Thanks for the help with the lighting/plant problem. I know, now,
that I have way too little light for the plants. In my 55 gallon I
have two separate hoods that each have an 18" fluorescent bulb with
the standard two pins on each end.
That is the standard lighting for a 55 gallon. I believe it's two 15 watt
bulbs, for a total of 30 watts -- not enough for most plants. The
manufacturers intentionally put very low lighting on their tanks, to prevent
algae. But if there's not enough light for algae, there's not enough light for
plants.
I have been searching for a
replacement bulb, but it seems that I would need something around 55W
each.
You can't just replace the bulb. You must replace the entire light fixture.
You have several options. You could go to ahsupply.com and buy an upgrade kit,
that will allow you to put power compact flourescent bulbs in your current
hood. You'll need a few tools, but you don't have to be an expert. You could
replace your current hood with a glass canopy. (Most pet stores, online or
off, have them. They are flat, hinged glass tank covers that you can sit light
strips on.) If you have a glass canopy, you can use all kinds of lighting with
it. If money is an option, you could just get a 4' shop light for a few bucks
from Home Depot, and sit it on the glass. The advantage with those is that the
bulbs are very inexpensive. You could buy the compact flourescent light strips
sold for fishtanks, which are very easy and very bright, but expensive -- both
to buy and maintain, since compact flourescent bulbs are pricey.
Whatever you do, measure the room you have for lights very carefully before you
buy. You want to make sure you have space for whatever you're going to put on
top the tank. Remember, filter intakes, etc., might eat up some of the space
on the top of the tank, so you might not have as much room as you think.
And if you have any questions, feel free to post them here. Getting enough
light over tanks is one of the biggest issues for planted aquariums.
Collectively, we've probably tried every combination of light, hood, tank, and
filter known to man. If you're not sure if something will work, ask -- someone
here has probably tried it! :-)
Leigh
http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/