I need better lighting to show off my fish

[Rondory]

I have just the standard single 25 watt florescent bulb that came with my hood and have an idea that I'm missing out on the benefits of better lighting.

I currently have fake plant because I need to learn about fish first and then move on to low maintenance plants.

What do you suggest in either light bulbs or a new hood?

My tank is 36" long, 21" high.

Thank you for taking the time to educate me.

Dawn

 

[jim532]

How many gallons is the tank? Is it glass or acrylic?

 

[Rondory]

It is a glass 46 gallon. Thank you

 

[rich311k]

could get a twin strip

 

[Meredith]

Go to the hardware store and see what kind of bulbs they have that will fit your hood. If you are not wanting to mess around with live plants yet, it doesn't make a huge difference on what kind of bulb you get. I personally like the bulbs that put out a more blue light. I think it shows off the fish very nicely.

 

[Rondory]

Thank you Meredith.

I will go check them out.

 

[ikon]

colored bulbs......

Go to the hardware store and see what kind of bulbs they have that will fit your hood. If you are not wanting to mess around with live plants yet, it doesn't make a huge difference on what kind of bulb you get. I personally like the bulbs that put out a more blue light. I think it shows off the fish very nicely.

ya ive been wanting to see if i could get some other colored bulbs.. i have the standard bulb that came with the fish tank....

wut shud i look for when getting a colored bulb ??/ i have a 20 gal tank , fw , and some real plants......

 

[Jchillin]

wut shud i look for when getting a colored bulb ??/ i have a 20 gal tank , fw , and some real plants......

You are looking for a bulb that is at least 6700k (k=kelvin) or "full color spectrum" bulbs, since you have plants. You will probably not find stock bulbs that come in your size, so you may have to find a replacement hood.

 

[Rondory]

Would this be a good bulb for my tank? Thank you


Coralife 50/50 VHO Fluorescent Lamp -36" (95Watt)

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=23797;category_id=2907;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

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[Jchillin]

No, you don't want or need actinic bulbs. Try this instead. That would give you @ 2.75wpg.

 

[Meredith]

If your current bulb is 25W I'm not sure you can replace it with a 95W. But if you are not wanting to upgrade to a new fixture and you don't want to mess around with live plants, that type of bulb would be ok.

 

[Rondory]

Thanks!

I'm willing to replace the entire fixture if I can improve my lighting situation. I have just the All Glass brand hood that is sitting on top of the glass panes. I've been looking at the light fixtures with legs, but not sure which one I should get. I'd like to pay less then 150.00 for one.

 

[Meredith]

I have the 24" version of this
I did replace the blue bulb with a white one for my plants, but if you are just using it for your fish, you could leave the blue and switch it later. It has removable legs that come with it.

 

[ikon]

wut shud i look for when getting a colored bulb ??/ i have a 20 gal tank , fw , and some real plants......

You are looking for a bulb that is at least 6700k (k=kelvin) or "full color spectrum" bulbs, since you have plants. You will probably not find stock bulbs that come in your size, so you may have to find a replacement hood.

so a colored bulb wouldnt hurt the live plants ?????? i have a amazon sword and a cpl tiny live plants (4got the name of it) .. the fishdude at petsmart said that the kind of live plants i have doesnt require a high intinsety (spelling) bulb ......