Led lights and plants

[Mundle]

I I want to by a led light from eBay between 30 to 50 LEDs it's for a 60 litre tank with :
Java fern
Java moss
Elodea
Water sprite
I'm low on cash and I can get it from like $10-$15
What do you think
It goes in the tank with two suction cups

 

[Bbush]

Do it. What color? I am thinking about adding some blues down the road. Putting them on a separate timer from my main light. Have them come on for an hour in the am and pm.

 

[Mundle]

White or blue
What's in the am and pm why only one hour

 

[Mundle]

Will it grow my plants

 

[Bbush]

Are you using them as your only light source? I was thinking about getting some blue ones sort of as a moon light. I don't think LEDs are all that great for plants, so I will have a main t5 as well. Make sense?

 

[Mundle]

I was planning on using the LEDs as there only begginers plants andd a real light will cost me $70
Ps the plants are doing fine without light just they grow really slow

 

[Bbush]

Yeah, I have two crappy lights crammed on top of my tank but seems ok for now. Definitely will upgrade at some point. LEDs are in my future as well.

 

[Mundle]

Bbush do you know if the plants will grow
Ps either way I'll get it makes the tank look nice

 

[mfdrookie516]

It's doubtful that anything costing $10-15 is going to be sufficient for plants. You're likely looking at accent lighting, which would be a waste of $10-15 if you intend on using it as your primary light source. Do you have a link, or specs on the LED's?

 

[Mundle]

42 LEDs 1.8 watt fish light lighting for aquarium
On eBay sorry don't no how to do links

 

[mfdrookie516]

That's accent lighting. Will give you a nice blue glow, but won't do anything at all for plants. you need a fixture with 2 or 3 watt LED's and optics in order to sustain plants.

 

[Mundle]

What about this one
Aquarium 57 White LED Light Fish Tank LED Bar
It is 3.4 watt
What are optics

 

[Mundle]

Thanks so much for your help

 

[mfdrookie516]

Optics direct the light down... like reflectors on fluorescent fixtures. You're going to spend a couple hundred at minimum for a plant capable LED fixture. If you're on a budget, look in to some of the cheap T5HO fixtures if you're looking to get in to higher light... but really a single T8 is most likely sufficient for the plants you listed.

 

[Mundle]

We're can I get these from

 

[Mundle]

Also my tank doesn't gave a hood
It's just 60 litre tank rectangle with split glass lid

 

[ejaramillo01]

Also my tank doesn't gave a hood
It's just 60 litre tank rectangle with split glass lid

T8 fixtures and bulbs can be purchase at your lfs, there are fixtures with legs that will be able to sit in the top of your tank.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

You can get a single T5 Hagen light strip with legs for about $45 on Amazon. It doesn't come with a bulb though, but it's a very high quality German made fixture. It can be hard to find a single T5 light fixture.