Lighting question

Becca

Becca

Members
I just picked up a 29 gallon (Thanks Wblaze!!!) and I need to get lighting for it. I want to do a planted tank but there are SO many options. What is the most bang for my buck?

I was thinking of doing an LED fixture - is that going to be enough light? The LEDs on my Fluval Edge seem to do the job, but most of what I have in there has low or moderate light requirements. Last time I had a tank this size power compacts and metal halides were the NEW "hot" thing... LOL.
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
I have a Marineland LED fixture on a 29, the Single Bright LED Lighting System. It's really not enough for most plants. I have a very large Amazon sword in the tank, and it survives, because it has so much foliage at the top. Other plants haven't done so well.

I think you need to spend an awful lot of money to get an LED fixture that will work with plants, especially in a deep tank like a 29 gallon.
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
I think so. It certainly would be cheaper, at least in the short run. Of course, you've got to replace the fluorescent bulbs more often, while the LEDs are supposed to last years (mine are two years old and going strong), so the LEDs have that advantage. LEDs also use less electricity, of course.

You might do some research at the various planted tank fora, or talk to some GWAPA folks, but my impression is that LEDs aren't quite ready for planted tanks.
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
There are two things you need to keep in mind...
1. is the fixture bright enough for what you want to grow?
2. is it the right kind of light for plants (is the "Kelvin" rating correct)?

#1 is relatively easy to achieve unless you're hoping to do something really complicated or fussy. #2 is where you really need to pay attention.

BY the way, we've got several experts from the planted aquarium club, GWAPA on this forum, who know way more about this than I do.

In general, though, most of my planted tanks (two of them are 29s) have T5HO fixtures on them with one 10,000K "daylight" bulb and one plant bulb.

I am testing out an LED fixture for planted tanks....they aren't cheap, but the plants seem happy so far. If you go with any of the cheaper LEDs that don't say that they are for plants, you're only going to be able to grow a few things, and they won't look fantastic. I also find that the non-plant LEDs grow a LOT of brown algae.

GWAPA's June meeting is all about LED fixtures for planted tanks.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
chriscoli said:
There are two things you need to keep in mind...
1. is the fixture bright enough for what you want to grow?
2. is it the right kind of light for plants (is the "Kelvin" rating correct)?

#1 is relatively easy to achieve unless you're hoping to do something really complicated or fussy. #2 is where you really need to pay attention.

BY the way, we've got several experts from the planted aquarium club, GWAPA on this forum, who know way more about this than I do.

In general, though, most of my planted tanks (two of them are 29s) have T5HO fixtures on them with one 10,000K "daylight" bulb and one plant bulb.

I am testing out an LED fixture for planted tanks....they aren't cheap, but the plants seem happy so far. If you go with any of the cheaper LEDs that don't say that they are for plants, you're only going to be able to grow a few things, and they won't look fantastic. I also find that the non-plant LEDs grow a LOT of brown algae.

GWAPA's June meeting is all about LED fixtures for planted tanks.
Click to expand...

On my old 30, I had a twin tube with one "aquaglow" and one "floraglow" bulb - things grew beautifully and I didn't ever have algae problems. It sounds like your T5HO fixtures are an upgrade of this?
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
I googled quickly and it said Flora-glo is 2800K.

I think most people recommend 5000K to 10000K for most aquarium plants, but a lot of them will still grow under a wider range of Kelvin.

I don't think mine are an upgrade. I often use a 10,000K bulb and another one that's in the 6000K range.
 
Becca

Becca

Members
I am so out of the loop! LOL. Everything I know about plant lighting I learned from Gloria at ye-olde-Aquarium Center (may she RIP - the store, that is) in Randallstown, and I learned it all on a starving grad-student budget!
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
You're only out of the loop on the LEDs and those are changing so fast right now that I'm giving them a bit of space.

