LED Lighting

[Chaines1991]

Hello

I am currently in the process of setting up a 150 litre tank , and as the title suggests I have a couple of questions about LED lighting.

Up until now I have used fluorescent lighting in my tanks however I am curious about using LED lighting in a planted aquarium I know that they have a longer life-span and have a lower energy consumption than flourescents but do they work as well when it comes to growing plants?

Specifically this is the product I have been looking as reccomended by my local aquatics shop , but any suggestions other than this are most appreciated.

TMC AquaGro 600 Ultima Twin | Charterhouse Aquatics

Id also like to know how many I would need as I am not exactly sure how work this out

Many thanks!

Callum.

 

[blert]

Tank dimensions?

Those lights you listed are way overpriced and older technology. Keep researching, you can easily find better for less.

 

[Chaines1991]

Tank dimensions?

Those lights you listed are way overpriced and older technology. Keep researching, you can easily find better for less.

Hello Blert and thanks for getting back to me!

Here are the dimensions you requested in inches.

Length 36 Depth 15 Height 20 - additionally the distance from the top of the tank itself to the hood is approximately 3.5 inches (hope this helps)

Is there any particular product that you can think of that would me more suited other than the one in my previous post ?

Many thanks.

Callum.

 

[blert]

It honestly depends on what direction you are wanting to take the tank. What level of light are you looking for? Do you plan to use pressurized CO2 and a good fertilizer regimen?

For good coverage you will need about 33 high power LEDs. How are you at DIY?

One important feature when looking at LED fixtures is that it is just about a MUST that it be dimmable.

 

[Chaines1991]

It honestly depends on what direction you are wanting to take the tank. What level of light are you looking for? Do you plan to use pressurized CO2 and a good fertilizer regimen?

For good coverage you will need about 33 high power LEDs. How are you at DIY?

One important feature when looking at LED fixtures is that it is just about a MUST that it be dimmable.

Hi Blert.

Well I currently use a layer of nutrient rich substrate combined with a liquid carbon source, when I upgrade to the 150 litre I intend to use the same system again with the exception of changing to pressurised CO2.

I am not too bad at DIY myself , Infact where I live most of the DIY shops are owned by family members ! Lol

Preferably I would like a medium to high level of lighting , but of course if they are dimmable I would be able to control this feature.

Any ideas where I can get started ?

Thanks.

Callum.

 

[fort384]

I think a Rapid LED kit (Rapid LED) could work well if you want to build your own. LEDs are great for plants, if you get the right fixture. I agree the one you linked is underpowered and overpriced.

If you want to buy something off the shelf, the TrueLumen Pros are decent (though not crazy powerful). For medium to high lighting you would need 2 of them on your tank.

Something like this: 48" 51" Aquarium LED Light 3W x 32 Lunar Reef SPS Fish Plant Tank Hood CE | eBay

could also work, since the Blues could be used sparingly or not at all.

The higher the wattage of the individual diodes, the more light you will get at the substrate - so 1W leds (such as in the truelumen pros) means you need far more diodes to get decent light. The other ebay fixture I linked has 3W diodes, which are far better at penetrating to depth, so you can get by with less diodes.

 

[Chaines1991]

I think a Rapid LED kit (Rapid LED) could work well if you want to build your own. LEDs are great for plants, if you get the right fixture. I agree the one you linked is underpowered and overpriced.

If you want to buy something off the shelf, the TrueLumen Pros are decent (though not crazy powerful). For medium to high lighting you would need 2 of them on your tank.

Something like this: 48" 51" Aquarium LED Light 3W x 32 Lunar Reef SPS Fish Plant Tank Hood CE | eBay

could also work, since the Blues could be used sparingly or not at all.

The higher the wattage of the individual diodes, the more light you will get at the substrate - so 1W leds (such as in the truelumen pros) means you need far more diodes to get decent light. The other ebay fixture I linked has 3W diodes, which are far better at penetrating to depth, so you can get by with less diodes.

Hi Fort!

Thanks for the info , you've given me something to think about.

I do like the idea of building a DIY LED kit , however my experience with LED's is limited and so I'm unsure as to how i would balance the lighting properly for plants (e.g how many blue or other colour diodes I would need) but I'm willing to give it a try.

The shelf product also looks good , Im currently looking for this product or something similar that I could buy in the UK.

 

[jefferzbooboo]

I use eShine lights on both my SW and planted tank. Ive never had an issue with them, I go with the Bridgelux versions.

 

[greenwater]

I run six of the Grobeam 500's and really like them. Due to having only one tank I can spend more on equipment I really want. And yes, get a dimable unit.

 

[fort384]

Those eshine units are some of the most promising I have seen for a planted tank! Thanks for posting that link.

 

[blert]

... I do like the idea of building a DIY LED kit , however my experience with LED's is limited and so I'm unsure as to how i would balance the lighting properly for plants (e.g how many blue or other colour diodes I would need) but I'm willing to give it a try. ...

For FW planted, what I would likely do is:
For a 12inch x 12inch area...
4 cool white
4 neutral white
2 royal blue
2 blue
Three drivers, one for cool whites, one for neutral whites and one for blues. This way you will be able to adjust the color output to what is visually appealing to you and the blue string would double as "moonlights".

This is just me though. You could just go with straight whites but it might not look so good.

Add one more of each blue if you like a cooler look. (Not "cooler" as in Fonzie, "cooler" as in more white less yellow.)

 

[Chaines1991]

Thanks to everybody who have posted comments you've really all helped me out with where I want to go with this.

 

[blert]

For FW planted, what I would likely do is:
For a 12inch x 12inch area...
...

Sorry, meant to say a 12" x 16" area...
So, three panels of these to cover a 36" x 16" footprint.

 

[Chaines1991]

Sorry, meant to say a 12" x 16" area...
So, three panels of these to cover a 36" x 16" footprint.

Thanks for that will make a note of it