Lighting

[RobM]

Hey all!

I was just wondering whether someone or someones could give me some advice about lighting. I want to fit lighting on my racks above my aquariums to give the plants a few hours extra light per day. Does anyone have an effective but not too costly solution?
If you want me to provide more information, just let me know!

 

[kirstyandmark]

im guessing you dont have a lid on your tank? maybe post a picture of your set up?

 

[Jzehr125]

I'm not sure what your size limits are or how much you need, but I recently bought an under-counter LED light for my small tank. I can lay it across the tank (a large "Kritter Keeper" with a plastic window on top), and it lights the tank rather well, although the bottom of it is rounded, so it has to lay on its side. Not excessively bright, but not too dim either, although the brightness will definitely be impacted by how high you have it above my tank. It works well for me, but it is also only 3 inches or so above the surface. There's also an on-off switch right on the light, so you don't have to fumble around with the cord. I also noticed that it hasn't impacted the tank temperature much, if at all. The bulb part gets a little warm, but not enough to burn skin or melt plastic. This is the exact one I bought, so perhaps something similar could work for you. It could get a bit expensive if you want to buy a few of them, but all in all I was happy with it.

Some other members might have better suggestions than mine. There might even be some "DIY" lighting solutions that could work, but I'm not too familiar with them.

 

[RobM]

Thank you Jzehr125, but I don't think that would provide the light required for the plants.

Kirsty was kind enough to communicate with me via PM, she recommended this: AQUARIUM/REPTILE LIGHT STARTER UNIT 25-30w.30-36" TUBES on eBay (end time 23-Feb-11 17:23:35 GMT)
(encase anyone is interested)