Oh Planted Gurus Share Your Knowledge!

The watts/gal is for fluorescent lights. Can you look into screw in spiral fluorescents, I'm not sure if they'd fit your hood. I use them on a 10g.
 
I use the GE "daylight 6500k" ones from walmart in a blue pkg. They come in 10w, 15w & 1 other size, ~$7.50/2. The base is a standard light bulb size but some have a bigger diameter bulb that might not fit your hood. There are also some more expensive ones in the pet dept that have 4 short tubes, only 9w I think & ~$10.

Try one you already have, the 40w is really probably a 10w that "equals" 40w incandescent. I did with my 10g but the light is very yellow, the GE color is a nice white. That will only give you very low light, I have 2 15w over my 10g but I'd consider more medium level. The GE 10w is smaller diameter than the 15w but if bigger will fit the hood, go with it.
 
I can't switch the filter. It is one of those all in one hex tanks where the filter is built in to the back half of the hood and the light is built into the other half of the hood. Plus anything stronger and I think my betta won't like it much. I am not sure it isn't enough current though as the output will let my ramshorns (3/8") go zooming around in the water if they get in front of it.

You can (if you choose) change the filter on this tank. On mine, I took the filter itself off, the back part of the lid is perforated so you can break it pretty easily to make a flat back where you can add an HOB filter. Not to say you should, but you can if you wish.

If you go this route, remember to put something over the intake of the new filter for the sake of your betta's fins.
 
I think I want to stay with the filter I have if I can. My betta likes to swim up into the outflow and lay in there.

BK sent me a couple stems of a plant, can't remember what it is called, that I added to this tank 3 days ago. It has produced 1/2" roots already and a new leaf on each. Since putting it in I have had no algae. Maybe it wasn't slime algae.
 
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