lighting help for 5 gal.

[golfnfish]

I've got a 5g Mini-Bow that has some water sprite in it. I'd like to add more plants, but realize I should also improve on the 15 watt incandescent light that came in the hood.

Does anyone know if they fluorescent bulbs that could fit in my hood? Or should I look at replacing the hood all together. I thought of getting some plexi-glass and seeing if I could find a new light fixture. What would be the best wattage to put in this setup?

[Richer]

What other plants are you thinking about putting into this tank?

-Richer

[golfnfish]

Possibly java moss or java fern. I'm new to fish-keeping and really like the idea of live plants so I'm open to any and all suggestions. (I know, I should've gotten a bigger tank....) If I can make this one work though, I think I'll be able to talk the boss into letting me get a bigger tank.

My substrate is gravel and I have 2 mollies, 2 zebra danios and 2 panda corys. (and a few snails that I'm eliminating as my fingers find them.)

What would you suggest I get? What should I stay away from?

[Richer]

If you just want to keep java moss and java fern, then your current light should be fine. With those plants in mind, the only reason why you would want to switch over to a different light source is because incandescent light sources are very inefficient (and thus produce a lot of heat), and aren't the best for growing plants. But java moss and java fern are very flexible in both lighting and nutrients.

HTH
-Richer

[tyler]

try a screw in pc. in some area's, you can find 6500k screw in's at lowes, home depot, etc. (not mine though) for five bucks. i think the brand is consumer electric, and they're (up to?) 19 watt bulbs. for my five, i picked up a screw in pc madeb by all-glass. 10 watts, 6500k, ten bucks.