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I have a 20g tank and still have the standard light that came with it (16w I think)

I only have a few low-light plants - java fern, crypts, hornwort - and they seem to be doing okay.

What I'm wondering is would these Hagen lights be worth getting?

1. Will those extra few watts help these plants?

2. How would that light change to "look" of the tank?

3. Do they really enhance the colour of fish?

I have an eclipse 3 hood, it came with 2 flourescent lights.

It was WAY to bright, especially on white gravel. My fish were usually pale. I took the one light off, and the lighting is half of what it used to be, and my fish seem to have darker/brighter colors.

Your link timed out on me, so their website is probably having a problem.

The standard light for a 20 gal is an 18 inch bulb that is only 15 watts. The link timed out on me too. Adding extra light in any way is always better when it comes to your plants. Java ferns grow taller/longer under more light and you might even get to see it pearl. Pearling is where it releases gas (oxygen) from the skin of the plant, like little bubbles. Unless they want an absurd amount of $$ for them, I would say yes. More light is always better.

Victim, Your fish looked washed out under that much light because of your gravel. White (unless you have dark colored fish) is a bad contrast against most fish.

[span class="edited"][Edited by phoneshannen 2004-08-26 21:39][/span]

Here's the info provided at the link.

20 W
- 24" (58.98 cm)
- 25 mm Diameter
- T8
- Service Life - 7500 hours
- Intensifies fish colors
- Promotes plant growth
- Photosynthetic growing lamp
- Stimulates plants
- Promotes color highlights in fish

I thought 24" was the standard length of 20g. Once I measure mine I'll know if it's even a possibility. I think they're selling these for around $30.00.

I bought a VHO (Very high output) bulb for my 4 foot long 55 gallon tank. The stock was something like 32 watts, and with the VHO I'm up to 110 watts. Though I still have brown algae, the green is flourishing much more.

The color COULD be described as pale, however my africans merely look like they're at a deeper water depth... or perhaps the look is a little more tropical.

PS. I bought the VHO bulb for about $27 at bigalsonline.com

Hi,
The link shows a bulb with spikes in the blue and
red areas of the spectrum, which is exactly what
plants want. However, you have a 20 gallon tank
and are talking about a 20 watt bulb, thats' 1 watt
per gallon and the plants would be "happier" closer
to 2 watts/gallon.

I'd give it a try, and be sure to keep the light on
for at least 10 hours/day, probably a little more,
say 11.

Frank
PS The link worked fine for me


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

It would be as nice upgrade from stock, but get the correct length, and honestly it's probably not gonna be much better than stock, as some stock bulbs are those aqua-glo.