When I decided to try up grading my lights, someone mentioned a Lights of
America fixture at Home Depot, around 75 watts in a plastic fixture. was
$20 with a $10 rebate. They use a double folded over tube, not the most
efficient or as good as fancy aquarium lights, but they worked. Two of them
worked fine on a 55 while I played around with CO2 and plants and decided I
liked it. I'm hooked and am saving money for a fancy top fancy expensive
lights ... or get the courage to build same.
Bob


"gdbjohnson" wrote in message
.cable.rogers.com...
I'm a novice at the planted aquarium. I have a 30gal tank that has one
Hagen Aqua-Glow lamp, which is an 18", 15W, K18,000 bulb.

I've done some reading that suggest 1-2 Watts/Gallon for a successful
planted aquarium, which means I need 1-2 more 15W lamps, give or take.

Firstly: Is the lamp I have good? I've searched some FAQ's, but the ones
I
read talk about bigger tanks than mine. What is a good Wattage for an 18"
lamp?

Second: Do I in fact need a second lamp to keep my plants? Can I acheive
more efficient lighting and healthy plants with just one lamp in my
current
set up?

Third: What is the best way to add light to my tank, if I do need a second
lamp? Do I need to replace my hood? It's a Light-Glo. I was thinking
that
I could cut it up, and somehow attach a standalone light to the top of the
hood. My tank is about 12"x24"x12".

Basically, given my tank, what is the best way to get more light into it?

thanks in advance...

G