Lighting for dummies?

i dunno. how long was your strip? plus, if the person is new to the hobby, retrofitting may be a bit intimidating. i got a 4' fixture with bulbs for $35 and all i had to do was put in the bulbs and plug it in :)

monstermolly: yes, flourescent lights. i forgot to mention that the color range was important for plants in aquariums. when buying bulbs, you want to keep around 5,000 to 10,000 K (Kelvin). that will be marked on the packages for the bulbs
 
DAVIDFBT said:
Actually, I saved money by retrofitting as opposed to buying a cheap light fixture. To build a canopy with lights that let me go to 3 WPG, I spent only about $25. To get the same amount of light with strip lights would have been $40.
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If I had the time, tools and patience to do this I would. But, I have 2 kids 1 and 3 so there goes the time and patience:nilly:. And all my tools went bye-bye when my house burnt down.:mad2: Thank you though, i'll definately keep it in mind for future endeavors.:)
 
inkyjenn said:
i dunno. how long was your strip? plus, if the person is new to the hobby, retrofitting may be a bit intimidating. i got a 4' fixture with bulbs for $35 and all i had to do was put in the bulbs and plug it in :)

monstermolly: yes, flourescent lights. i forgot to mention that the color range was important for plants in aquariums. when buying bulbs, you want to keep around 5,000 to 10,000 K (Kelvin). that will be marked on the packages for the bulbs
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Sweet! I'm worried about the size of the fixture though. There is a 20" fixture on there and that's about all that will fit? Do you think that is will be an issue?
 
DAVIDFBT said:
Actually, I saved money by retrofitting as opposed to buying a cheap light fixture. To build a canopy with lights that let me go to 3 WPG, I spent only about $25. To get the same amount of light with strip lights would have been $40.
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You dont have a true 3 WPG, maybe half of that figure is actually usuable.


But to the OP, if you are serious about growing plants and the whole nine yards, spend some time reading the stickies here and at ofter planted tank forums. Should you still want to press on, check out ahsupply.com and check out the their 55x1 bright-lite kits, they are really good kits that will be useful in a tank that has a depth of 22". But you need to supply a canopy or cover for them it to be mounted over your aquarium. This latter method is a really neat solution and will allow you to grow quite a bit of plants at a low/med light level and will help keep it simple enough.
 
Thanks everyone for the info. I ended up buying the Aqualight Deluxe series 65 watt fixture. That plus the fixture I already have gives me 80 watts. So I've got 2 WPG.
 
I think you'll be happy with it, I have a 37g that is about that deep with two 65 watt compact fluorescent bulbs. I now only run one at a time as its plenty of light for pretty much everything.

Good luck, we'd all love to see pics too (obligatory)!
 
Ajordan said:
I think you'll be happy with it, I have a 37g that is about that deep with two 65 watt compact fluorescent bulbs. I now only run one at a time as its plenty of light for pretty much everything.

Good luck, we'd all love to see pics too (obligatory)!
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There will be pictures soon. I finally just got it full of water:thm:
 
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