So, I have a Juwel Rekord 60 and am looking to convert it onto a planted tank. The tank came with a 15w T8 bulb in the hood that is only giving me 1w per gallon; not really good for flora.

Bulbs of the size that I need (43.8 cm I think) don't seem to come in any higher wattage than 15.

I don't have much in the way of funds at the moment, nor am I "handy" enough to do some sort of modification to the hood so that it can take more than one bulb or anything.

The only thing that I can really think of is buying a better quality 15w bulb; one that is specialised for plant growth like this one on zooplus: www.zooplus.ie/shop/fish/technic_and_acc...ation/dennerle/81524

Would switching to this type of bulb make a difference?

the tube wont really do much of anything you are expecting it to do.if you cant add another tube if your not good at diy the best would be to get a descent reflector for the tube in the tank. at 1wpg the best you could grow would be anubias,java fern, swords moss etc.

it wouldnt be that hard to add an extra light evenif your not good at diy. you would need a ballast unit and extra tube and then drill twp holes in the lid of the tank at the front of the tank and attach it to the inside of the hood. i added exta tube to my 60 2yrs ago but i stripped the guts out of it and added the two tubes back in.

If I were to buy something like this t5 starter set thingy: www.aquatics-direct.co.uk/productDetails...p;amp;categoryID=345 would I be able to attach this to the underside of the hood without removing my old light?

Since it takes an 18w bulb, combined with my 15w that gives me a more satisfactory 2.3 watts per gallon.

the only problem with that unit is you would have to find a mount it to the hood. there isnt much of anything to be able to mount it to the hood that i can see unless you made some sort of clamp around the plastic end.and then the heat from the lamp (not having a reflector) could end up burning the under side of the lid.

So if I bought a reflector as well would that prevent it from burning the hood?

Its a catch 22, add another light and you wil need to use CO2 on the tank as well, algae otherwise. Don't add another light and the plant choices that you can grow are somewhat limited. But you can still have a very nice low light tank with the single light that you now have in the hood. Just make sure you swop out the Juwel supplied bulb and add something more appropriate for growing plants. I have had pretty good success with a single bulb on a reckord 60, but do swop out the bulb, the Juwel supplied bulbs are pretty useless IME except for viewing the fish, thats probably the cheapest upgrade you could do right now.

I was thinking that I might buy one of these hoods: www.zooplus.ie/shop/fish/technic_and_acc...uarium_lights/102967

The 60cm long holds two 15w bulbs so that would push me up to 2w per gallon. It is a little too deep but the lenght is right so I think it might be worth a go.

Any advice?

I have a 60L tank at the moment with only slightly higher watts pr gallon and i have algae issues.
I would go with a new bulb and reflector. You would be surprised at what plants will grow with low light.

sorry been a while but i looking for this article. as already said extra lighting will need c02 etc but i got away with doing this upgrade with out to much trouble.

Fitting extra light to jewel 60

If you have an older jewel record 60 tank and want to grow more plants instead of costing you a lot of cash for a new luminer then you can add an extra light as follows.

You will either a double starter unit that has two switches or two single starters as I use here.
Two light tubes @ 15w (this is the largest they make for this size)
Two reflectors with lighting clips.

Step 1:
Remove the sealed lid that contains the ballast for the original lighting.



Step 2:
Remove all internal electrical parts and drill small holes all around the inner part.



Step 3:
Using a small hacksaw or similar cut around the drill holes and remove the base.



Step 4:
Attach the reflector and clips to the front part of the old housing.



Step 5:
Cut a small hole at the back of the lid for the wiring to fit through and drop the second tube in to the old housing. The edge of the reflector sits on the ledge around the old housing. Feed the wires through and make sure all fits into the areas so the lids will fit back in place.



Step 6:
Finished lid with extra light fitted and still have access for feeding.