Many of my tanks just have cheap shop lights and standard "warm" fluorescent bulbs from the BigBox Hardware stores. I used to do all of my Afrian Violets under one warm and one cool T12 bulb years ago. it worked pretty well.
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
chriscoli said:
I also find that the non-plant LEDs grow a LOT of brown algae.

GWAPA's June meeting is all about LED fixtures for planted tanks.
Click to expand...
My Marineland LED has not grown brown algae. In fact, I don't have any Nerite snails or anything else to control algae, and haven't had any algae problems. But the only plants that have survived are a big sword and some floating plants at the surface. Other plants seem to slowly fade away.
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
mchambers said:
My Marineland LED has not grown brown algae. In fact, I don't have any Nerite snails or anything else to control algae, and haven't had any algae problems. But the only plants that have survived are a big sword and some floating plants at the surface. Other plants seem to slowly fade away.
Click to expand...

Do you use PFS as your substrate?
 
Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
Been there

I run old Coralife compact fluorescents (Ebay) and new Deep Blue standard twin T5 units on almost all my tanks and have plants aplenty. Currently have a 48" DB T5 freshwater fixture spanning a pair of 20 highs (only 2" inches shorter than a 29) that are lush with Java fern, water sprite, Java moss and hornwort despite the unit only having one functioning bulb. One of my 29s has a 30" DB twin T5 growing everything previously mentioned and wisteria and najas (guppy grass) as well. Fully functioning 48" units on 55s (2" deeper than 29s) will grow all of the above and Bolbitis, Valisneria, Hygrophilia, et al. as well.

For the money (and moonlights to boot) the DBs are hard to beat (or so I imagine as I bought about 10 of them in the course of a year). If you want to get higher light species to thrive you probably have to go with high-output T5s or CF fixtures. Agree that the whole LED thing is in such flux that it makes sense to see who/what comes out on top once the dust settles (and the prices come down). I wouldn't even bother with the old T8/T12 fixtures (unless maybe they're free) - run-hot energy hogs and generally poor light unless you throw down for custom bulbs.

Am a big fan of using longer fixtures to span multiple tanks. I have 6 10s on end that grow water sprite and Java moss from a single elevated 48" DB T5 and a few other such apps as well. Gets one more bang for the buck as the smaller fixtures are more expensive. Link below is for a 24" at $44.95 - the 48" version is only $20 more.

http://www.kensfish.com/aquarium-supplies/aquarium-lighting/deep-blue-pro-t-5-double-bulb-fixture-with-moonlights-24.html
 
mchambers

mchambers

Former CCA member
Actually, in that tank I have some small, rounded gravel. Do you think the PFS is more susceptible to algae?
 
chriscoli

chriscoli

Administrator
mchambers said:
Actually, in that tank I have some small, rounded gravel. Do you think the PFS is more susceptible to algae?
Click to expand...

Since PFS is silica, I've heard of diatom blooms when using it.

So, seemed to me that if one happened to be using a wavelength of light that they particularly liked (and I don't know what they like, to be honest) and there was silica a-plenty....they'd be happy.
 
Avatar

Avatar

Plenipotentiary-at-large
Unlikely

mchambers said:
Actually, in that tank I have some small, rounded gravel. Do you think the PFS is more susceptible to algae?
Click to expand...

Limiting/accelerating factors for algae are typically nutrients and light - silica far as I know doesn't/wouldn't enter into it and in this context is effectively inert.
 
ddavila06

ddavila06

Members
i have recently became a fan of coralife aqualight t5 ligth fixtures. cheap enough on amazon.com , kens etc. grows stuff good, i set up a tank for afriend and is doing the job
 
Leffler817

Leffler817

CCA Members
On a whim I picked an Aqueon modular LED from ken's. They had a great deal and you can customize the lighting. Aqueon offers daylight strips and Colormax strips for planted tanks. I've had the light for almost two months and love it. Only knock I have with it is the blue moon light does not run while the main lights are on.


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
 
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