day/night shimmering led suggestions

[howmanyds]

I just got a 75 gallon tank from Petsmart which came with a fluorescent light fixture. I'd like to have daytime/nighttime LEDs and am most attracted to the "shimmer" effect advertised on Marineland's led fixtures. Is there anyway to get that shimmer if instead of buying Marineland's I just get replacement T8 LED bulbs for the florescent fixture? Is that "shimmer" just a marketing ploy for an effect that any light would cause with moving water?

Has anyone had success with these kinds of T8 LEDs? If this system would work out, I would then like to add a strip of nighttime LEDs separately so I can put each cord on a timer.

BTW, I'm going with an African cichlid setup.

Thanks!

 

[Ingy]

The himmer effect comes from light being reflected from a point source. Flourescent tubes do not provide a point source so they don't give a shimmer. LEDs, with many point sources give the shimmer you are looking for. As you are not looking for a coral capable light (note: this is the saltwater forum), the Marineland light should be what you are looking for.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I just got a 75 gallon tank from Petsmart which came with a fluorescent light fixture.

Was it the "Top Fin" package, with the tank and light hood?

Like this:

75 Gallon Fish Tank » Clear for Life Rectangle Acrylic UniQuarium 75 Gallon | PetSmart

To be honest, this is the package I should have gone with instead of the Marineland 60 gallon "Heartland Ensemble" setup which my Petsmart had a good deal on -- the 60 gallon is ridiculously way too tall to do any kind of mess-free maintenance and it's just oddly proportioned; I'll NEVER do a "tall-over-deep or long" tank ever again...

I digress; let's get back to your questions:

I'd like to have daytime/nighttime LEDs and am most attracted to the "shimmer" effect advertised on Marineland's led fixtures. Is there anyway to get that shimmer if instead of buying Marineland's I just get LED replacement T8 bulbs for the florescent fixture? Is that "shimmer" just a marketing ploy for an effect that any light would cause with moving water?

Has anyone had success with these kinds of T8 LEDs? If this system would work out, I would then like to add a strip of nighttime LEDs separately so I can put each cord on a timer.

BTW, I'm going with an African cichlid setup.

Thanks!

While I'm not keeping Chichlids, I have a fancy goldfish setup and I am very unhappy with the "stock" fluorescent lighting that came with my Marineland tank, and so like you I am very interested in Marineland's LED day/night fixtures...I want to get that "underwater shimmering effect" as well, and I also love the idea of switching on the blue LEDs for the "moonlight under water effect." However, I didn't want to lose my hoods, but it seems the only way around this is to buy -- in my case -- Marineland's prepackaged hoods that contain the day/night LEDs and completely replace my factory hoods...the "replacement" hoods look like this:

Aquarium Lighting Led Aquarium Hoods | Marineland

I'm interested in learning more about this topic by others who may contribute with some further ideas...

 

[howmanyds]

Thanks for backing me up, ArtesiaWells.
I think the hood looks nice because it's an all-contained unit, but I think my personal preference will be the glass opening with the light on the back half -- we'll see what people say.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Thanks for backing me up, ArtesiaWells.
I think the hood looks nice because it's an all-contained unit, but I think my personal preference will be the glass opening with the light on the back half -- we'll see what people say.

I had the glass tops on my last tank and they just proved to be a real pain in the you-know-what, between constantly stepping on them and cracking them (then needing to constantly buy new ones), water evaporation causing horrendous nasty residue that never came off and constant slippage into the tank water -- very dangerous because the light strip was above it -- whenever I attempted to remove the tops for any kind of maintenance...

 

[Convict2161]

Take the tops off, build or get a nice canopy and get a good fixture like the double brights or some T5's. I have the 48" double bright and I'm very happy. I threw my glass tops out a year ago.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/members/46421-albums11717.html

 

[Jasonrusso]

I have the Marineland 48" double bright on my 75 and its great. It does have a nice shimmer. I actually modded it so the blue and white LEDs are on two different circuits and timers.

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I have the Marineland 48" double bright on my 75 and its great. It does have a nice shimmer. I actually modded it so the blue and white LEDs are on two different circuits and timers.

Hey J,

I really want these lights -- specifically in "replacement hood" form to replace the stock Marineland hoods that came with my Marineland tank (the LED replacement hoods look like this):

The thing is, I have read lots of positives AND negatives regarding these systems...some say they really don't give a "shimmer" at all, or that the moonlights are just a joke in terms of output. Do you have any pics of your setup to see how these lights look on your tank?

 

[Jasonrusso]

I'll see what I can so about pics. The lights DO shimmer, but yes the blues are dim but you can still see what is going on.

