The reason behind the different bulbs is easy, it's what I had handy! The 24" was from my 33 planted tanks original hood and the 18" was dissected out of a $12 home-hardware fixture I had lying around!
Now that all the dust has settled, and I can see just how bright it is I am really quite pleased. I get a "shimmer" from this canopy that is very similar to the effect I've seen from Halide lighting. Not quite as nice, but awful damn close for a $30 hood!
The jury is still out on the rock work, I like having the big piece in the middle and I'm pretty sure that I want that piece at the bottom left to stay in the front, I think I'll try something else though with the stuff on the right!
My next project with this tank will be to set up a backpack style sump. I can grab a plasticy garbage can thing with about a 5 gallon capacity that will fit perfectly (and out of sight) behind the tank, I'm going to set it up so a pump brings water out of the tank and into the can, which will then overflow out of the can and back into the display tank.
2 questions as far as my DIY reservoir/sump go, should I bother filling it with anything other than water and possibly some live rock? It will be a fairly verticle (8Wx10Lx12H) fixture without any light other than ambient light from the room (as planned now, but that may change). My main concern is to add water capacity on the cheap (don't have to decorate it!) to mitigate any mistakes my SW inexperience are bound to create!
This thread has been a great help, keep the advice and replies going!
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