Should I ditch my Eclipse 12 for the sake of my plants?

Just ordered the Hagan, a Coralife Colormax mini compact bulb and a clamp lamp (typically for reptiles) that has a long, flexible neck.

I spent about 10 minutes looking at the Nutrafin at the petsmart and didn't buy it. I couldn't figure out if it was the same thing as the Hagan. Plus, it was $8 more than the one online.

Can't wait.

Yep, it is the same. Hagen owns Nutrafin (or is the parent company). The box will say Nutrafin. If you do a Google on it, you'll see the same product come up with both company names, threw me at first too. Not sure if you saw this in my post, but if you print out the web listing for a product at PetSmart, they will match it in-store. I'm also not sure if you meant you found it for cheaper than the $29 at a different site. I find that with the pricematch, I can typically beat or come out about the same as web when you factor in shipping (and waiting :-P ).

I use the Colormax bulbs mixed with regular sunlight bulbs and they seem to cover the spectrum well. I will warn you that some don't like the red tint the colormax cast on everything. I've gotten used to it though. It's really for the plants anyway, right?:)
 
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Just bought the Nutrafin from my local Petsmart, now that i know it's the same as Hagen. I'll install it tonight, after I get home from work.

So excited.
 
Just be patient. it has taken up to 48 hours or even more for my bubbles to start. It seems to do better if I stir the concoction gently before sealing it up. They do suggest that somewhere in the instructions, but as an optional step.

Enjoy!
 
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Good news: Installed my CO2 system early Sat, and it's happily burbling away. Thanks for the advice on gently stirring before sealing the cannister. I think it really sped up the process.

Bad news: I figured out one of my tetras was murdering my other fish. By murder, I mean mass murder. Six counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder. He now faces possible execution.
 
Wow, what kind of tetra is it? I've heard of barbs being "killers" but usually not tetras.

Anyway, be sure to post pics in a few weeks when the tank and plants have started to "blossom". :-)
 
White skirted tetras, which apparently are as aggressive as black skirt ones. They're pretty big and typically nip, but my guess is my murderer was a bit more aggressive than your typical tetra. I double-checked my last guppy corpse and she seemed to be missing a fin or two upon further inspection.

I'll post "before" + "after" pics.
 
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