tank cover and lighting question

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wckdkl0wn

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 16, 2008
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All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws
I am trying to find a tank cover with lights in it for my tank. There is 1 support across the top. But each side of the support it is 35"x16 3/4".(and that is for a really tight fit) That is the measurements on the inside lip of the tank. Closest thing i could find online was 36x18 which that might work but i would have to trim it down. If I go with glass tops what lights should i go with. I dont want it to reflect off the glass and back into the room too much. thats why i was wanting the complete hood so it would be set right on the glass.

I've never had to buy a top or lights for a tank since all my tanks came with them. But this free 125 gallon didnt have anything. Plants I am going to be keeping in the tank will be mid lighting to low lighting plants, but they wont be added til later on down the road when I get my tax check in the mail.
 
36" shop lights are a cheap and easy to find solution for lighting (auto parts stores, kmart, walmart, homedepot, lowes) and plexiglass is easy to cut and can be painted to keep light from reflecting through it.. some homedepot/lowes will cut plexi/glass for you but not all of them..

as for the finding a bulb you like.. well.. thats the age old quest for the perfect light but any LFS should have several to chose from.. one of the homedepots near me has a HUGE selection of aquarium bulbs... i dont think ive ever used the same bulb twice so im not the one to answer the "which one" question
 
maybe I will just make a glass lid for it or plexi glass. My neighbor came over today when I was working on the stand and he said he had both glass and plexi I could have that would work for that. (he used to work for a glass company and brought glass home all the time) I checked out his shed and he has tons of glass in there. told me to take what I wanted. He has enough to make atleast a dozen or so 150 gallon tanks =) But I will probably just make it out of plexi and get a light from lowes or walmart like you suggested. Maybe something I can hang on a small chain from the ceiling.

Should I worry about heat or anything coming from the lights? I was always told that florescent lights dont get hot. But my 20 gallon lights get hot.
 
if yer planning on keeping low/medium light plants thats going to be a lot more than you need.. and for that price you might as well just pick them up at yer lfs....

kmart sells shop lights for like $10... and hanging them from chains would sorta defeat the whole not wanting it to reflect into the room thing...

also heat rises so unless yer planning on having the tank full the to tiptop it should not be an issue...
 
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