects beautifully off the scales of the fish.
I don't currently have plants (for obvious reasons), but in the future I'd like to try my hand at some low-light varieties like anubias, java fern, a moss of some sort, etc. I want low-light plants so that I don't have to worry about a CO2 system just yet.
Basically, my questions are as follows:
- Can I replace the bulb in my current unit with a better bulb or do I have to buy a new unit entirely?
- Do I have to buy aquarium bulbs specifically, or can I go to a hardware store and browse what they have?
- What would you suggest as the lowest-cost option for decent lighting for me?
Thanks, everybody! I don't know what I'd do without you to ask.