Light advice

[vygec]

As mentioned in previous posts, i am planning on going moderately planted in my tank now. Since my tank is a juwel. Im after some decent lights, ive seen the hagen range i.e aqua,power,life, flora. i havnt a clue, which ones to go for, im looking one to show of the colours in the fish, and another for plant growth. I dont mind paying the extra, as long as it looks good, the life glow is the pricey version, is it any good?

im aware the watts wouldnt match up to the normal wpg rule, but theres not much i can do here (dont really wanna loose the standard hood)

This is gonna be complemented with the carbo plus, im hoping i can get this all sorted before christmas, as a present to myself

any advice, please fire away..

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You might want to consider retrofitting power compacts into your existing hood. Poke around here to get an idea of what you can buy (they may ship to UK, but I know they import the Phillips bulbs from Europe, possible the UK).
AH Supply

 

[carpguy]

I don't know if AH Supply will ship to UK but its definitely worth a look. If they won't I'd try to hunt down a local PowerCompact retro kit. You should be able to get as much light as you want/need in there without losing the hood. 2 2x36s or 2x96. They give dimensional specs for the bulbs + reflectors so you can sort out whether or not they'll fit your hood. If you can get 36" NOs in there then the PCs should fit as well. You can mount the Ballasts in the back or remotely in the cabinet, underneath, etc.

The CarboPlus isn't a bad thing but its initial cost plus a few replacement blocks is going to be more than pressurized pretty quickly. Personally I think pressurized is a better bet.