LED Reccommendations

[Magicmarymac]

Back in October I purchased the Aqueon 36 bowfront kit. The lights are insufficient for plants so I would like to upgrade the lights to LED. I do want to keep the cover. Removing the current light fixture leaves a glass window 4x30".

Thank you.

Mary

 

[fort384]

What is your budget? There are some slick LED options out there but they are pricey.

The cheapest way to get higher light, at least in the short run, would be to go with a t5ho fixture...

 

[Magicmarymac]

I am thinking LED, perhaps Finnex. Budget about $80.

Thank you!

 

[fort384]

It will be tough to get proper LEDs for a tank of your size for $80. In fact, it would be tough to get good t5ho lighting at that price point.

 

[Zimmanski]

Check out TrueLumen led strips, you can mount them in your old fixture to keep the look and utilize the small glass window, they're also extremely bright and you can add more strips if you need them. They're also fairly cheap

 

[fort384]

Trulumen led strips are only 0.3w LEDS any not very effective for plant growth.

The true lumen pros are slightly better and can be effective for plant growth.

 

[azmodan]

It's a bit over your budget but it's worth the price!

Amazon.com: AL-36WM: Finnex FugeRay Unibody Ultra Slim LED Fixture - 36" Daylight +Moonlights: Pet Supplies

edit: Whoops, here's a link to the 30" if that's the better fit!

http://www.amazon.com/Finnex-FugeRa...=1360529146&sr=1-1&keywords=finnex+fugeray+30

 

[Magicmarymac]

...edit: Whoops, here's a link to the 30" if that's the better fit!

Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies[/QUOTE]

I think that sounds just about right. My poor 36 gallon aquarium thanks you. I have a budget over several months, but that will be added in...

Thank you VERY much!

 

[bevoholic]

That 30" FugeRay is only good enough to grow the lowest light plants. If that's what you want it will be perfect for you.

 

[fort384]

I agree - it would be an upgrade from your current lighting, but is still not what I would call high lighting - it might support some lower light stems, and all "low light" plants.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Finnex

That 30" FugeRay is only good enough to grow the lowest light plants. If that's what you want it will be perfect for you.

I have been trying to learn all this aquaria stuff only since October, so be patient with me. I understand that there are different strengths of lights for different plants. I had it down to the Finnex:

Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies

Or the

Amazon.com: Finnex Ray2 Aquarium Day/Actinic LED Light, 30-Inch: Pet Supplies

Both are under $100.

What am I missing.

 

[fort384]

Both of those fixtures utilize LEDs that are under 1W per diode. They would work fine on shallow, smaller tanks, but would not be very effective on a 36 gallon tank in my opinion.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Depth

And... the aquarium is really deep. I am sure that has some effect on plant growth, yes?

Thank you,

Mary

 

[bevoholic]

I would definitely go for the Finnex Ray2. I have a 24" over my 20g and couldn't be happier. It will definitely give you a broader range of plants. Although you may have to start using CO2 if you start to see algae.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Co2 and Lights

I remember reading here --somewhere-- that one should add Co2 before upgrading lights, right? That is also in this month's long budget process...

I have two tanks to upgrade. I --think-- the Evolve 4 will be ok.

Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - Magicmarymac's Albums

Thank you again,

Mary

 

[fort384]

If you cross into the "high light" range (I use quotes, because it is all subjective) it can be difficult to achieve success without injecting CO2, or implementing daily, regimented dosing of a carbon supplement.

 

[fort384]

I would definitely go for the Finnex Ray2. I have a 24" over my 20g and couldn't be happier. It will definitely give you a broader range of plants. Although you may have to start using CO2 if you start to see algae.

The difference in depth would be the issue here. I have no doubt it would work very well on a 24" 20 gal tank, but a 36 gal is deeper, and deeper kills PAR at the substrate. 0.3W diodes just don't penetrate very well at depth.

 

[Magicmarymac]

Please keep in mind that I am crazy new to this, but learning as fast as I can!

 

[bevoholic]

The difference in depth would be the issue here. I have no doubt it would work very well on a 24" 20 gal tank, but a 36 gal is deeper, and deeper kills PAR at the substrate. 0.3W diodes just don't penetrate very well at depth.

I did not see that both fixtures have the same amount of LEDs. Usually when they get bigger, they add more, but in this case they didn't. Her tank is 3" deeper than mine.

It would cost you a bit more, but you could also do the 30" Ray 2 and add a 30" FugeRay.

 

[Zimmanski]

Also remember that the OP wants to use his original hood, so most fixtures will loose light unless they're pretty skinny. I tried adding a t5 to the original hoods before and you lose a lot of light, that's why I suggested the led strips mounted inside the original fixture, and I didn't mean just the normal TrueLumen led strips, was just suggesting the brand, I should have specified