Light

[fishrex]

What aquarium light fixture do you recommend for a heavy planted aquarium?, I'm looking for a 200 watts fixture that will fit on a 48" rimless tank.

 

[20cc]

if money no object.. A150w amazon sun

Kessil LED Lights

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

AquaticLife for T5HO. BuildMyLED.com for a nice LED light.

Edit: watts are irrelevant. Look up PAR value intensity versus distance.

 

[Sf1]

LED watts = T5HO watts? I don't think so...

 

[bshenanagins]

LED watts = T5HO watts? I don't think so...

Watts are not the concern as brian stated, high powered LEDS put out much more intensity per watt and its not a good or accurate measurement to follow. You want PAR and actually LED is equal to or greater than T5HO depending on the setup. I would follow his recommendations as well. In regards to efficiency and ease of setup, I'd go for the BMLED as suggested.

 

[fishrex]

Watts are not the concern as brian stated, high powered LEDS put out much more intensity per watt and its not a good or accurate measurement to follow. You want PAR and actually LED is equal to or greater than T5HO depending on the setup. I would follow his recommendations as well. In regards to efficiency and ease of setup, I'd go for the BMLED as suggested.

So, how you calculate how much do you need in the case of LED?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

So, how you calculate how much do you need in the case of LED?

Research. Some companies advertise PAR value numbers for you. Both Finnex and BML do just that. Then you determine an estimated distance from the top of your substrate to where the light source will be.

There's PAR charts on the BML site that are specific to each of their color temperature configurations. Here's one from their Dutch (6300k):

Then grab that PAR number and cross reference:

Here are the PAR ranges (source: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160396)
Values between 10-30 are considered low light.
Values between 30-80 are considered medium light.
Values between 80-120 are considered high light.
***Keep in mind that these values are what is currently accepted by the community as accurate, and aren't set in stone.***

The other way to determine the light you're getting is to buy or rent a PAR meter (usually pretty expensive). So I just go by advertised PAR to get an estimate.

 

[Rivercats]

I have 4 Build My Led fixtures and am very happy with the output. If you go that route I suggest getting the dimmer which allows you to run lights from 10-100% capacity. I get both good growth and color from these fixtures. Also if you get one be sure to order the feet.

 

[Alexgcraig]

thanks to all for recommending BML, looks great, am about to buy a high light 48" with dimmer as for standard size 55g 48x13x20, if I perch the light few inches above the tank using their brackets you think 90 degree angle is ok? Or 75? Am aiming to grow lots of DHG! plants will mostly be green, you think 6300K will be ok or shoot for 10k? I like lush green!

Also, as far as servicing goes, would it be tough to get a spare Led light and replace on my own if an Led goes out? My LFS is trying to scare me into buying the light fixture through them saying they can fix if there's a problem etc etc... Lol

Thanks in advance!

 

[Rivercats]

In my deeper tanks I actually got the 75% beam angle for a more concentrated light which penetrates deeper to give a higher Par reading at lower levels. Plus your tank is only 13 inches wide so I think the 75% would be best for you. If your mostly doing green plants I'd go with the Iwagumi 7000K. It will be brighter but will also have enough red that will help balance the color out on plants and fish.

If your wondering about if a light goes out on the fixture I'd call and talk to them about it. They are very helpful on the phone. The one fixture from them that is on a tank in the area of the house that the cats are in has gotten knocked off onto the floor numerous times and it is built well enough that all the falls hasn't fazed it. It is a well made fixture.

 

[Alexgcraig]

Thanks!!