Hello All,

I hope you guys can help me decide what sort of lighting would be best for my tank. I got a used 44 gal tank that came with a stand and wooden canopy, but no other equipment. I've been trying to decide if I should just get a complete hood with light or a glass canopy and separate strip light. The full hood option is cheaper, but I'm not sure if it will be too much stuff inside the wooden canopy. I would rather do the glass canopy, but the single strip light costs as much as the full hood, plus the cost of the glass canopy. it seems silly. anyway, i would really appreciate any opinions or experiences to help me decide which route to take. Here's a pic of the tank, if that helps at all. The dimensions are 12" x 24" x 36".

Plain Tank

Swift, it depends really on what you do with the tank. If you are planning plants, then stronger lights are in order. Otherwise most plants won't make it, or you go for low light plants.
Other than that, it is really a matter of taste, and where your tank is. If its in the middle of the living room, then go for something that will look good, like the full hood.
Me, I like to add stronger lights to the tank, simply because the fish will look better, and you encourage the green algae to grow, instead of the brown gunk. So, my setups are all with glass canopy, and light strips in the full length of the tanks. I buy the cheap shoplights at Homedepot, and then go and get some nice quality light bulbs, which I order online. Prices are cheaper that way, and they all come packed really nice - no broken bulbs so far.

That's a great idea-I didn't know you could get lights there. I have little to no interest in live plants, simply because I think I would get frustrated with it, but I do want my fish to look good. They are in the living room, in full view at all times. Are there any sites online in particular that you shop from for bulbs? Thanks so much!

There are several places you can pick from....

My favorites are Petsolutions.com, DrsFosterAndSmith.com, Bigalsonline.com, even Petsmart.com at times. I just look up the different websites for what I want, and pick the one that is cheapest. I also compare the shipping costs.