Having a hard time determining which light to buy

[tempthrowary]

I currently have submersible lights in my 10 gallon that are simply too weak.
Fish stock: 6 pseudomugil gertrudae, 6 pygmy cories
Plants: water wisteria, cryptocoryne wendtii, anubias, java ferns, dwarf hairgrass
CO2: not yet installed, but will go with a DIY yeast setup
Light that I am leaning towards, 18W 18"

I'm struggling in terms of which light to use and how to prevent the rainbows from jumping out. The submersible lights available just don't have the desired lumens, and, with a hanging light, I would need to set up a mesh for the fish. The mesh would reduce the light going in, and I don't know how to factor for that. I've also tried using the rotala calculator, but the lights I am finding don't give BMLs and I don't know which bulb choice would best approximate the lights I am looking at. There also appears to be debates over PARs, lumens, and LSI; I haven't really been able to process that information yet.

I'm just treading water with all the information I've had to sift through for what seems like a straightforward choice. Thanks!

 

[Allwissend]

It can be as complicated as you make it to be. Smaller tanks are easier to light even with 'budget alternatives'. 18W of LED light sounds good for 10 gallons. So something like a Nicrew Skyled Plus or Nicrew G2 or a clone of them. The Skyled Plus is very narrow so in the future you can put 2 lights on your tank if you want more light. The G2 is a bit wider light which gives better coverage front to back if you only want to use 1 light or don't need that much light in one place. It also makes the plants look a bit bluer. Both lights will give you medium light levels in regards to PAR so suitable for the plants listed.

 

[tempthrowary]

It can be as complicated as you make it to be. Smaller tanks are easier to light even with 'budget alternatives'. 18W of LED light sounds good for 10 gallons. So something like a Nicrew Skyled Plus or Nicrew G2 or a clone of them. The Skyled Plus is very narrow so in the future you can put 2 lights on your tank if you want more light. The G2 is a bit wider light which gives better coverage front to back if you only want to use 1 light or don't need that much light in one place. It also makes the plants look a bit bluer. Both lights will give you medium light levels in regards to PAR so suitable for the plants listed.

Thank you. That's really helpful, especially as I wouldn't need to remove the top (for any of the products)!