New hood

[CrimsonBlush]

I'm looking at upgrading lighting in my 10 gallon aquarium, but I have a hood that fits T8 bulbs not incandesant ones. So I'm going to get a new one. (It's partly broken anyway) Which one looks better?
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10311306#ShortReviewTitleBar
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754548

[Sarahann31190]

The one from petsmart has a larger opening the front but they are both basically the same. T8s are a lot better for plants, but if that doesn't matter to you, I would go with the one from petsmart.

[clb2196]

I've been looking for the same thing. The Petsmart one gets better reviews. Plus, as far as I can tell no Walmart anywhere near me carry the other one, anyway.

If you need anything else, Petco has it for I think $18.99 on sale online, and you can get free shipping off $50 or more.

[clb2196]

The one from petsmart has a larger opening the front but they are both basically the same. T8s are a lot better for plants, but if that doesn't matter to you, I would go with the one from petsmart.

The T8 bulbs in that size only to go 15 watts, though. If you buy the incandescent hood you can put CFL bulbs in in whatever wattage you want. :)

[CrimsonBlush]

Thanks for the help everyone!


The T8 bulbs in that size only to go 15 watts, though. If you buy the incandescent hood you can put CFL bulbs in in whatever wattage you want. :)

Yeah that's my problem, I need higher lights for my plants! :)

[kanvas]

i made this mistake of buying these plastic tops..
if you want light for plat and need a lid, get them separate and buy a glass top and a light. Much easier if you want to switch light later and glass top looks much cleaner
if you don't need a lid, then just buy a good light alone and put legs on it or hang it

[rocker92]

i say go with the walmart ones. i like them alot only downside, the feeding hole is small.

poblem with the perfect-a-light is they sit on the top rim, not the inner rim and is only held in place by 1 small pin on each corner....

[CrimsonBlush]

i made this mistake of buying these plastic tops..
if you want light for plat and need a lid, get them separate and buy a glass top and a light. Much easier if you want to switch light later and glass top looks much cleaner
if you don't need a lid, then just buy a good light alone and put legs on it or hang it

I need a lid since I have female bettas and have had a few instances of them jumping. Right now I have a hood that is very similar to the one at petsmart and it works pretty well. The one at petsmart has glass where the light fixture is placed. So, I think it would still be good, don't you think?

[vampie]

The Walmart one, as far as I can tell, is rebranded Aqueon, and those have worked fine for me. Like the rest of Aqueon's incandescent hoods, it only has a small splash guard to protect the bulb, but other than that, it works great.

I haven't tried the Marineland hood, so I can't say much about that one.

[ccla]

The Walmart one, as far as I can tell, is rebranded Aqueon, and those have worked fine for me. Like the rest of Aqueon's incandescent hoods, it only has a small splash guard to protect the bulb, but other than that, it works great.

I haven't tried the Marineland hood, so I can't say much about that one.


I have an old 10G tank with the same Walmart hood, and I believe that the small splash guard is a big problem. I end up changing bulbs very often as they seem to burn out fairly quickly from all the humidity.