which LED ligthing is the best for me?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Prometheus

Prometheus

Candiru
MFK Member
Jun 9, 2008
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and by the best i mean out of the following options:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+21973&pcatid=21973

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+22443&pcatid=22443

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


the tricky part is that i want enough lighting for a thick jungle of submerged plants to be able to grow under a full layer of floating plants (i want enough floating plants to keep my fish from jumping out without needing a lid) in addition to adding a second (and larger) HOB filter - take the lids off of both of them - and fill them with live plants for a refugium type setup. in other words, i want a LOT of plants, so i am looking for a LOT of light. but its more complicated than that isn't it. i might need to know proper PAR levels and lumens and temperature in kelvins etcetera.

its a 29 gallon: 30"L x 18"T (but there's a 3" sand bed so maybe its more like 15" Tall) x 12"W (with the HOBs it comes to about 15"W maybe)

i can get more than one system. i also considered getting two of the marineland double brite fixtures if need-be.

whatever i go with i do intend to build (or buy) a setup to suspend these light(s) above the tank as opposed to having them sit on top.
 
I am partial to the marineland reef LED light in your second link since I have 2 of them on a reef tank and they def put out a lot of light. I also have a smaller LED on the smaller of my 2 fresh planted tanks. I kept it a very simple set up compared to my larger tank and just use the LED with a nutrient rich substrate. Thats pretty much all I do for my small tank. Sometimes i will add flourish tabs but that is bout it. The lunar lights make my fish look so awesom tho. I would def recommend this light for sure!

One thing to look out tho is that I did have to send ond of my large fixtures back because 2 of the lights were not lit. So if you buy, don't throw anything til you plug her in for a few min... it was quickly replaced with no hassel and works fine since.
 
about these 10 watt LED fixtures. i like them and iv been told they (or even stronger ones) are what im looking for if i want to grow lots of plants under a full layer of floating plants. so my question is... do they have the right stuff to grow plants? (spectrum, ect.) i know it has the right kelvin at 6000. is 484 lumens considered enough?
 
None of the above, since you want a high light tank. All of the LED fixtures mentioned above are very low lumens output, which will also hold true for PAR.

The Double Bright Marineland fixture is a joke. The Reef Ready is less of a joke, but too expensive, and not enough for a highlight setup. A single T5HO bulb puts out 5000 lumens. None of those are even close to that.

The floodlamp linked by Chonh is good for very small, shallow tanks. I did a PAR test on the 10w floodlamp at 12" high. It was giving me 35-45 PAR. That's decent PAR, but if you try to put it on a taller tank, the PAR will decrease dramatically, and you're right back at low lighting.

For a serious high-light planted tank using LED lighting, you really need to go DIY, or spend serious money on the true-reef fixtures. For DIY you'll want 3w LEDs and will want to drive them anywhere from 700-1000mA for the most light.
 
Although I should say it depends on what type of plants you want. It's quite possible to get a 'thick jungle' using easy to grow weeds like Hygrophila Polysperma, but try that with something more demanding like Lymnophila Aromatica or some of the Rotala species under low light, and you'll have some wilted lettuce in no time :)
 
jcardona1;5047474; said:
Although I should say it depends on what type of plants you want. It's quite possible to get a 'thick jungle' using easy to grow weeds like Hygrophila Polysperma, but try that with something more demanding like Lymnophila Aromatica or some of the Rotala species under low light, and you'll have some wilted lettuce in no time :)
Click to expand...

;)
 
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