Rekord Lighting

[KateT]

I have a Rekord 96, which comes with one light tube. I want another tube to a) aid plant growth and b) brighten up the tank, the one tube doesn't seem to look too good.

I was told that a Duolux 80 hood would fit the tank, but after checking it out, it won't - my tank is too wide.

What are my options? I've been googling this afternoon and have found some bits and bobs RE: adding a tube - but I don't even know what 'ballasts', 'starter units' etc etc are and am quite frustrated now with trying to figure out how to do it! All the bits I've found seem to assume some basic knowledge of lighting and I just don't at all.

Are there any hoods that exist that will fit my tank? Or does anyone have an idiot proof step-by-step guide to walk me through adding a tube myself?

 

[StandbySetting]

What I would do personally is build myself a new hood out of some wood, coated in varnish to prevent water damage, then you could fit 2*18 Watt T8 tubes, and for these you would need a 2*18 Watt T8 ballast, Arcadia make some good units, and they're easily available on the internet, these units are easy to fit, just screw the sockets to the hood, and insert the bulb (the ballast part of the unit will sit outside of the tank.

Other than this you could fit a reflector to the tube if there isn't one already present, or you could add another single tube to the existing hood is space is available.