Lighting for 48x24x24 Low Tech (medium/low light plants)

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357MAGNOLE

357MAGNOLE

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Aug 21, 2017
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I'm looking for assistance in selecting the correct lighting option. Long story short I had another tank I picked up, but busted in the move (48x24x26). So now I am getting this one built from Acrylic (48x24x24). I'm wanting to do a South American community tank, low tech. Substrates going to be straight sand, but I don't want any carpeting plants. Probably going to use an assortment of anubias, Java fern, Bacopa, Crypts, maybe Val, and a type of undecided moss on the drift wood. So I need lights that will support without being too much. Because of the front to back size of the tank I was thinking of getting 2 matching LED fixtures. Ill support plant growth with small ferts or root tabs.

Moon lights a plus, the fennix 24/7 plus seems like a cool idea but Ive seen alot of people complain about its performance or lack there of. I am also not trying to have high enough light that I need C02 to avoid algae disasters. What light should I be looking at?
 
for those plants a finnex 24/7 would be fine. they work well on 18" tanks for higher light plants, but only work well in 24" deep tanks for low light plants.

i have a 4' finnex vivid+ on my 6' 125 (22" deep), and it makes the fish look amazing, grows anubias, and val really well.

if you want more light, i HIGHLY suggest the SB reef lights. they are fantastic, gives great flexibility in power output, great color space and if you want high light plants in the future, these things give off 300+ par at a 24" depth, so you can grow anything.

here is my 45 bowfront with the sbreef light.
the ludwigia in the back grew from a 2" stem to that in a month with no CO2. i just started dosing lightly with excel.

IMG_20170827_224859.jpg

if you want more examples of the lights i talked about i can post more photos.
 
I have the marineland LED with the timer and moonlights, 36" on a 48x24 tank. I had to remove my plants due to silver dollars munching, but my crpyts, val, and anubias did fine while they were under it, no melting or brown leaves. I think it is comparable to the finnex.
 
I think a pair of finnex planted plus would world. Forget the 24/7 finnex. The planted plus has better light for growth. I run four of the finnex planted plus on my 125.
20170810_200156.jpg
 
freak78 said:
I think a pair of finnex planted plus would world. Forget the 24/7 finnex. The planted plus has better light for growth. I run four of the finnex planted plus on my 125.
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That looks great, what are the times or time cycles you run the lights in? One thing I dont want, is an explosion of algae.
 
You think the Excel helps keep the algae at bay? Is that photo period enough for most low light plants? Id assume it is, but I have a black thumb when it comes to aquarium plants.
 
freak78 said:
I think a pair of finnex planted plus would world. Forget the 24/7 finnex. The planted plus has better light for growth. I run four of the finnex planted plus on my 125.
View attachment 1270932
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planted + is the 24/7+, there is also the 24/7+SE they just came out with.

unless you are talking about the fugeray planted + which still dont get the full depth, the par at 18" from what i have found is only 20-30 and wont hit 24" with much of any light.

SB reef lights are cheaper, and will do 300+ par at 30" at 100% output. it's an insane amount of light and you can turn it down to your needs.
 
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