lights

[papi]

I am working on a planted tank. Have been increasing the number of plants little by little. Any opinion about flourescent vs. led lighting? I do have T8s in now.

 

[mambee]

I have LED lighting on all my tanks now and am very happy with them. The lights themselves are low profile, the lighting is abundant and they throw off less heat.

I had used early generation Beamworks models which eventually had problems with the power supplies and now use Finnex models which seem to have superior build quality.

 

[papi]

I have a 55 gallon tank. Would I get 48" lights? And how expensive are those type of lights?

 

[mambee]

You could go with either a 36" or 48", depending on how bright you want it. I have the 48" on a 90, which is almost the same footprint as a 55.

The cost is $135 on Amazon. It may seem like a lot, but you save with lower energy consumption and no bulb replacement.

 

[Mebbid]

Finnex planted + are currently the most popular affordable LEDs for planted tanks. They are a fantastic light that I am eager to buy soon. $136 for the 48" model which you absolutely want to get over a 36" model. If you go with the 36" it will leave large dim areas on both ends of the tank. The finnex would let you grow nearly anything in that tank.

Amazon.com : Finnex Planted+ 24/7 Fully Automated Aquarium LED, Controller, 30 Inch : Pet Supplies