Lighting And Hoods

I am sizing up from a 10 gallon tank to a 20 gallon long. I bought a from Walmart for the 10 gallon. I've been browsing around on this forum and am confused as to if it is better to go with a glass top or a hood for the new 20 gallon and if I should be looking at fluorescent or LED lights. I aspire to have a planted tank, but haven't gotten there yet with the 10 gallon. Opinions/advice welcomed or if you can point me to any other resources that talk about this topic. Just not sure what all I need to buy for the top to the aquarium. TIA!

 

LEDs are better than fluorescent these days. It really depends on your budget too. A glass top with an LED strip would be more ideal, but they have hoods with LEDs as well that are a little cheaper.

 

Many of the best planted tank lights are now led. The choice between a glass lid or a plastic hood is up to you entirely though. It’s just an aesthetic choice.

 

Thank you this is helpful! I think the hoods look neater so I think I’ll just go with one of those. I thought fluorescent was better for plants but good to know LED is a better option!

 

All my tanks are pretty heavily planted with led's and none of them have lids.

 

Thank you this is helpful! I think the hoods look neater so I think I’ll just go with one of those. I thought fluorescent was better for plants but good to know LED is a better option!

Yeah, fluorescents were once. But with a lot of advances in led lighting and the ability to make led plant lights that are so much more aesthetically pleasing, interest has shifted that way. And with it, innovation! They also just last a lot longer. You don’t have to change bulbs every six months.

 

All my tanks are pretty heavily planted with led's and none of them have lids.

I have a 3 year old that requires a top. Otherwise I might find random objects floating with my fish