Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am looking at using some compact flourescent lighting for some planted tanks I'm putting togeather. I will list the tank, its size, whats going in it, and what type of light I was planning on using. If any one could give me an *ok* or some suggestions that would be great... All of the lights I'm planning to use will be bought from "www.ahsupply.com" so any ?'s about them can be found there.

29 Gallon High
(18"H/30"L/12"W)
1.1 D. Leucomelas
2x55watt Bright kit, or would a 1x55watt work?

65 Gallon Short
(25"H/36"L/19"W)
0.2 Mossy Leaftail Geckos
1x96watt Bright Kit, I was going to go with the 2x55w but they said this would work better.

If I need to change anything please let me know.
Thanks, SoBeK

Sobek,
It sounds like you've got the right idea in terms of wattage. You'll be surprised at the intensity of light put out by compact fluorescent bulbs. I use some of the ones like you can find at Home Depot. The bulb is in a corkscrew shape and you can usually get a pack of two for about $10 or so. They are very bright and the plants seem to do okay under them, however the color spectrum leaves a lot to be desired and they tend to accentuate yellows and reds a bit. They are not full spectrum in terms of balanced colors resembling natural sunlight, however they do put out a nice high intensity light that will be good for your plants.

Matt Campbell