Lighting for a paludarium

[Cheryl Trine <ctrine at andrews_edu>]

I am considering setting up a 55 gal. tank as a paludarium, and am
wondering about lighting.

1.  Because the water surface will be farther from the light source than
in an aquarium, it seems that there should be a lot more reflection of
light at the water surface.  What kind of generalizations are used to
determine how much light it would need for a medium to high-light
situation?

2.  I have seen aquarium hoods for 55's that use 24" inch lights and
others that use 48" lights.  What are the pro's and con's of these two
styles.

3.  Because the hoods that come with aquaria do not usually provide
adequate light, would I be better off to make my own rather than buying
and retrofitting?

4.  Would there be an advantage to using compact fluorescent lighting
instead of regular fluorescents?

TIA

Cheri