Best light for my 10

[Zimmanski]

Okay so I finally decided I would buy a new light for my planted 10g and now I'm pretty confused with all the information out there. I went out yesterday and bought a marineland double bright and was disappointed with the dark corners and now I'm thinking of returning it and getting something else so I need some down and dirty input from you guys. Here's the question, what would be best, without all the crazy technical stuff, the original t8 fixture, the double bright, a single t5, A single t5ho, or duals of the t5/t5ho if they even make them for a ten gallon.

The tank is 20" long btw if that needs to be said

And budget is the same as the double bright, less than $100 preferably

 

[Zimmanski]

No one?

So I saw aqueon has a dual T5 that I'm considering now, I'd have to upgrade to a 20L which I wanted to do anyway though. Would the dual t5 fixture be an improvement on the LEDs or a single t8?

 

[Ljk09]

For a 10 just a standard light fixture from your LFS or even wal mart would give you plenty of watts.

 

[Zimmanski]

I agree that the standard fixture that I have now has done a good job and is bright enough for me, but I would like to venture out into some plants that need more moderate, stronger light. I now have argentine swords, a java fern, and bacopa carolinia, anubias nana, and a little bit or dwarf hair grass(I wanted to give it a shot). Nothing is dying in my tank, the anubias, java fern and argentine swords are actually going crazy and the bacopa is slowly coming around. The dhg is still alive, but not sending runners. I'm just trying to give a little more light to the plants. I'm definitely returning the double bright led though, it casts bad shadows in the corners which looks cool, but limits plant placement and I'd have to move the plants I have now into the light

 

[Ljk09]

Yeah the LED aren't great plant growers. Just keep looking around. I'm not great with lights myself.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

HI Zimmanski... Are you planning to change out the plants you have or add to it with more moderate to high light plants? The bacopa carolinia requires high light while the DHG requires moderate to do well. The rest are low-light tolerant plants (which would do well with moderate to high light)... but also that depends if you'll be inject co2 either pressurized (high-tech) or DIY? What's your substrate? Are you dosing ferts?

Once we get a better idea of what you're trying to achieve in the long-run, perhaps I (or someone else) can give you a better recommendation.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah the LED aren't great plant growers. Just keep looking around. I'm not great with lights myself.

I would beg to differ... I'm getting phenomenal growth in my 6g using a LED fixture. Just like with florescent lighting (i.e. T8, T5, T5HO, etc..), there are different output and spectrum of LED fixtures (think PAR values).

 

[obscurereef]

I would beg to differ... I'm getting phenomenal growth in my 6g using a LED fixture. Just like with florescent lighting (i.e. T8, T5, T5HO, etc..), there are different output and spectrum of LED fixtures (think PAR values).

What LEDs are you using? Don't mean to hijack this thread.

 

[Ljk09]

I would beg to differ... I'm getting phenomenal growth in my 6g using a LED fixture. Just like with florescent lighting (i.e. T8, T5, T5HO, etc..), there are different output and spectrum of LED fixtures (think PAR values).

Well that's awesome! I've always been told the opposite. I just have a standard bulb in my 10

 

[Zimmanski]

I'm just trying to ask what would be better, a single t8 with the correct bulb, or a dual t5 with correct bulbs. 10s and 20Ls are only 12" deep so keep that in mind. Would there be a noticeable difference between upgrading to the t5s or would it be a waste of money?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

What LEDs are you using? Don't mean to hijack this thread.

I'm using a Finnex Ray 2 (16" daylight) fixture. Check out my 6g journal in my signature. With that much light on a 10g, co2 is definitely recommended. Otherwise, for low-tech tanks that need low to medium lighting w/out co2 injection, you can look at the Finnex Fugeray.

Here's some interesting reads on LEDs (with other lighting) for you and for whoever is interested that I found useful... What I like about the Finnex LED fixtures is that Finnex actually posts their PAR (Photosynthetic Available Radiation) values from light to substrate distance so that you can determine a good estimate of how much light you'll need (or at what distance to hang the light fixture) depending on the application. PAR helps in determining how much photosynthetic-capable photons (per/sec) is emitted from the light, which in turn, stimulates plant growth.

LED Lighting Compendium
Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts

Finnex PAR data:
Finnex RAY II & FugeRAY PAR Data

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Oh and to the OP... it looks like from the LED Lighting Compendium I linked, the data presented by samamorgan on TPT on the Marineland Double Bright fixture is:

PAR Data(Source) PAR vs. Distance from source
18-24 inch fixture: 30 PAR @ 12", 17 PAR @ 24"

Which would land this fixture in the "low-light" range... For growing plants, this wouldn't be that great for anything other than low light tolerant plants like anubias, java fern, etc.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I'm just trying to ask what would be better, a single t8 with the correct bulb, or a dual t5 with correct bulbs. 10s and 20Ls are only 12" deep so keep that in mind. Would there be a noticeable difference between upgrading to the t5s or would it be a waste of money?

