Marineland LED's

[Pleco1415]

I would like to take in some plants from my pond before winter but I don't if my lighting is capable of sustaining plant life. I have water lettuce and water hyacinth. I asked at my LFS about the Marineland LED's I have and they told me that it can sustain plant life but only plants that don't require heavy lighting. On my other tank I have a zoo med tropic sun fluorescent bulb and again I don't know if that is plant worthy. My main question is are any of these lighting options able to support plants life?


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[ktomminello]

How tall is your tank?

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[FishCr8zy]

Tank height does not really matter in this case. Water lettuce and water hyacinths are both floating plants. Water lettuce is very hardy and you can just leave it in a bucket in the shed/garage over the winter and it would survive. Hyacinths imo are not as hardy and would need to be brought in. If you want to bring in both plants, yes, either of those lights should be able to sustain both plant's lives.

 

[ktomminello]

Tank height does not really matter in this case. Water lettuce and water hyacinths are both floating plants. Water lettuce is very hardy and you can just leave it in a bucket in the shed/garage over the winter and it would survive. Hyacinths imo are not as hardy and would need to be brought in. If you want to bring in both plants, yes, either of those lights should be able to sustain both plant's lives.

I totally agree on most of what you're saying- my only concern would be having enough space between the water surface and the floaters to not burn the top leaves... I had this happen using a marineland fixture not suspended high enough, that's all.

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[FishCr8zy]

Yeah that is a valid concern. I usually lower the water level in the tank so that the floaters are around 2-3 inches from the light. But LED's and fluorescents are usually only warm to the touch so plants touching it shouldnt be affected too much.

 

[Pleco1415]

I totally agree on most of what you're saying- my only concern would be having enough space between the water surface and the floaters to not burn the top leaves... I had this happen using a marineland fixture not suspended high enough, that's all.

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The water level may be a problem for me. The 2 tanks that I would like to put some plants in are a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon long. I like having a higher water level as I use an H.O.B. Filter on one tank and canister filter on the other and if the water is lower they get a bit noisy and I find the water trickling annoying. The LEDs are part of a hood that is raised up a bit higher than the tank so I think it may only be a problem with the one tank.


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[ktomminello]

The water level may be a problem for me. The 2 tanks that I would like to put some plants in are a 29 gallon and a 20 gallon long. I like having a higher water level as I use an H.O.B. Filter on one tank and canister filter on the other and if the water is lower they get a bit noisy and I find the water trickling annoying. The LEDs are part of a hood that is raised up a bit higher than the tank so I think it may only be a problem with the one tank.


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LEDs are by far cooler running than fluorescent lighting, although sometimes the housing on the units runs warm. You should be all set having it as a raised unit. Fluorescent tube lighting can usually be suspended by chains an elevation of 4-6 inches above water level to avoid having your plants "feel the burn".

My favorite lighting solution for these types of smaller set ups are clamp on and raised desk lamps with 6in 50/50 bulbs. They work excellent and run just barely warm to the touch (my satellite+ led unit runs way warmer than the cfl bulbs).


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[Pleco1415]

LEDs are by far cooler running than fluorescent lighting, although sometimes the housing on the units runs warm. You should be all set having it as a raised unit. Fluorescent tube lighting can usually be suspended by chains an elevation of 4-6 inches above water level to avoid having your plants "feel the burn".

My favorite lighting solution for these types of smaller set ups are clamp on and raised desk lamps with 6in 50/50 bulbs. They work excellent and run just barely warm to the touch (my satellite+ led unit runs way warmer than the cfl bulbs).


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My favourite plant is the water hyacinth so I want to keep it alive. Were do you think it would thrive best? The 29 gallon with the LED's or the 20 gallon long with the fluorescent.


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