Lighting Fixture/Hood Help!

I might suggest another way. If you cna find an old hood that takes the screwin incandescant bulbs, you can save a bunch of trouble and money. Buy two twisty CFL bulbs in the 5500-6500K rating and go with it. Those older hoods and small tanks are often freebie items on Craigslist around here.

Thanks!

PlantedRich said:

I might suggest another way. If you cna find an old hood that takes the screwin incandescant bulbs, you can save a bunch of trouble and money. Buy two twisty CFL bulbs in the 5500-6500K rating and go with it. Those older hoods and small tanks are often freebie items on Craigslist around here.

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I will look into that. Thank you.

You could also look for a "deluxe" fluorescent (or incandescent) hood online. The deluxe hoods usually have a full-width door and a glass or acrylic section that shields the lamp from splashes. If you can't find a hood, look for a Versa top (aka canopy) and buy a strip light to place on top. (Not the type of strip light that hangs in a workshop. The type that is designed to sit on a glass tank canopy. )

KensFish, Big Als Online, Drs Foster & Smith are all good suppliers that should have something. Probably several others.

In case you're wondering, yes, my tanks are still old school T8 fluorescents.

+1 for a standard single 15-18 watt T8 flourescent fixture can work quite well for a low light 10gal tank. Just about any bulb in the 5000-10,000 k range should work, too.

PlantedRich said:

I might suggest another way. If you cna find an old hood that takes the screwin incandescant bulbs, you can save a bunch of trouble and money. Buy two twisty CFL bulbs in the 5500-6500K rating and go with it. Those older hoods and small tanks are often freebie items on Craigslist around here.

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+1 I'm using an old Metaframe SS incandescent fixture with two CFLs on my planted 10 gal shrimp tank. Working great.

Petco has a two bulb incandescent fixture for $14. Two of the 13W CFL bulbs in that will give you adequate light for several types of plants.
The bulb you showed does not come in the right length nor is it T8 which that hood is.
It will be cheaper to just get the incandescent fixture/w the CFL bulbs.
I use two of the Walmart "Lights of America" "under-the-counter" light strips on my tens
but the bulbs for it cost more than the CFL I talked about plus I have algae issues if I am not very carefull which bulbs I use in them.