Jhn

How much would a 30"x12" hood with dual bulb each with a max. 40 watts be?

Tsunami35

Well I got a 30"x12" glass canopy from DFS for about $15. Then you could put whatever kind of light fixture you want on top of it, you could get one with 40 watt fairly cheap, or better yet find one on craigslist or something.. Right now Im using a current 65W fixture, and my old 18 watt single buld fixture.

mkonops

Tsunami, do you think you (or anyone else who reads this) can post a pic of your hood/lighting? I am looking to upgrade my 29Gal as well and have been researching a glass canopy and a new strip light. Here are the questions I have at this point: Is it possible to use the raised strip with a glass top? Can the strip sit right on the top? Is there enough room on to open the door with the strip light on there?

Tsunami35

I'll try to post a pic tomorrow. Heres how my setup works:

I have a glass canopy, this one specifically- http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...8&pcatid=13818

I have a 30" current light fixture that has rubber feet on the bottom, which sits on the edges of the tank so that it isnt actually on the glass canopy. I also have my old light fixture, which isnt as wide, sitting on the front part of the canopy, the part that lifts up to feed the fish. When I feed the fish I just set the smaller fixture on top of the other one.

If you buy a new fixture just make sure that its the same length as your aquarium and it wont sit on the glass. Although even if it does sit on the glass it probably wont hurt anything, as long as it isnt too heavy.

When you buy a glass canopy just find one that has a back portion that is big enough for the strip light your using, and there should be enough room for the door to open. For example, the canopy I linked to has a 6.5" back portion, and my main light fixture is smaller than that.

Again, Ill try to post some pics tomorrow..

mkonops

Thanks for the reply. I am looking to buy that exact same canopy for my tank. The strip light I am considering is here, the 30" freshwater version. I like a lot of the other models on the site, but most have multiple 65W bulbs which may be a bit too much for my tank. The 48W config should give me 1.65 WpG, which seems to be ideal. Certainly better than my current 20W setup. I look forward to seeing your pics, and I really appreciate your taking the time to post them.

Tsunami35

Thats the fixture that I was originally going to get, the only reason that I didnt is that I wanted a little more wattage for my live plants, plus the one I got has a lunar light which is cool. That fixture will easily fit with the glass canopy at 4.5"

The pics are really bad because I took them with my phone, so I apologize for that:

mkonops

Great setup. I think I will get the fixture I mentioned before and the old one in the front like you have. Thanks for the pics and advice!