Lighting for a tank

[sunley213]

I was wondering what the pros and cons are LEDs vs Light stripes.

For the 6ft tank i'm looking at i was quoted £118 for T8 lighting or £328 for LEDs.

I'm not looking for a planted tank just wondered if the LEDs are worth it.

 

[Ian21777]

LEDs look better imo. Nice shimmer effect and the bonus of cheaper to run. You dont need to spend that much to get half decent LEDs though. Providing you dont want all the special effects and different colours there are much cheaper options out there

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[Ian21777]

Also what fish are you keeping? Some prefer a more subdued illumination. I have 2 18" led tubes on my 6foot and it works fine for me. Admittedly I paid around 150 for mine cus they change colours and come on at certain times but I could easily get 2 18 inch white and 2 18inch blue for the same effect (I dont really use all the pretty colours lol) for a bit cheaper. Timer switches are cheap enough too so thats easy enough.

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[sunley213]

I was going to go for a pair of Jaguar cichlids. I thought the LED were over priced myself. Arcadia Tropical 1147mm three stripes they said i would need.

 

[ElectricBlueSeanBurch]

Take a look at these

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?471951-Beamswork-LED-s

 

[administrator]

And take a look at this one

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...-DIY-Canopy-LED-Build&highlight=budget+canopy

 

[sunley213]

Cheers,

I'll read the threads later as i'm in work atm

 

[Ian21777]

I was going to go for a pair of Jaguar cichlids. I thought the LED were over priced myself. Arcadia Tropical 1147mm three stripes they said i would need.

The only reason you "need" 3 strips is to fill their pockets lol. Like I said it all depends on the look you want.

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[virgil2090]

I agree, the look is your choice.I have all my tanks with led lights,I put 36 inch strip on 48 inch tanks.I like how the sides are dimmer than the middle.

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[khangle]

I agree, the look is your choice.I have all my tanks with led lights,I put 36 inch strip on 48 inch tanks.I like how the sides are dimmer than the middle.

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I use the cheap LED by Beamworks EVO, and it works well.