Perfecto vs. All Glass Full Fluorescent Hoods

T

turtlefish

Large Fish
#1
May 9, 2005
158
0
0
#1
I have a 10 gallon and am looking for a hood for it. The two main fluorscent fixtures seem to be the All-glass Deluxe fixture http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13447&N=2004+113349
and the perfecto ones. Regarding the Perfecto fixtures, on petwarehouse.com its just called perfecto, but on petsmart they've got the Perfect-a-Lite things, don't know the difference. Whats the reputation of the two? Which one should i get?
 

T

turtlefish

Large Fish
#3
May 9, 2005
158
0
0
#3
OK, but there are two types of incandescent hoods. One is the very economical looking all-glass and the other is the more expensive Perfecto. Not sure which one is better and do they both have two sockets? I see compact fluorescents at home depot and stuff but those arn't useful for plant growth as their kelvin degree is too low. The aquarium ones run like 8-10 bucks a piece, I thought a tube would be easier?
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#4
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
39
Cape Cod
#4
Don't get the type that is one sheet of molded plastic, with no barrier between the water and the bulbs. Those kind are crap, and they kept failing on me...
 

Seiryoku

Seiryoku

Large Fish
#5
Apr 5, 2006
157
0
0
Woodland, CA
#5
I think the wattage on the tubes in a 10g hood is around 15w or so. You get 40w if you use two CF bulbs, which is much better for live plants if you ever decide to try them.

All-Glass and Perfecto are both good companies as far as I know, but some people do prefer All-Glass. It probably doesn't make any difference with something like a hood.
 

Fishckabibble

Fishckabibble

Large Fish
#6
Jan 13, 2006
792
2
0
Colorado
#6
i have perfecto on my 55 gallon, and i have had the same light and bulbs for 5 years! i have never had to replace the bulbs (strange huh!) and i have never had problems with it. i also have all glass hoods on my 25 and 10 gallon tanks and they are pretty good too. so either would be a good choice IMO. it all depends on which look you like best i suppose
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#9
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#9
I have to say, the marketing people really did a job on those descriptions! IMO, they're both cheap, mass-manufactured pieces of plastic. They do the job, but don't be fooled by the promises of "modern styling." They work OK, but don't have high expectations on the looks or longevity.

IMO, the "wood" looking ones look terrible. You're better off going for the black. The wood ones always remind me of tacky 1970s room panneling.
 

T

turtlefish

Large Fish
#10
May 9, 2005
158
0
0
#10
I will probably be purchasing at my local petsmart. Online, there in a perfecto incandescent hood which is very nice looking and more expensive. They dont seem to have that so my second choice iss the all-glass incandescent. Then there is the all-glass fluorescent black fixture that also seems good and it comes with tube for around 20 dollars.
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...1145743237487&itemNo=3&In=Fish&N=2030117&Ne=2
http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...1145743237480&itemNo=1&In=Fish&N=2030117&Ne=2
Second link is the fluroescent fixture, any details on this? I all know so far is theres one review at petco that said it failed very quickly althogh most say all-glass stuff is decent. Thoughts?
Thanks
Oh btw, the tank itself is a walmart regent brand, the deluxe lights will fit on it right?
 

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