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compact flourescents/VHO
Hi Rachel,
If you're looking to increase lighting, you can actually fit 3, and possibly
4, standard flourescents on the tank, giving you 60-80 watts. I fit a double
strip where my single strip was sitting, and used the single strip over the
hinged area, but probably that would fit a double as well, as perfecto strips
are the same width, regardless of single or double. (This is on a 30" 20
gallon long tank). You could purchase a double light strip for about $40, 2
broad spectrum lights for approx. $5 a piece--total $50-$55, and use your
single strip and you'd have 60 watts. AH Supply sells compact flourescent
kits for retrofitting, but the guy there told me Perfecto light strips
generally don't accommodate their sets well (size-wise), so you need to keep
this in mind if you're thinking along those lines.
Perfecto makes SHO strip lights and they don't look too unreasonably priced,
however the bulbs cost considerably more than standard flourescents, as do
compact flourescents. You may want to check into this. I know That Fish
Place/That Pet Place lists the SHO lights in their catalog, but couldn't find
it online. A 30" 55 watt fixture is $105.00. The lamps are approx. $28 a
piece. I have no experience with these, but I believe there was a recall on
some of those SHO fixtures.
Sylvia
<< Hi, it's the browned plant person. Thank you for all of the help and
response, I'm very grateful, heaps of thanks. Right now I am attacking my
situation via lighting, before I get a fresh batch of plants. I went and
read about a general rule, "2 to 5 watts per gallon." I have 29 gallons so
a
20w flourescent (what I have) seems low. My hood is a full top (I can't do
metal halide) and the most I can fit is two 24" flourescents, which would be
40w. But after studying I have discovered HO and VHO and compact
flourescents, the latter where apparently I can cram 2-55watt bulbs in the
light strip (a good 110w right there.) So that's what I am looking at
doing,
but I haven't found high-quality lighting available for sale locally and
have
had only two successful searches on the net. And I am not totally sure what
the net companies are selling would fit over my tank. Plus the prices were
definately not compact. If anyone has experience with these types of bulbs,
or VHO's for that matter, and knows of a good place to get them, once again,
heaps of thanks.
- --Rachel
>>