Need some help figuring out what lights I need!

[aquyenl]

Hi all! So I have a 20H Top Fin kit from petsmart. I would like to grow plants in this tank, but I know that the lights they gave me are way too low. In the hood, the lights say it is a florescent 15W All Glass Aquarium bulb. It looks like I can pull out the bulb in the hood and replace it with a different one. The hood is 24" long I believe but I'm not sure how long the bulb itself is so I'm not sure how long the new bulb I need to get should be. Does anyone have any recommendations on what bulb I should buy to replace the one in my hood? Any help would be so great! I have some pictures of what my light fixture looks like:

 

[mfdrookie516]

You need to replace the whole fixture, not just the bulb. All you can do is change the color temperature of the bulb in that fixture.

 

[aquyenl]

is there no strong light bulb that can fit in the hood? if i do need to get a new light hood fixture, should i just look for one that is 24" long? thanks!

 

[mfdrookie516]

no, the ballast in the fixture will only power a 15w (im assuming 18") T-8 bulb. You'll have to upgrade to a new fixture like this , except in a fw model (but not necessarily that fixture)

 

[happygirl65]

I would check out this place, something like this should work, but in the right size for you of course. Catalina Aquarium SOLAR HOOD POWER COMPACT-2 X 36W
A two bulb configuration lets you customize the light whether you want to start in the lower light realm and then upgrade to more high tech later.

 

[ampa one]

welcome to AA