Too much light?

[kspenz926]

Would running a 10,000k led light for 12 hours a day with no co2 be too much lighting? Could this be causing my plants to become black around the edges? Its a 40 gallon tank that is well cycled. I dont have co2 at the moment since my regulator broke. I use flourish 2x weekly. 30% water changes weekly.




55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted

 

[Coursair]

I would say too much light. You'll grow algae running lights that long without balanced ferts.

10,000K is aimed at SW. Some people use it. For me it's too cold and blue. I use bulbs closer to 6,500K

I run mine 6 to 8 hours daily. I use timers.


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[Brian_Nano12g]

What light fixture is this? Is there PAR data available from the manufacturer? How tall is this tank?

 

[kspenz926]

Tank is 20" tall. Yet to get the full understanding of "par" attached is a pic of details on light. Thanks guys!


55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted

 

[kspenz926]

Opinions?


55 gallon mbuna
40 gallon planted

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

I'd side with Coursair on this one. Algae love blue spectrum and an all white 10K spectrum LED is heavy with it. Plus, even so I'm unfamiliar with your particular LED fixture, 1W chips are regarded as pretty high output diodes. Couple that with a 12 hour photoperiod without co2, you're asking for trouble and an algae farm. I wouldn't be too surprised if you trigger an algae bloom (green water).

I'd reduce the photoperiod to 7 to 8 hours and start dosing excel or glut, or invest in co2. Once you find a balance, you can incrementally increase the duration of your lights.