Lighting.........

;D what kind of lighting does everyone have?

I was looking around and I found this..it looks so cool..but my wife won't let me get it....maybe for my birthday.  right now I have the light my tank came with

 

Hi

Yes it looks good and is practical too.
I am the same as you, bought complete set-up, but I would like more lighting for my plants.
I only have a 2" X 1" tank, don't think I can get another tube in this hood.
I have seen them for sale on ebay.

 

I reckon unless your going for a heavily plated aquaria with hard plants to grow or saltwater corals it would be the way to go but otherwise of normal tanks with normal lower light plants it'd be best to go with maybe something with one tube + reflector.

 

The light on the picture looks like compact fluorescent - which is a HO light (which is good). I currently have the standard 20W bulb over a 30G tank, but I would like to replace it with a new HO hood. If one has plants, and wants them to grow well and fast, a HO lighting system is the way to go.

 

and don't forget CO2 injections when you start getting much more than 2wpg

 

Yes, CO2 is very important for good plant growth. But there is always a risk that CO2 system can break - and then ALL of your fish die instantly. That's scary.

 

yup but without CO2 you can only have so many wpg without it not doing anygood

 

Well, I have read a book about growing natural fully planted tanks successfully without any CO2 injections. If you're interested, it's called "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist" by Diana L. Walstad. You'd be surprised how beautiful planted tanks this woman can grow using only natural means. It's amazing.