Sorry about that... I missed this post. I would go T5 if you introduce some co2.. You'll get noticeably better growth because some of the flora on your list require moderate to high light. Plus, getting a high output light fixture would allow you to grow other interesting plants like stems and even "red" plants. Without CO2, you're running the risk of an algae breakout too. So keep that in mind.

I think for under $100 bucks though (if that's your budget), I'd still go with a LED fixture... they're just more efficient, bulbs don't have to be replaced, and you're electric bill will be easier on your wallet. So in the long run, a good LED fixture will pay for itself eventually. Just food for thought!

 

[Zimmanski]

I guess other LEDs may be good, but I've lost faith after the double bright. Do they all cast shadows in the corners or just marinelands? It would be cool looking, if I didn't have plants in my corners. I'm still leaning towards the dual t5no. I'm not sure ill be adding co2 but if algae appears I can just take out one bulb, one t5 is better than one t8 right? I'm not trying to go crazy here, just a small upgrade, then ill think about the rest

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah sometimes I get ahead of myself, and I'm just biased with LEDs... I haven't had personal experience with the Marineland Double Bright, but from what I've researched, I know there's better options out there in terms of LEDs (for value and effectiveness). I haven't had any issues with dim corners. Could be the way the LED's are setup on the marineland fixture? What's the length of your 10g?

I suppose a T5 "NO" (normal) output would be okay--I was thinking T5 HO earlier with my comment about algae--oops, by bad! Again, I wouldn't know really because I haven't had direct experience with a fixture like that. But since, like you said, you can remove one bulb if things get out of hand, that at least keeps your options open and you can adjust the lighting accordingly for your needs.

Probably for up-front cost, the T5NO will be cheaper than a good quality LED fixture. But we can explore that further once I know the dimensions of your tank and the T5 you're considering (w/ price).

 

[Zimmanski]

The ten gallon is 20 x 12h, the 20 long is 30 x 12h. If I got the dual t5no I would upgrade to the 20L because the smaller fixture is 24". I plan to get the aqueon brand 30", the sell them for around $60 at lps and I wouldn't have to pay for shipping, I also like that I can adjust it(taking out a bulb, switching color temps). Do you think that's the way to go for me?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yeah I suppose you can give the Aqueon fixture a try for the 20L if you intend to keep it low-tech. Those big-box LPS (Petsmart / Petco) have decent return policies... at least you can return or exchange it if it doesn't work to your liking. Perhaps someone else can chime in on that??? But from the Petsmart website, the reviews seem to be okay for it. Freshwater Aquarium Lighting » Aqueon® Freshwater T5 Light Fixture | PetSmart

However, for the same amount of money, if you want to get a T5-HO, there's one on Amazon for $60 (sold through Petco). http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-AquaS...288483&sr=1-2&keywords=30+inch+aquarium+light... The whole business with lighting is tricky to say the least... but IMO, I'd go with a T5-HO because of the better reflectors. It will just give you more options with the types of plants you can grow and if you're getting too much light, you can hang the fixture or (maybe) remove a bulb as well. Who knows, down the road you might be wanting to grow high-light plants and decide on co2. At least with a T5-HO, you'll get the adequate light needed for it.

What are you thinking of doing with the 10g?

 

[Zimmanski]

Well I just really haven't decided if I want to go that high tech yet. I already have a 55 to take care of too and I don't want my hobby to become overbearing, cause that's no fun. I do recall seeing another LFS selling reflector parts so I may be able to just add one if I do decide to go higher tech. My original plan was to use the ten gallon as a grow out tank for angelfish fry, but my angels are still maturing so I was going to grow out some swordtail fry and added a java fern, THEN the live plant bug hit me haha. I think I'll upgrade to the 20L and use that as the grow out tank and probably sell the ten on CL though and if I can't get the right price for it it'll become a hospital tank. Thanks for all your help btw

 

[Donkey Gun]

I realize I'm comin in a bit late on this one. However, what I have found works the best on 10gallons and is very cheap, is the 14w daylight cfl bulbs. They are $8 for a four pack at Home Depot and fit into a normal light socket. You'll get the results you want and will be able to grow pretty much any FW plant.

I've had mine going for quite awhile. It's cheap, it works, and you avoid all the overpriced technical jibber jabber. capiche?

If you don't believe me.. check out my videos below.

YouTube

 

[Donkey Gun]

Sorry that link is wrong..