thanson

Ok got the water a new Fluval 405, heaters, rocks, sand, etc and working on a Fishless Cycle. Now I come to the lighting issue. The used lights that came with my set up are two 24" with 18" bulbs that are 15w each and from what I have read for a planted tank this is not enough. Lighting seems can be as many $$$ as you want to spend. What is a good lighting set up that will not break the bank.

Are compact fluorescents worth the extra (do they last longer) or what about LED's.

Thanks for putting up with my ignorance.

jgon_

I actually just made some lighting on the cheap. Bought two compact fluorescents and two cheap fixtures for them. Had a piece of glass cut to rest them on - overall came to under $30. Considering I get twice the WPG than I would if I had just bought an aquarium hood, which were about $70.

BigJoe

for FW the lights can be as simple as the little bulbs from wal-mart or walgreens called daylight CFL... these bulbs are just like those you would put in a normal outlet that are twisted... since they have their own ballasts built in you can buy normal outlets which are about 5 dollars a piece... something to attach them to above the aquarium... and some wire to attach to a power source (may want to get someone who has done it before...)

another simpler option is find a lamp that clips on a side, or a lamp that hangs from the ceiling, or really any way to get a bulb facing down...

on the more technical side these bulbs let out 6500 k color and with the size can easily be fixed to enough wattage for any lighting needs on most planted tanks...