Question Regarding Upgrading My Light Strip

[Will91]

Hi all:

Many of you have helped me with some low light plant selections for my 26 US gallon fresh water tank. I currently have a 15W strip light. To date, I have added one anubias nana and one java fern and like them very much. I don't want to redo my substrate so according to the advice of the nice folks here, I can simply tie these plants to rocks, etc.

I am considering purchasing another light strip for my tank. The one I have in mind is the All Glass CF 55W light which uses the GE 9325 bulb. I have a few questions:

http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...ight2455wattoak

1) I read that this bulb imparts a pinkish cast to the tank - is this true? Is it OK that it says it is also good for salt water tanks??
2) Is the GE 9325 bulb regarded as a good bulb that would be beneficial for plant growth?
3) I read in George Farmer's pinned topic of lighting that above 2W/gallon, CO2 injection is a must. Is this correct? I do think it would be beneficial to get some more light in my tank but I don't necessarily want to have to get into CO2 injection. I just want to help my anubias nana and java fern plants happy!
4) Does anyone know if this bulb will heat up my tank temperature? I have heard that some folks mount strip lights a bit above the surface of the glass hood but I'm hoping that I can simply set this down directly on the glass hood - similar to how the OEM oak colored light strip fits.

Thanks for any input.

 

[DevUK]

It looks like you might be able to replace the bulb/tube with an interpet daylight plus 55w which is more suited. It says its 9325K which isn't too bad, but might be a little high. Usually for plants its recommended to go in the 65000 region, but I think its more the spectrum of light than the rating. Plants prefer full spectrum lights I believe.

 

[Mikaila31]

I personally don't like the All-Glass hoods. I haven't tried any of their compact fluorescent hoods, but I find the plain old fluorescent hoods to be cheaply made and expensive, but they are also durable. I would suggest this light, which is for a 30" tank. If you don't use the legs and instead use a 1"X1" length of wood under each end, it will perfectly fit a 24" tank. The only downside is that my strip uses a square-pin configuration, I'm not sure on the configuration of the one in the link. This will make the replacement bulbs more expensive. Also with the increased lighting you may find it difficult to maintain the tank without CO2.

Cheers,
Mikaila31