March 23, 2007, Newsletter Issue #96: Aquarium Lights & Hoods
Tip of the Week
You will probably want to purchase lights and a hood. A hood prevents fish from jumping out of the tank and reduces the rate at which water evaporates. A good hood effectively seals the tank (except perhaps where the heater and filter reside). You want as little water as possible evaporating as it may raise the room´s humidity to unacceptable levels and requires more maintenance because you will have to ``top off´´ the tank once or twice a week to replace the lost water.
There are two styles of hoods. Full hoods combine the light and hood as a single unit. Hoods include space for only 1 or 2 (parallel) fluorescent light tubes, which is fine for fish-only tanks, but not usually enough for growing plants. Glass canopies cover the tank with two strips of glass connected by a plastic hinge, but don´t include lighting. A separate strip (or other) light is used in conjunction with it. Canopies are a bit better for plant tanks than full hoods; one can upgrade or change the lighting without replacing the entire hood, and in situations where very high wattage is needed, one can usually fit more light bulbs directly above the tank.
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| Jerry Mayo |
