Tank hood/light not fitting

[altselgreen]

Please can somebody tell me what I am doing wrong here. An 80cm tank, measured 24" gap for the bulb, 24" bulb does not fit...

The bulb fits in one end, but is about 1cm short on the other.

Tank bought 2nd hand, no manufacturer, there is a Light Glo sticker on the tank, which may be Hagen bulbs?

Thanks

 

[Byron]

One (or both) of the ends may be a bit loose and moved apart, as this is an older fixture. I've had this with new lights too. See if you can move either or both of them a tad closer. Be careful not to force them and break something, but sometimes there is some "wiggle" room.

 

[altselgreen]

Thanks Byron.
Have given that a go, it appears to take and sit in but a fair bit of movement is required, a lot more than I would expect! Once screwed in I'm not sure it's connecting properly. Even so, the lights are not powering when plugged in. Makes me think something may be up with the hood itself.
Don't really want to buy a replacement as they appear to cost a lot

 

[Byron]

Thanks Byron.
Have given that a go, it appears to take and sit in but a fair bit of movement is required, a lot more than I would expect! Once screwed in I'm not sure it's connecting properly. Even so, the lights are not powering when plugged in. Makes me think something may be up with the hood itself.
Don't really want to buy a replacement as they appear to cost a lot

The least expensive option is to buy a "shop fixture." I've done this with five fluorescent hoods; they don't last forever, the ballast gives out and it is cheaper to buy a new fixture and insert it in the housing.

You remove all the existing "stuff" from the external housing. The ""shop" fixture is just the basic ballast and clips. Get the size that fits inside the housing; there are single tube and dual tube fixtures. It is just basic wiring. I'm hopeless at such things, but even I managed to repair my five fixtures, for very little money.