hood and lighting

TheFighterFish

TheFighterFish

Large Fish
#1
Feb 10, 2006
854
2
0
Bay Area, CA
#1
I was wondering if there were any sturdy and reliable hood + light combos out there. I'm almost done with my 10 G and this is the only piece of equipment I have left to buy. I found one at Petsmart for $10 but it was really cheap plastic. I have a 20 inch long tank.
 

TheFighterFish

TheFighterFish

Large Fish
#6
Feb 10, 2006
854
2
0
Bay Area, CA
#6
CAPSLOCK said:
Those are what I have (the deluxe full hoods). They work better than the crap that comes in the kits.
Click to expand...
That's the main reason I didn't go buy a 50 dollar 10 G starter set. I was worried about quality. Instead, over the last few weeks I got everything I needed and it ended up costing 112 dollars. I bought the hood and lighting for 30 bucks today and the only thing that worries me is that the light is right in the middle. I've read that you should have the light in the front of the tank so that the shadows reflect away from the viewer. Also, you would see the fish's color more. Also, the lighting is a weak 15 W for a 10 G. But overall, I'm glad I finished building my tank. Phew...
 

geekrockgirl85

geekrockgirl85

Large Fish
#7
Sep 16, 2005
276
0
0
#7
do you want your light just to see your fish or to grow plants? because many of the hood and light combos you can pick up at petsmart won't cut it for plants (unless you stick strictly to java moss, java fern, and crypts).

if you are considering higher-light plants:

Big Al has a 20"/28w pc fixture for 35 bucks... but then you need to buy bracing legs for it ($7-10) and a glass canopy ($10-20).

another option would be to buy the little 20" incandescent hood that they sell all over the place and put the screw in twirly bulbs in there. (of course making sure they are proper wattage and kelvin rating)

no matter what you decide to do, shop around online a bit first. if you decide to go for a perfecto hood or the incandescent one, petsmart will definitely have both, but will probably overcharge you (even their own website prices are often cheaper than in-store!). so print out the lowest price you find and they'll match it. :)
 

TheFighterFish

TheFighterFish

Large Fish
#8
Feb 10, 2006
854
2
0
Bay Area, CA
#8
Too bad I already bought my hood and lighting. I got it from my lfs and it's a little cheap, but it works. Right now I'm kinda contempt with my light because I'm not gonna plant until after summer. I'm leaving for Vietnam this summer and so my tanks are going to be in the hands of my brother...who is the only one in the family that hasn't killed my fish.

Thanks for the advice geekrockgirl and I did shop around for about 1 week. Petsmart is expensive and online still charges for shipping...
 

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