lighting question for planted tank

gagaliya

GNOME POWER!
Nov 20, 2005
943
0
16
NJ
www.happyreward.com
should have done this from the get go and saved tons $$. But am selling all my fish and converting to a planted rainbow tank. Plan to have 1.5 watt per gallon and keep low light low mainteince plants.

my question is about the lighting, currently the tank is 36" and the light hood on top is 30". I am going to replace the entire hood with the coralife aqualight hood (65W, 6700k). It comes in 30" or 36" dimension, which do people normally use for planted tank? do i stick with the 30" or need the light strip covering the ENTIRE width of the tank at 36"? thanks!

the plants i am getting:

Vallisneria spiralis -background
Java farn - anywhere
Anubias barteri var nana -fore/mid ground
Marsilea quadrifolia (aquatic clover) - carpet
 
It'll be marginally better to get the 36" version. Marginally ;)
 
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