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I find it completely baffling that a typical 12" place-a-lite fixture will put out 18 watts, but the standard 15" fixture for a 5.5 gallon tank will only put out 8. I'm trying to have plants in my office tank, but even the anubias and java ferns are dying from lack of light, and the super-easy aponogeton bulbs you can buy at Wal-Mart will not grow.

I'm looking into retrofit kits that I can use with the same hood I have now, just replacing the innerds, as it were. But I'm having trouble finding a kit for a small enough light. I don't really want more than 18 or so watts. Anybody got any advise?

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Hi,
I don't know what a "place a lite" fixture is. If you look
in the Drsfostersmith.com catalog, you should find several
options for hoods for that tank that will give you more
watts/gallon in light. Another option is to simply
change out the bulb for one that says DAYLIGHT
or SUNLIGHT in its name, from your local hardware store.
Or,purchase a Coral Life bulb from your LFS that has
the word "sun" in it. Either way will give you more
light for the tank than it sounds like you are getting.

Frank


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

Here's a link to a company that supplies refit kits for lighting fixtures. Hope it helps.

http://www.ahsupply.com/index.html

Jim

---

Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Thanks guys!

After looking at the fixture more closely, I've opted away from doing my own retrofit using the existing hood. I don't think I could get the current fixture out without destroying the hood. I did take a look at Drsfostersmith.com, and I like that they offer both perfecto and all-glass lights, but it makes no sense to me that the perfecto lights have half the wattage for the same size light fixtures as the all-glass ones. So I got myself an all-glass light, and that should help a great deal.

Now to fix the yellow fuzz problem with my gravel

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...