Thanks to everyone who has responded to my previous questions...you guys are helping me answer my infinite questions one by one haha...

Another question however.....i am going to start my first beaslbob method build and am still unsure about the lighting. i saw something called Zoo Med T-8 Flora Sun Max Plant Growth bulbs at the petco nearby. (Zoo Med T-8 Flora Sun Max Plant Growth Fluorescent Bulb at PETCO) The guy at the store told me this lighting wouldn't be as good as a T5 but is also a fraction of the price. If i wanted to use these lights do you guys think i can still have a successful planted tank??? do i need to gear the plants i chose in a certain direction? such as "low-light plants"? or should i just save up and buy the T5? help. thanks.

It would help to know the size tank and what type fixture you're looking at. However, you should buy the light based on the plants you want to grow, but remember that higher light choices may demand that you inject CO2 or you could have problems.

I have a 55 gallon, and i really don't want to inject CO2 because i know nothing about it and have heard it is expensive. The fixture is just the regular hood with fluorescent bulbs so i wanted to replace the existent bulbs with the plant specific ones i linked to above. Would those lights suffice for certain plants? Also, how much extra work/expense is CO2?

It may be ugly but to me the 4' two tube shop lights from home depot fit a 55g nicely. A fixture plus 6500k t-8 tubes is about $16 or so and provides 64w. Which would be marginally enough but two would do fine.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

You can get a complete pressurized setup for around $150. If you have T-8 bulbs, I'd shoot for about 2WPG. That will give you the ability to grow the majority of the plants out there I believe.

How do i get 2WPG in a 55 gallon tank with T8s, because theres only two bulbs so i would need roughly 50 watt T8 bulbs. right? do you know of such a bulb?

Use two fixtures.

4' shop lights are 64 watts per fixture (2 x 32 watts/tube). So 2 tixtures would be 128 watts. Which is actuall approaching high lighting.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

sorry guys i really just don't comprehend what you mean by using to fixtures....i would need some sort of new hood right?

Probably depending on the hood you currently have.

What I did on my 55g mixed reef tank was use 1/4" plastic grid "egg crate" (lighting diffuser) And just place the fixtures on that with some wood blocks on hte ends to hold the fixtures off the egg crate.

Without a hood that does look ugly (or getto or whatever). So I did use a cheapie hood from wall mart for awhile to cover them up.

So I guess the cost of a pretty setup is the fixtures plus the hood.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

I'd go this route:
Perfecto Glass Aquarium Lighting Canopies

I couldn't stomach the evaporation rate of anything else.

I second the glass canopies.I use them on two of my four tanks and will one day have them on all four.They are so much cleaner looking than the classic black hood,and its harder for jumping fish to pop them up.

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http://bountifulbettas.blogspot.com/

"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"