Another lighting question

[gimmethatfish]

I have a second-hand 54 gallon corner tank. It has a glass top. I'm going low tech with ferts and liquid carbon. I will be planting low to moderate light plants.

I have no idea of the age of the bulb that came with the lighting unit. I can't even find any bulbs online by this company, so it could be very old. It LOOKS okay, but I suppose you can never tell. I will put pictures below.

This appears to be identical to the bulb I have: Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Compact Fluorescent Straight Pin Bulbs.Would this be a good replacement?

Next question, see picture below, does the reflector look decent?

Last question - is there an advantage to upgrading to LED instead? I have already spent so much money that I am reluctant to add the extra cost, but if it's that much better I will do it. I had been looking at the Finnex LED sets.

Bulb:

Reflector:

 

[Ian086]

Personally I would replace the whole unit. The bulb looks old, rust on top??. Bulbs need to be replaced every 8-10months. I don't much about that model of light(Finnex) but LED is certainly the way to go. They are slightly more expensive to buy than T5 units but when you factor in the cost of running it and bulb replacement, they pay for themselves. If you are going for low/medium light there is a great selection available to you.
I read a post recently that Petco or Petsmart are selling off their twin T5 units and the bulbs are going cheap too. I'm sure people with more experience and knowledge about lights can give you more advice. Either way you will have to replace the light you currently have.

 

[wildroseofky]

If you take the bulbs out and check the end few inches of the bulb, there should be some writing that will tell you the type of bulb and wattage. That looks like a T5 fixture but I am not sure. Bulbs should be replaced once of year. There is a company called 1000bulbs.com that has a lot of information on lighting and carries hard to find bulbs. You can measure the circumference of the tube and it has a chart to tell you what the bulb type is. I found a replacement bulb for a plant fixture I had given up on finding one for there.

If you want a new fixture, check out aquatraders.com. I got a dual T5HO fixture for $40 shipped. A lot of people talk trash about them but mine has done very well. I even dropped it in the tank accidently and it is still going. I would not recommend that though. LOL I did change the bulbs because they are low quality but the fixture is holding up fine. I am buying another one for a new tank.

 

[gimmethatfish]

It's weird. There is no writing on the bulb anywhere except for what's on the very end in that picture. I'm certainly not opposed to replacing the entire fixture. I will take a look at Petco/Smart - thanks for the tip.

If I go with LED, this is what I have been looking at. It's not going to kill me to shell out the money, and it will save energy and replacement costs. I just can't wrap my head around all these options.
Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies

 

[Ian086]

Yeah that light should do what you are looking for. There is also the Ray2 which is a bit stronger, so depending on the height of the light from the substrate you may need to consider this light....

 

[SgtMjr]

This was my first LED fixture. My plants seem to love it, so I bought another for my RCS tank. I will say that I did end up adding a twin t5 for additional output.
My daughter uses two twin T5 units. The ones that were on sale at PetCo , ZooMed units
They work great so far, however her tank is new, and she is doing it all on her 15 year old self! "Proud dad i am"

 

[SgtMjr]

The LEDs have a cool blue moon switch for night time. Seen here on the RCS tank.

Being that we are new to the hobby... The ease of use of both systems really help.

 

[SgtMjr]

Here is a shot of LED and twin T5 on

And then just LED

 

[SgtMjr]

Then with only the T5

The bulbs we purchased are a plant at 6700K and a daylight at 10000K the difference is huge

6700K
10000K


Anyway... I like and use them both. The LED units were close to $300. For the 48" and $250. For 24". The 48" T5 unit was clear emcee for $65. With bulbs at $10 each. The two 36" T5s were $50 each with bulbs also at $10. So all in all not to bad.
Like i said, I am new, so I may be doing everything wrong, but! I am trying...
Lots of ready and forums...

 

[gimmethatfish]

Okay so I've done a bunch of research, and it seems to be the consensus that it sucks to light a corner tank.

Here is the solution that seems to be working for other people - 1 30 inch OR 24 inch light at the halfway point and 1 10 inch light further back in the V part of the triangle the tank makes.

So, obviously I'm going to go with a T5 or LED. I have resigned myself to the fact that I am going to spend some cash on this, so I've set a limit of $300. My local Petco does have several T5 bulbs on clearance, but the only fixtures they have are 48 inch which is way too big. I am really leaning toward LED or even one of each.

I plan on planting ALL low light plants in the substrate (light would be about 25-27 inches from substrate), and I'm going to do a tiered background using a combo of styrofoam and terracotta pots so that any medium light required plants will be planted about halfway up, so more like at 15-20 inches.

