20w 38 gal tank

[Rhino_H]

Bought a new tank and planted it (One Amazon Sword and a bundle of Anacharis.) I'm concerned about how well these will do with the amount of light in the tank. The bulb I have is only 20w. I checked the LFS for replacement bulbs but the wattage there, even in the ones that stated they were for plants, were the same 20w.

Am I OK, what should I do, there is only the one little socket for the tubes? Any suggestions on how to increase the wattage?

Thanks in advance.

Rhino

 

[Alien Anna]

You could try a light-doubling reflector - I use them on all my tanks and my plants are doing fine.

 

[Rhino_H]

Sounds interesting, what, exactly is a light-doubling reflector and where does one get that?

 

[Alien Anna]

Sounds interesting, what, exactly is a light-doubling reflector and where does one get that?

They are shiny metal strips to clip onto your bulb.

Here's a UK site that sells them: Aquarium Supplies - Lighting Reflectors

 

[allnatural]

Here is another suggestion:

If you have the standard flourescent hood, sometimes you can remove the light fixture from the plastic top. If you can, remove the light fixture, get a plain glass top for your tank (they are called Versa-top - All Glass makes them http/www.all-glass.com/products/index.html) , then get another light strip. You will then have 40 watts of light. You should be able to get this stuff from your LFS if they carry All-Glass tanks.

Hey A.A., me again I like A.A's suggestion of the quality reflectors that you attach to the bulbs. I'll have to look into those. I would get the extra light strip and the reflectors. The 38 gallon tank is 20 inches high. You will need a lot of intensity to punch down that deep.

--Tim