This is the lightning I have:

http://www.marineland.com/products/...te-and-blue-led-aquarium-lighting-system.aspx

I had a single bright at first and it wasn't enough. Is that hood a single or double?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

I'll see what I can so about pics. The lights DO shimmer, but yes the blues are dim but you can still see what is going on.

This is the lightning I have:

White and Blue LED Aquarium Lighting System | Marineland

Indeed; that setup is pretty much what everyone runs that keeps the Double Brights -- that's the "strip" with the "feet" that can just either rest on the rim of the tank's top, or sit on glass tops, right?

Do you think the "daytime" LEDs would look better than the fluorescent strips that came in my hoods with the Marineland tank package?

I had a single bright at first and it wasn't enough. Is that hood a single or double?

Not sure; I know in my case, I would need two 24 inch hoods to cover the top of my 60 gallon...

 

[howmanyds]

Are there any particular advantages to having an opaque hood that covers the whole tank like marinelands hood vs keeping the light fixture on the back of a typical glass top?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Are there any particular advantages to having an opaque hood that covers the whole tank like marinelands hood vs keeping the light fixture on the back of a typical glass top?

To be honest with you D, I had two 24" glass "versa" tops on my last 60 gallon rectangular that I just didn't care for; I don't know what it was, but I was ALWAYS dropping these things in the tank water or stepping on them, cracking them when I took them off and placed them on the floor as I did a water change or tank maintenance (took me awhile to figure out I should LEAN the dang things against the WALL instead ) and I always found they collected a TON of lime/calcium buildups that just wouldn't come off no matter what kind of chemicals I used (OFF the tank, of course)...with the new tank I bought, a Marineland Heartland 60 gallon, the black plastic 24" hoods just seem more convenient...first of all, I don't have to take off a wood canopy, then a light strip and then two glass tops just to get to the water...I am not getting the nasty lime buildup from evaporation (though there is some starting on the filter plastics and the backs of the hoods because I am running a TON of bubbles at the back of this tank) and I just feel "safer" with the plastic hoods...

Though, I must say, a full wooden canopy over glass tops on a tank DOES look sweet and "put together" in a room...

 

[howmanyds]

ArtesiaWells, I don't think Marineland makes a hood with LEDs big enough for a 48" tank.

Jason, how did you mod your light? Did you start with the one with a timer or the one with a single switch that goes to either day or night mode. I'm pretty good with a wire stripper if told what to do.

 

[howmanyds]

Yeah, a canopy would be nice. That'll probably be my end game when I have time to build one. Maybe one with a hinged door on top so the whole thing doesn't need to come off for water changes unless the added few inches make it that much harder to reach the substrate. With a canopy, do you think the glass would still be needed to protect the light from splashes?

 

[ArtesiaWells]

Yeah, a canopy would be nice. That'll probably be my end game when I have time to build one. Maybe one with a hinged door on top so the whole thing doesn't need to come off for water changes unless the added few inches make it that much harder to reach the substrate. With a canopy, do you think the glass would still be needed to protect the light from splashes?

Yes; that's how I kept mine...the Aqueon light strip sitting right on the glass tops...

 

[ArtesiaWells]

ArtesiaWells, I don't think Marineland makes a hood with LEDs big enough for a 48" tank.

I believe I would have to get TWO of these:

 

[Jasonrusso]

Ok, a couple answers here: First, I am actually babysitting my friends 55 gallon which has a fluorescent setup (2 white and 2 blue), I'm not sure which K the lights are but I MUCH prefer my led. The colors are brighter and the whites are more white. Also, you can use a short hood because it it maybe 2 inches high.

It was easy to mod the light. There is a 3 position switch (off, blue only; or all on) remove the switch and get another 12v power supply from Radio Shack. Wire one to the Blue only and one to the all on. Solder the other to the common ground and plug them into two timers. It's ok if they are both powered up at the same time. I have the blue come on first, the both on, then White off, then all off. Easy!

How is it difficult with the light installed? I have a full glass cover. I slide the light back a couple inches, then open the glass top.

 

[phishfriend]

Hey, you can do both lights. I have a fully planted tank. But like the led shimmer also. I was not about to pay hundreds of dollars on an led system that's capable of growing plants. I stumbled across a lil kit that I really like. Here is the thread I made about it.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ighting-for-under-50-bucks-video-250428.html?

 

[howmanyds]

Thanks Jason - that seems easy enough. Did you use the 48" light or the 36" whose feet stretches to 48"?

Phishfriend, thanks. I commented on your thread.

 

[Jasonrusso]

48" Doublebright. PM me if you have any questions.