I feel like the fluval lights are just out of my price range. I am really leaning toward the Finnex LEDs. The Ray 2 doesn't come in anything smaller than 18 inches. I wonder if I got a 12 inch FugeRay Planted the 30 inch Ray 2 if that would be good. If I'm calculating right, that would put me right in the high low to low moderate PAR range for lower plants and in the moderate to high range for the plants placed higher up. Any opinions or better ideas? Thanks again all.

 

[gimmethatfish]

Gosh I'm posting a lot. I was now thinking of doing the LED at the midpoint of the tank and a pendant light over the back corner. Or a clip-on, but they probably don't make them powerful enough. I could very easily hang a pendant above the back of the tank. I could get a nice strong CFL or LED bulb?

 

[misterc007]

Okay so I've done a bunch of research, and it seems to be the consensus that it sucks to light a corner tank.

Here is the solution that seems to be working for other people - 1 30 inch OR 24 inch light at the halfway point and 1 10 inch light further back in the V part of the triangle the tank makes.

So, obviously I'm going to go with a T5 or LED. I have resigned myself to the fact that I am going to spend some cash on this, so I've set a limit of $300. My local Petco does have several T5 bulbs on clearance, but the only fixtures they have are 48 inch which is way too big. I am really leaning toward LED or even one of each.

I plan on planting ALL low light plants in the substrate (light would be about 25-27 inches from substrate), and I'm going to do a tiered background using a combo of styrofoam and terracotta pots so that any medium light required plants will be planted about halfway up, so more like at 15-20 inches.

I feel like the fluval lights are just out of my price range. I am really leaning toward the Finnex LEDs. The Ray 2 doesn't come in anything smaller than 18 inches. I wonder if I got a 12 inch FugeRay Planted the 30 inch Ray 2 if that would be good. If I'm calculating right, that would put me right in the high low to low moderate PAR range for lower plants and in the moderate to high range for the plants placed higher up. Any opinions or better ideas? Thanks again all.

did you try Aquarium Lighting - Guaranteed Best Prices Online! you can get that for under $300 on that site.

or you could get 2 current sat fresh plus on amazon for under $300.00

Just some other options to look at if you haven't already. Good luck!

 

[Brookster123]

Remember.. Cheaper is not always better in this hobby

 

[Ian086]

Okay so I've done a bunch of research, and it seems to be the consensus that it sucks to light a corner tank.

Here is the solution that seems to be working for other people - 1 30 inch OR 24 inch light at the halfway point and 1 10 inch light further back in the V part of the triangle the tank makes.

So, obviously I'm going to go with a T5 or LED. I have resigned myself to the fact that I am going to spend some cash on this, so I've set a limit of $300. My local Petco does have several T5 bulbs on clearance, but the only fixtures they have are 48 inch which is way too big. I am really leaning toward LED or even one of each.

I plan on planting ALL low light plants in the substrate (light would be about 25-27 inches from substrate), and I'm going to do a tiered background using a combo of styrofoam and terracotta pots so that any medium light required plants will be planted about halfway up, so more like at 15-20 inches.

I feel like the fluval lights are just out of my price range. I am really leaning toward the Finnex LEDs. The Ray 2 doesn't come in anything smaller than 18 inches. I wonder if I got a 12 inch FugeRay Planted the 30 inch Ray 2 if that would be good. If I'm calculating right, that would put me right in the high low to low moderate PAR range for lower plants and in the moderate to high range for the plants placed higher up. Any opinions or better ideas? Thanks again all.

The planted+ and Ray2 sounds like a good idea to me but you really need to do more research and try and get some PAR ratings for both those lights. 25-27 from the substrate is pretty high, so you have to consider this. I was hoping Brian_Nano12g would post, he is great with all the tech aspects of these lights, particularly LED'S....

 

[gimmethatfish]

Yeah I can't find complete PAR data. The PAR of the 24" Planted + is 61 at 12", so I would assume the 12" would be somewhat less but still decent.

The PAR of the Ray 2 24" at 27 inches is about 35.

 

[gimmethatfish]

Okay I have a 30" Ray 2 in my Amazon shopping cart right now. I'll figure out the other light within the next couple of days. Anyone have a better idea before I pull the trigger?

Thanks so much for everyone's input!

 

[Brookster123]

Good choice!

 

[Ian086]

Pull that trigger!!!

 

[gimmethatfish]

Okay I did it! I figure if it ends up being too much light, I can raise it up a little or maybe filter it through egg crate? Better too bright than not bright enough - that's an easier problem to fix!