upgrade lighting?

45g that will eventually be heavily planted; 24" tall, 12" wide, 36" long. Currently have original Aqueon hood; Floramax 24" - 17W - T8 bulb. Is this going to be sufficient once the tank is planted (& will have some floating plants)? Or do I need a different bulb? Not able to do LEDs at this time (cost) but could possibly replace hood, etc. (less expensive than switching over to LEDs?).

 

Yes you'll probably find that fixture lacking once you get a good amount of plants in there, especially floating plants which will tend to block available light to stuff below them. For less up front cost than LEDs, a cheap 2 bulb t5ho fixture would be another viable option. There are a few options on ebay as well as aquatraders.

 

Yes you'll probably find that fixture lacking once you get a good amount of plants in there, especially floating plants which will tend to block available light to stuff below them. For less up front cost than LEDs, a cheap 2 bulb t5ho fixture would be another viable option. There are a few options on ebay as well as aquatraders.

Thanks. That's what I figured. I'm not particularly thrilled with the light at present, and with only a few plants.

 

45g that will eventually be heavily planted; 24" tall, 12" wide, 36" long. Currently have original Aqueon hood; Floramax 24" - 17W - T8 bulb. Is this going to be sufficient once the tank is planted (& will have some floating plants)? Or do I need a different bulb? Not able to do LEDs at this time (cost) but could possibly replace hood, etc. (less expensive than switching over to LEDs?).

Hello,

Before upgrading my planted goldfish tanks light from florescent to LED, I was going to buy one of these lower end Beamswork LED fixtures:



Some like them, some don't, but I only grow low light plants in my goldfish aquarium. Fortunately, I found a Finnex fixture reasonably priced on ebay. Best of luck.

 

Frustration in the never-ending quest to get things right!