What kind of bulbs can i put into my aquarium's light?

Question

I bought a 55 gallon off of craigslist, and the hood that came with it has a spot for 2 light strips. I have plants in the tank and they aren't doing well, i believe it's because the lighting isn't good enough (The fluorescent bulbs are probably old.) My question is...what kind of bulbs do I buy for a 24" Perfecto light thing that is rated @ 120 volts, 60Hz and 17watts. Is 17 watts the most that can go in there? And will that be good enough for most aquarium plants?

Answer 1

the only thing you can do is replace the bulbs hoping there old and there spectrums are old. you can only add that size (18" bulb) because thats all your fixture will fit......so if your continuing to have the problem you could try buying a new light fixture which will cost you alot! of money (if this is what you would like to do thought i would reccomend the Coralife 48" Freshwater) this is a great light fixture for plants that cost a little over $200 to purchace. Otherwise your light you have just replace the bulbs and hope that an updated spectrum will help keep your plants in good shape.

hope this helps