# Hood + Light for 5.5 gallon?



## koldsoup (Feb 21, 2011)

I was wondering if there are any cheap commercial hoods that fit 5.5 gallon tanks. I was planning on putting one on my desk with shrimp, moss, and maybe some other low light plants. I know some people just use desk lamps for light with no cover, but I don't trust myself without a cover. I'm also fond of simple diy projects. If anyone could point me to a good diy project, that'd be appreciated too. Thanks.


----------



## Aphotic Phoenix (Apr 5, 2010)

Covers are easy. You can get hinged glass covers for 5.5 gallon rimmed tanks (I have one somewhere), or you could have a piece of glass or plexi-glass cut to fit.

Decent commercial hoods for small tanks are a different beast, especially if you want something low tech, because most aren't geared towards planted tanks. I've seen some lighting options that are, but they can be pricey and hard to find...which is why people use desklamps so often.

So for DIY options it really depends on how "pretty" you want things to look, and how good you are at DIY. Since I don't care about "pretty" I just took one of these T2 fixtures http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquariumbulb.html and supported it with blocks on top of the cover. I'd meant to build a hood, but am lazy and lacking the proper tools to do it. Has worked well for my 6.6 gallon (very long and shallow tank), which is low tech, but YMMV.


----------

