Hood Lighting?

I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good product for lighting. I am planning to get some live plants for my tank and don't want them to die like the previous ones. (improper lights were sold to me)

The tank is pretty irregular (24 gallon? long) so I hope a product fits. I took measurements but they might not be 100% correct. xD

29 3/4 inches on the outside rim
28 3/4 inches on the small inside rim

I guess a 30 inch hood could work, right?

Questions:
What product would you recommend?
Does the hood sit on the outside of the tank or the inside rim?
How long would the light need to remain on per day?
Should I buy a self timer?
Is a CO2 pump (whatever it is) required to grow plants?

I found a product from petsmart that looks suitable, opinions?
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754552#prodTab1

I think (not sure) that this is the same light strip I have over my newt tank. The one I have is a 30" black, with space for two, 24" bulbs. The one I bought also came with bulbs, but I replaced one of them because the light color was a little too blue. If it's the same one, then I absolutely love it. The amount of light you get is great, and the tubes stay cool.

Again, sorry if I can't remember if this is the one I bought: I think I got it from PetSmart, and it was far and away cheaper than everything else that was comparable (which made me nervous at first, but the reviews were good). See if you can find out if the fixture contains one or two bulbs: for the size tank you have, you'll probably want two.

I use a glass hood with a hinged lid on my tank. The glass sits inside the lip of the tank and protects the light fixture. If you have an irregular-sized tank, you may need to have someone cut or make a custom lid for you tank.

Thanks for your reply.

I guess a 30" is best then, I would love to see some pictures of your lid and hood. ;D

There are a couple of pics in here:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=56888

The perspective makes it look like the light doesn't span the entire length of the tank, but it actually does.

As for CO2 or light timers, I don't use either and I haven't had a problem: I get plenty of plant growth and I can take a second and flip a light switch on and off

eta: I'll take a couple of pics for you when I get home, and let you know what brand the light fixture is. I know I bought the glass hood from www.herpsupplies.com

Thanks for your help Erin, pictures of the glass hood and lights and hinges would be nice. Information on what lights you use would be very helpful as well.

I hope my tank turns out to be as good as yours. ;D

Robert777 said:

I hope my tank turns out to be as good as yours. ;D

Click to expand...

Thanks!

Okay, I checked the back of my light and it's an "All Glass (brand name) Twin Tube Aquarium Reflector". I know I paid right around $40 for it, which was a good deal. It's 30" long and takes two T5 bulbs. It actually fits inside the lip of my 29 gallon long:



Here's the exciting inside:



The glass top I have is by Versa Top. It fits right inside the lip of the tank. Here's the lid:



I actually leave mine open during the day because it will heat up inside the tank with the lights on, so that's something to consider if you have newts that are good climbers. Mine could possibly climb the back of the tank (where the top is covered), but not the front. The back of the lid (part under the light) has a plastic strip. You can cut a hole in this for any cords to go through. Here's my filter's cord:



If you need to modify a top to get more ventilation, here's a good step-by-step: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...-diy-window-screen-ventilation-step-step.html

However, you should definitely put a glass or plastic strip under your fluorescent hood to protect it from water and prevent an electrical fire.

Very helpful pictures, so the glass is hinged in the middle and the light rests on one side? Thats interesting.

I will look into the glass tops and will certainly look into the customizable screen top. Thanks for all your help.

I would also consider whether the shop sold you the wrong type of plants, rather than the wrong type of lights.
http://faq.thekrib.com/plant-list.html

I would also mention that you can put a light strip (like the kind you linked in your first post) on top of a standard screen lid. Screen lids have advantages (much cooler being the primary one). As long as you have several inches between the screen and the water, and you don't have water splashing up from an airstone or filter, then I don't think you need to worry about electrical dangers. Or at least what I can say is that I've done it for years.

Yeah, I should've mentioned: the reason I have the glass lid is because I knew I would be misting the plants that live right under the light.

The plants that I got were normal (green) cabomba and purple cabomba.

They are aquatic plants and should have grown fine, but the light was a terrarium (heat?) lamp. I posted it in my other thread about my tank remodel. I never looked at the light really, just trusted them and plugged it in. (stupid mistake)

It actually says right on the light "Not for use in aquariums" which I was stupid not to see.

edit: it actually says somewhere on the box that it is used to raise the air temperature

point: read the label next time

The other problem for those plants is that they probably like warm temps. Many plants sold for tropical fish don't do well if you keep your newts cold. Or... maybe we aren't talking about a newt tank anyway.

A few things. I would one try going to petco or petsmarts websites and browse their hood and lighting sections to A get an idea of what kinds of combinations may work for your tank but more importantly try to look up the manufacturer's websites. Often manufacturer's (particularly marineland in my experience) list every single product they make on their website. It's quite possible that they may have exactly what you need and you would just need to have your local petstore order it. That or then you would know how to type in a search to see if it could be bought online. Also, in regards to the plants, if you go to your local pet store certain types of flourescent lights are designed to give specific lighting to enhance plant growth. You may end up needing to experiment with the plants but in my experience they work well at helping establish algae growth that will help keep your benefecial bacteria up between water changes and keep ammonia levels down. Hope you find what you are looking for and that one of these tips is useful.