Lighting question for 26 gal

[ddmiddle7]

The light that I got with my tank is burnt out so I want to replace it. What kind of bulb should I get? The fixture is for just one one bulb so I want to make sure to get a good enough bulb for my tank. I plan on doing a heavily planted tank with DIY CO2 so I know I need a good one. Any suggestions? Also how long should I leave it on? I have a timer with 2 plugs so I was going to set one for the light and another for an air stone to run at night so I don't kill my fishies.
Thanks for the help on advance.

 

[cicrush13]

If this is a T8 bulb, look at a Life-Glo 2. It's a very bright light that does help some plants especially on the bottom.

Leave it on for 9-11 hours a day an you can use a timer for that.

 

[tackful]

I think you could use a 55 watt PC at 6700 color temp for 8 hrs/day without overdoing it. Do you have a good reflector? That makes a big difference. Also might want to check out the 55 watt Brite Kit sold by AH Supply. I was able to retrofit it into the plastic canopy that came standard with my 29 gal tank. Couldn't fit the ballast in the canopy, so I simply mounted it externally, under a shelf.