Hood dilemma. (Help!)

blackwolfXKAV

blackwolfXKAV

Homo sapiens
Apr 20, 2006
828
0
0
New England Abroad.
ughhh. the light bulb blew out again on my tank. its been at least a year though, so i guess thats just about average for a bulb like this:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441809765&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030061&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1167855402581&itemNo=31&Nao=24&In=Fish&N=2030061&Ne=2

grr.....
these were the only bulbs of the right calibre that i could fit in this:rant2: hood:
http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441780767&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030061&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1167855510773&itemNo=17&Nao=12&In=Fish&N=2030061&Ne=2

needless to say, now that its been three days w/ out lighting on one side of my tank (figures it was right where the big lotus is...) and none of the lfs had the product in stock

i've realized it may be time to get another hood/light...
not happy about it, but at leats this allows me to get a better light setup

theeeen.....after checking for about an hour on the various lfs sites (petco/petsmart), i realized all the hood and light combo's had some bad reviews.

i really would like to avoid having to get a separate hood AND light strip, but if i have to, then i guess i will.

20" tank (standard ten gallon)

if possible, i would like to find a hood that will allow me to fit two 18" fluorescents(since no 20" hoods seem to have room for the full 20" of bulb..)


Thanks again, Black.:cool2:
 
If you're using those, a 36W PC kit from AHSupply.com is probably out of the price range you were looking to stay in?

What about getting a glass top for the tank and making a DIY hood. You could use a square aluminum pan, 4-outlet socket and rig 4 bulbs into it.

Check the local hardware stores. Screw in flourescents are gaining popularity and are everywhere :)
 
I'd also be interested in a step by step guide to maiking one for my 10 gallon.
 
AHsupply.com has some how-to's on how to build some basic hoods. The easiest thing, what I did for my 55, is take the existing light hood, gut everything out of it, and install one of the retrofit PC light kits. The instructions they give you with the lights are really easy to follow to install them.
 
What are your lighting requirements? I just picked up a Current Orbit light fixture. This uses dual power compacts. Current makes very nice 24 hour lighting systems. Otherwise you can just get a glass top with a small florecent strip.

http://www.current-usa.com/
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...ctstriplightwlunarlightw2freetshirtsand1timer

Big Al's has other cheaper 20" lighting systems as well. I'd switch to a lighting system that has a seperate ballast over the built in ballast. The light is so much better. You will love the new look of your tank.
 
Right then, did some searching around on AHsupply.com and was thinking about the following:

2 x 36 watt Bright Kit
36 watt 10000K Compact Bulb
20" Wood Enclosure - Black

any and all suggestions welcome, as i have no idea whether or not this combo is appropriate.

thanks.
 
72 watts over a 10gal tank is going to result in 10gallons of algae. You only need 2-3wpg, and thats considered pretty high light. Anything higher than that and you're almost going to have to do CO2 and ferts to keep algae down.

Your best, and probably cheapest option for a 10gal is to buy a standard 20" incandescent hood and get screw in CF bulbs to get light high enough for plants.
 
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