So I have a 30-gallon tank. I have a regular hood and light, the kind that came stock on the tank..nothing special.

I'm rather new to the hobby, so I never thought about having special lighting. I do have some plants, but they're all low-light. But recently I saw a rather cool light that looked like it "floated" above the tank. it clamped onto each side of the tank and shined down. I guess this is so you can see the tank from above?

Anyways, I thought this was really cool and was wondering if this kind of lighting was for a unique tank? Or does it serve a special purpose? Is it something I can use with my community tank with rasboras, tetras, cories, etc?

If this can be used for any kind of tank can anyone tell me if it has any advantages? And do you put anything over the water like a plastic lid, or can it just be wide open?

And can anyone point me in the direction of where to purchase one that's not crazy priced if thats possible?

Thank you very much and pardon my lack of knowledge on the subject.

Here's the tank I'm currently running:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1052061...71523141035090

Those lights are great for open top tanks and also works with glass tops. One advantage is that it makes it easier to go higher light if you want. And if it has good reflectors will get more light into the tank.

Check out marinedepot.com for lighting and you can see all different kinds and will also have all kinds of bulbs for them.

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http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

All of my planted tanks have elevated lights and glass canopies. Some have to be elevated to lower the ligh level some. One of my tanks has suspended lights that are about 15" off of the tank.

The light fixtures that stand above the tank on legs or (even cooler) are suspended from the ceiling on chains are usually the higher-end, high-powered high-efficiency lights that the more avid aquarium nerds use. Many are T5HO (T5 represents the diameter of the fluorescent bulb, HO = High Output), others are metal halide (more marine-specific) and LED (light emitting diode). The T5's do great for tanks with live plants in them, as do the LEDs.

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So would something like my link below be overkill for me? I do have live plants and plan to add more.
I guess my question is, am I gonna see a difference in light (clarity, brightness), etc using this or will it be about the same as the stock flourescnet bulb under the hood I have now?
Yah, I like the cool-factor of the canopy, and I know it's good for my plants...but what about the birghtness of the light, or bringing out more colors in my fish?

Here's the light I'm looking at:
AquaticLife 30" T5 HO 2 Lamp Fixture Marine AquaticLife 24 AquaticLife Lights AquaticLife T5 HO Light AquaticLife Light AquaticLife Lighting Dual Lamp T5 HO Aquatic Life

48 Watts of T5HO light puts you in the mid-high range for light on a 30 gallon tank, taking into account the efficiency of the T5HO's. That fixture looks good, but you'll want something more freshwater-specific, such as one with a 10kK and a 6700K or 5500K. Also, keep an eye on Craigslist - I see fixtures like that go through mine for $40 or less many times (got my gf a 65W PC 6700K fixture for $30 two months ago).

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That light will work, but with needed additions to what your tank will need. This light will require CO2, unless you elevate off the tank. It will put you in the high light category. Did you plan on CO2?

You're right, I did link to the "marine" light. This is the one I'm looking at actually. And yes, I do plan on elevating off the tank with legs.
AquaticLife 20" T5 HO 2 Lamp Fixture Freshwater AquaticLife 20 AquaticLife Lights AquaticLife T5 HO Light AquaticLife Light AquaticLife Lighting Dual Lamp T5 HO Aquatic Life

So with the freshwater lamp I linked to with the post above, would I still need co2? I didn't plan on it, but I 'll do what it takes. Would it be necessary? I am going to elevate with the legs attachments. May I ask why that matters in conjunction with co2 or anything else?

Thanks!

With high-powered lighting, the plants are going to need additional nutrients in order to fully utilize the boosted light levels, otherwise you'll end up with algae galore. Artificially injecting CO2 is the only way to elevate the CO2 levels above natural levels (around 3 ppm). It's pretty easy when you get the hang of it - you use an Ocean Spray juice bottle with a mixture of yeast, sugar, Jell-O and baking soda to generate CO2 through fermentation, then pump it into your tank using a diffuser or reactor and some airline tubing or narrow-gauge CO2 tubing from Home Depot. I would say the startup cost of a DIY (Do It Yourself) CO2 system would be about $50, with the majority of that ($20-$30) being spent on a good diffuser or reactor.

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Thanks for the info. And if I get the freshwater-specific lights and elevate it off the tank I will still need a co2 setup?

Truth is, yes I'd like my plants to grow better as I will be adding more (so co2 is an option for me)...but for me it's more about the looks of the light shining down. I just hate teh dull look of the stock light I have. Will I be getting what I'm looking for with a light like this? More Brightness, clarity than my stock light?

Thanks for your help

In a word, yes.

Even elevated 1"-2" off the tank, that's still going to be a lot of light. You'll get amazing brilliance in your fish and plants, and you'll be very impressed (I've seen it before on here, as well as myself). However, those lights are really designed for use by plant enthusiasts, and therefore will need supplemental nutrients because your plants are going to want to become superplants. Any imbalance in nutrients, be it between light and CO2, or fertilizers, will cause an algae bloom. Conversely, you could intentionally cause an algae bloom and invest in a great cleanup crew (I use shrimp, African Dwarf Frogs, plecostimus, three different types of snails, and clams).

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The leg attachments will usually give 2-4" at the most.....that will not be enough.....and still go without CO2. This light will put you in the high light category and more than likely a DIY system may not be enough to keep the CO2 high enough.

There are two main things a plant needs to grow - light and CO2. If the light is there driving the plant to grow, without the required amount of CO2 to keep up with that growth, the plant will suffer. This is where usually some form of algae like BBA will take over and cover the plant.

I have a light over my 29g comparable to this light and have pressurized CO2. If my CO2 levels start to fluctuate at all, BBA usually starts to grow. A DIY system is not consistent.

Wow. So much to think about. Thanks.

So I don't mind spending $50 on the DIY co2 setup, but jrman says that may not be enough.

Is there maybe a smaller (less powerful) light that would fit into that enclosure that maybe a DIY co2 setup would work and still give me better light for brightness and clarity than my stock light? Or maybe the DIY setup WILL work with this one?

Thoughts?

Go to fishneedit.com, pick the same light with light hanging equipment and hang it about 10 inches above your tank.

Or you could look at single bulb T5HO 30" fixtures instead of dual bulb.

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Thanks for the site jrman. Now I know the old one I linked to had two white bulbs. What if I picked this one with one-blue and one-white (white is at 6700k). Would that still need to be hung? (im not sure if my wife is gonna let me hang it.

This one with one blue and one white
30in 2Bulbs fixtures

You would still need it. Blue would be actnic and you don't need or want that. Single bulb could work.

Got it. No blue.
Only problem is, I've yet to see a single-bulb canopy (elevated with legs) light. Any ideas? And would 1 6700k light be a big improvement over my stock light?

Thanks...any links to one of those would be great!
Thanks again!

Don't stop replying now! I'm at an impasse! :-)

Jk thanks for all your help so far. If theres no such thing as a single bulb canopy lamp I may just not be able to do what I want..or I'll need to setup a nice co2 system