So which of these lighting deals would be best?

[piao liang yu]

Not advertising. I want to purchase one of these if they will work. Which is best as far as aesthetics and effectiveness for plants.

Green element EVO Quad 36"-48" 90-120 LED Aquarium Light Marine Coral Reef 44x3W on eBay!


2 Pack EVO 48" LED Aquarium Light Coral Reef FOWLR Cichlid 3 Watts 64x 3W on eBay!

 

[Bengals]

I, too, have been trying to find a good LED for plants but the ones you've posted are for marine systems. Coral lights are different from plant LEDs in terms of the light spectrum (as far as what I've learned from reading online). I found this very comprehensive list of LED lights that gives PAR data to get a good feel for the different systems but it's not perfect as it's a bit out of date. You should get LEDs between 7k and 10k spectrums for the plants. It'd be great if aquariumadvice had a similar and more up to date list as the whole LED world seems very confusing. I'm sure somebody with lots more experience will comment too.

Also be helpful to know what size tank and distance from the light to substrate and what kind of plants you're interested in.

 

[piao liang yu]

I, too, have been trying to find a good LED for plants but the ones you've posted are for marine systems. Coral lights are different from plant LEDs in terms of the light spectrum (as far as what I've learned from reading online). I found this very comprehensive list of LED lights that gives PAR data to get a good feel for the different systems but it's not perfect as it's a bit out of date. You should get LEDs between 7k and 10k spectrums for the plants. It'd be great if aquariumadvice had a similar and more up to date list as the whole LED world seems very confusing. I'm sure somebody with lots more experience will comment too.

Also be helpful to know what size tank and distance from the light to substrate and what kind of plants you're interested in.

Apologies. I have asked a few questions and I guess assumed everyone knows my stuff lol.

It is a 60 gallon tank 48' x 13' and it is two feet deep from top to bottom. I only have low light plants right now, but I want to be able to do whatever I decide to grow and also want the tank to be much more brighter than I am working with now with my stock t8 lighting.

 

[Bengals]

Very funny as w're in very similar positions (mine is 18 inches) but also have low light plants but want space to grow + not necessarily add CO2 right away. I'm stuck between the Finnex Ray II which is probably the highest light provider, the fugeray, You'd have to do 2x24 for your size but this is supposidly medium light and probably low for your 2ft depth. The PAR data on the RayII would be great for you as it is 50 at the level of your substrate. My LFS suggested I look at innovativemarina but there's almost nothing online about their LED strips and they haven't returned any of my emails. They have some pretty impressive clip on lights though. This morning I was getting so frustrated and confused I almost bought the aquasun T5HO to just settle it and bide my time for another few months. My stock T8 is terrible!

I'll definitely follow this thread to see what other people suggest too.

 

[AtariST]

I'm in the same position. I have a 25" deep tank with low-medium light plants and fish and no CO2. After doing a lot of shopping and reading, the Finnex looks like the best deal I just cannot determine whether the Fugeray is enough or the Ray2 is too much.

I've tried contacting finned and aquavibrant through their online forms, customer service email, even their ebay presence and received no response. This concerns me greatly. What happens if there is a problem?

Just a thought.

 

[eAts]

I have a 44gal Pentagon, so the tank is 25 inches deep. I bought a glass hood, and the Finnex Ray II (the 30inch) and raised it six inches from the top of the hood and put it diagonal across the tank. I'm only growing floating wisteria and pennywort at the moment, but its plenty of light and I'm not seeing extra algae growth so far. Also The timer is set for 7 hours a day. Hope this helps a little.