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are they better? cuz i saw one that was only like 6 inches, outputs 60 watts and i use the kinda lights you buy from wal-mart, but its marked for plants and aquarium, do those suck? and i have one of those lights you put underneath a cabinet or in a shop too, do those suck as well?

Hi,
The U shaped tubes allow you to have more light in a
smaller space. If you have a tank that is, say 20 inches
across, and want to put a 40 watt bulb on it, but 40
bulbs only come in 4ft lengths, then you are out of luck.
But, then comes the U shaped tube that is say, 18 inches
long, you can put it on the tank.

If you are using straight tubes, you need not purchase
"grow lux" or other types of "plant bulbs." Many of them
are for terrestrial plants (African Violets, etc.) and
all cost more than is necessary. You can use bulbs
from the local hardware store marked DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT
for your tanks. They are about 6700K and just right for
your aquarium plants.

The shop lights you mention are fine for aquariums.
The only thing you need to be sure of, is that you
have a complete glass cover on the tank under the
light. They do rust easily and you want to keep the
condensation, and splashing water away from them.
They make a great, inexpensive aquarium light.
Again, use DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT bulbs in them.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

cool, that was like REALLY helpful, thanks