How Do I Best Light My 96"x48"x25"?

[Madding]

Freshwater aquarium. Should I go with two 48" fixtures, one 72" fixture, etc? Please let me know what you think would work best. People with similiar sized tanks please give me some input. Thanks!

 

[RedDwarf]

I would go with at least two 48" fixtures, you get better light coverage and the bulbs are more common. You also won't have to deal with over sized packages when you have the bulbs shipped or if you go pick them up. You can also add more fixtures if you want more light over the tank.

 

[Madding]

I would go with at least two 48" fixtures, you get better light coverage and the bulbs are more common. You also won't have to deal with over sized packages when you have the bulbs shipped or if you go pick them up. You can also add more fixtures if you want more light over the tank.

I was thinking to start with two 48" as well. The price of 72" fixtures is pretty insane since most of them have all these extra utilities built in that I'm not interested in.

 

[RedDwarf]

If you have a canopy for the tank then you could go with the T5 fixtures they sell at Home Depot. You can always gut them and then mount the ballast remotely if your worried about heat. I would change the bulbs though since I think they are around 4800K.

 

[BadOleRoss]

If you are just looking for a light fixture to put in your hood I would go with a t-8 fixture from Lowes. It's 96" long and holds 4-48" bulbs. Goes for about $40.

 

[FSM]

4 foot T8 fixtures are about $20 at a hardware store. 2 would be fine for the area under the fixture, but you might need 4 to light the whole thing adequately.

 

[Madding]

Looks like I'm stopping at Lowes or Home Depot after work today. I'll let you know what I decide to go with - some sort of T-8 fixture hopefully.

 

[Madding]

Question - with these fixtures, most of them seem designed for ceilings, do you just set it down on the glass top of the aquarium or is there some special way to do it? I have no canopy.