unclenedsfishfactory.com

grrrr... around here the best i can find for 24" flourescant bulbs are 20watt... i dont know how to wire or anything so i cant do anything fancy. is there any places that sell hoods with more than one standard flourescant ballast? my tank is about 31x12 (but a 30x12 will fit) im beginning to feel like it is hopeless. also whats the cheapest c02 system? cheapest i see is $19.95 on some site. (includes everything you need for 3 months and extra tablets are about $5 for a pack of 4 i think it was). im stressing myself out so i will stop. thanks for any info i get.

CO2 -- i made my system for like a buck. basically there are 2 parts to a CO2 system: generating the CO2, and getting it into the water. to generate CO2, ive got a 3 liter (2 liter is fine) bottle with a hole in the cap and a hose (seal that hose into the cap with any aquarium safe sealant) going from the hole to the venturi intake on a fluval 2+. in the bottle i mix 3 cups sugar (1 per liter), 1.5 teaspoons of yeast (.5 per liter) and enough water to fill it to about 4 inches from the top. shake well, and CO2 production should start in an hour or so depending on water temp. the only hardware in my tank is the fluval 2+ (basically a power head with a "corner filter") so i use that for my infusion. my planted tank is only 10 gallons, so this gives me enough. if you're running a larger tank, you will probably need a better infuser. ive seen several DIY setups involving a power head, a gravel vac, and some super chunky substrate or bio balls or filter wadding. you cut off most of the hose of the vac, leaving just enough to connect to the power head. drill a hole into the side of the vac halfway down, and attach the other end of the hose (with the bottle cap being on the other end). put enough chunky substrate or bioballs into the vac so that it comes up just under the side hole you drilled, and plug the bottem with filter wadding (sometimes called "floss") and attach the vac to the inside wall of your tank with suction cup mounting brackets (a couple more bucks) next to the power head.

so here's how it works: the power head constantly forces water down into the vac, pushing it thru the bio balls and floss (free bio filtration ). when the CO2 comes in through the side hose, it wants to rise against the current from the power head. the bubbles generally cant get through the filter wadding, so they kick around in the vac. in the process, it gets all churned around by the current and bioballs, and dissolves into the water. voila.
total cost assuming you need to buy everything listed is maybe 30 bucks.

here are some links describing systems similar to the one above (with pictures!)

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/diy_reactor.htm

http://www.plantedtank.net/co2.html
http://www.plantedtank.net/co2reactor.html

you could buy a compact fluorescent retrofit kit for you existing striplight/hood. Compacts are less than 21 inches long, and come as 35w, 55w, 65w, and 96w. They also throw nearly 3x the light per watt that standard fluorescent bulbs do.
The kits generally require no wiring - just remove the old ballast and clips and attach the new.

I have gotten quite a few of these at http://www.ahsupply.com but Ned might have something like this too...

I'd suggest a
CURRENT company 30” SATELLITE 65W PC STRIP.
That's if you have a 29 gallon tank or a 37 gallon tank.
Uncle Ned's can order this for you ... it would cost $85.
If you want one let me know any Sunday by 5 pm
and it can be here the next Wednesday afternoon.
or
CORALLIFE company 30” F/W AQUALIGHT 65W STRIP (cost $80.)
This item would also need to be ordered.
Both items are totally easy to use.

If you have only a 20 gallon long tank (30 x 12 x 12 inch tall)
I'd suggest a
ALL GLASS AQUARIUM company 30" double bulb florescent
a total of 40 watts.
Uncle Ned's almost always has them in stock for $57.

With either system, I'd suggest using
a 30 inch glass versa top, $18, if you don't already have one.

There are almost no plants that require more than about 2 watts per gallon.
The most important thing in any lighting system is the freshness of the bulbs.
Any bulb should be changed at least once every 12 months,
many people change them every 8 months.

my target light is around 1.5 to 2 watts per gallon. what it looks like i will do is maybe buy one of those metal shop lights that have 2 ballasts or retrofitting it to a compact flourescant. i think i would rather get the compact. that way i can keep my hood instead of just hanging a stupid metal light above it. (i got cats that would love me taking the hood off and having a shop light) i also think i will do DIY co2

d'oh... i dont have a powerhead to attach it to. how will i work the c02 with only a hang on filter? i also have gourami's which would not appreciate a powerhead. so is c02 a no-no then?

hmm, i have seen sketches for a non-powerhead method.

http://www.plantedtank.net/co2diffuser.html

i think it relies on ambient water pressure and a large surface area for the gas exchange.

FINALLY! i found a solution. you know those slats in the back for hang on filters and heaters? mine spans almost the whole width, so i took my clip-on light, put a 15 watt compact flourescant (equivilent to 60 watts) this added to my 20 watt equals 80 watts total which is 2.6 watts per gallon ill look into a co2 system but not DIY because im confused on making it without a power head.