Hello all, I am not new to fish, salt or fresh, but I am new to non
standard lighting. So I have the first of what I am sure will be many
stupid questions.

Are these "retrofit" kits I keep seeing supposed to mount into the
standard hood that came from the store with your tank?

Doug

I think most are purchased with that in mind but many end up being
placed in a new hood assembly. I gave up from the very beginning and
built my own hood to fit what I wanted. If you are going to do a
retrofit it can be very challenging with todays manufacturing
processes. Most of these hoods are built with a specific attachment
system and removal of the existing light fixture can be damaging to
the asthetics. Also think out the method of attaching the new system
before purchasing. Also do not forget to account for the heat
generation of higher power lights and a way to control/ eliminate
that. Lots to figure out.

WF

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 00:50:38 GMT, "elricsfate"
wrote:

Hello all, I am not new to fish, salt or fresh, but I am new to non
standard lighting. So I have the first of what I am sure will be many
stupid questions.

Are these "retrofit" kits I keep seeing supposed to mount into the
standard hood that came from the store with your tank?

Doug

I am trying to illuminate my girlfriend's 20h tank, so that some basic
plants will fare a little better. She has a bunch of fish in there, and we
put a few plants to make it prettier. Within a few weeks the leaves started
turning brown. I bought a new plant bulb for it and the plants that were
browning had new growth on them within a day or two. Right now we have the
standard 18in/15w fixture that comes with a 20h from the store. I know that
around 2 watts per gallon is recommended, so I figured if I could get
somewhere between 36 and 55 watt lights I'd be in a good range. The
question is, of course, which of the many options is the best way to go. I
am leaning toward getting something that comes with its own hood. I have no
desire to drop big bucks, and spend countless hours trying to custom design
something for this particular tank. This is my first foray into planted
aquariums, so I just wanna do it easy and see how it looks before I begin
dropping the bucks. lol

Planning to do a larger freshwater planted aquarium for her later if I
like this one when it is done, and going to set up my own salt tank in a few
months, after I have moved into a new place.

Anyway, if I'm gonna go with something I can pull out of the box, slap on
the tank, and plug in... any suggestions on which of the many choices to go
with?

Thanks,

Doug
"WhiskerFish" wrote in message
...
I think most are purchased with that in mind but many end up being
placed in a new hood assembly. I gave up from the very beginning and
built my own hood to fit what I wanted. If you are going to do a
retrofit it can be very challenging with todays manufacturing
processes. Most of these hoods are built with a specific attachment
system and removal of the existing light fixture can be damaging to
the asthetics. Also think out the method of attaching the new system
before purchasing. Also do not forget to account for the heat
generation of higher power lights and a way to control/ eliminate
that. Lots to figure out.

WF

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 00:50:38 GMT, "elricsfate"
wrote:

Hello all, I am not new to fish, salt or fresh, but I am new to non
standard lighting. So I have the first of what I am sure will be many
stupid questions.

Are these "retrofit" kits I keep seeing supposed to mount into the
standard hood that came from the store with your tank?

Doug

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 08:15:23 -0400, "elricsfate"
wrote:

AH Supply has great kits. And they even sell basic enclosures to put
them in. You would have to do a few minutes work to assemble the kit
though. If you want a ready to go system then look at something like
an All Glass CF fixture, or a JBJ fixture. There are a couple of
other brands of CF lights out there also.

I am trying to illuminate my girlfriend's 20h tank, so that some basic
plants will fare a little better. She has a bunch of fish in there, and we
put a few plants to make it prettier. Within a few weeks the leaves started
turning brown. I bought a new plant bulb for it and the plants that were
browning had new growth on them within a day or two. Right now we have the
standard 18in/15w fixture that comes with a 20h from the store. I know that
around 2 watts per gallon is recommended, so I figured if I could get
somewhere between 36 and 55 watt lights I'd be in a good range. The
question is, of course, which of the many options is the best way to go. I
am leaning toward getting something that comes with its own hood. I have no
desire to drop big bucks, and spend countless hours trying to custom design
something for this particular tank. This is my first foray into planted
aquariums, so I just wanna do it easy and see how it looks before I begin
dropping the bucks. lol

Planning to do a larger freshwater planted aquarium for her later if I
like this one when it is done, and going to set up my own salt tank in a few
months, after I have moved into a new place.

Anyway, if I'm gonna go with something I can pull out of the box, slap on
the tank, and plug in... any suggestions on which of the many choices to go
with?

Thanks,

Doug
"WhiskerFish" wrote in message
.. .
I think most are purchased with that in mind but many end up being
placed in a new hood assembly. I gave up from the very beginning and
built my own hood to fit what I wanted. If you are going to do a
retrofit it can be very challenging with todays manufacturing
processes. Most of these hoods are built with a specific attachment
system and removal of the existing light fixture can be damaging to
the asthetics. Also think out the method of attaching the new system
before purchasing. Also do not forget to account for the heat
generation of higher power lights and a way to control/ eliminate
that. Lots to figure out.

WF

On Sat, 14 Jun 2003 00:50:38 GMT, "elricsfate"
wrote:

Hello all, I am not new to fish, salt or fresh, but I am new to non
standard lighting. So I have the first of what I am sure will be many
stupid questions.

Are these "retrofit" kits I keep seeing supposed to mount into the
standard hood that came from the store with your tank?

Doug





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