After careful consideration I finally decided to change the lighting in my
55g. I went with T8, 32W, full spectrum, 5765K, CRI 91.1, visual color
rendering 98%, 48" flourescent bulbs I found online at www.1000bulbs.com. I
used three of these bulbs in conjunction with 3 Coralife endcaps I got from
www.drsfostersmith.com and a instant start ballast I found at the Home
Depot.
I installed the 3 bulbs inside my oak canopy after painting it white on the
inside and hanging some gauzy stuff I got from a hospital (it's three of the
"laparotomy sponges" they use in surgery sewn end to end) over the opening
in the back of the canopy.
Boy, what a difference! I couldn't stop the plants from growing now if I
wanted to and am considering CO2 injection or using Flourish Excel to help
these poor plants keep up with the light! My fish are even enjoying the
change in lighting as they seem more active since I installed the new setup.
My Java Fern and "Tribble" actually photosynthesize so much there are O2
bubbles all over them! I can't wait for the Java Moss to finish taking over
the wood it's on! It will look so cool with all the bubbles on it!