Article Cheaper Lighting- Shop Lights & More

*SHOP LIGHTING- found in most hardware stores and even walmart. Casing usually comes in both white and black and bulbs can be swapped out with "aquarium/plant" bulbs. I know Wal-mart carries the G.E. brand bulbs that say they are both for aquariums with fish & plants.

One can always affix S hooks and add a chain to hang the lighting fixture above the tank.

Some use foil behind bulbs, whereas I've read others paint the inside of the casing BRIGHT white (when it's not white already) which helps more light get into the tank.

If your not happy with the color of the casing you can always spray paint it to match your current stand/home decor.

 

Other relatively cheap lighting ideas.

For spot lighting or smaller tanks LED gooseneck lamps will work well.
Here's a wall mounted one--> <a class="postlink" href="http://www.target.com/9-LED-Classic-Wall-Sconce-Chrome/dp/B0010T7YDQ/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=led%20lamp&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-14&qid=1281171917&rh=&searchRank=price&id=9-LED%20Classic%20Wall%20Sconce%20Chrome&node=1038576%7C1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=4&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.target.com/9-LED-Classic-Wal ... ombrowse=0</a>

Here's a gooseneck clamp on style one--> <a class="postlink" href="http://www.target.com/Room-Essentials-LED-Clip-Lamp/dp/B002S6GPQ2/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=led%20lamp&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-26&qid=1281171917&rh=&searchRank=price&id=Room%20Essentials%20LED%20Clip%20Lamp&node=1038576%7C1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=4&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.target.com/Room-Essentials-L ... ombrowse=0</a>

And here's a standard desktop style lamp--> <a class="postlink" href="http://www.target.com/LED-Desk-Lamp-Silvertone/dp/B001AHGCOK/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=led%20lamp&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-7&qid=1281172057&rh=&searchRank=price&id=LED%20Desk%20Lamp%20Silvertone&node=1038576%7C1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=5&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.target.com/LED-Desk-Lamp-Sil ... ombrowse=0</a>

 

Here's a site for purchasing parts for a diy build (of course they have more than that on their site, but it'll give you a starting point for parts too).
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.innovativelights.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.innovativelights.com/</a>