growout tub lighting
 

Was going to set up a small growout system with a couple of rubbermaids stacked ontop of eachother.GE makes a t8 15 watt 6500k bulb,was wondering if 2 of these above each shallow tub would be enough for softies such as zoos and shrooms?
The tubs would only be 14x12x10.

Should be plenty. If you don't find the light output to your liking, PVC half pipes are good reflectors and far less expensive than the parabolic aluminum ones. I've done both for my FW and SW tanks and I honestly didn't notice a great difference in light reclaimed between the two.

I have a roll of 4" metal tape to line the pvc pipe reflectors.I have to see if I can round up a few ballasts for the lights,not sure what size of ballast I would need for 18 inch bulbs,maybe run 2 above each tub.

Any ballast that can drive at least 15W is fine for you. You'll probably find a 40W ballast made for 48" tubes will be the cheapest and most readily available.

Newguy has a cheap dual 40w ballast for sale, pm him, he should be able to hook you up.

Des