Will this LED fixture be sufficient for lowlight plants?

[ashleynicole]

I really want to buy this lighting fixture, it is a great price and LED's will save money. What I need to know is if it will grow my lowlight plants. Java fern, crypts, Anubis. I want to buy the 24-36" fixture which the specs are as follows:
# of white 6000K Daylight LED's:68
# of blue 460 Lunar LED's:4
Lumens:400

Now when I did planted tanks in the past, I just used the aqu-glo full spectrum lighting and researched watts per gallon. apparently that no longer applies to the planted tank community and to be honest I am totally lost as to what to look for. I know this lighting fixture would look awesome and I don't need crazy plant growth. I just basically wan't to keep my plants alive and growing slowly.
Thanks!
EDIT: I forgot to post the link:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/Product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22442


ok, for about $30 more I can get the LED double bright, here is the link :
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+21973&pcatid=21973

Now I don't want too much light, I don't want to do CO2 systems or anything like that. So I am wondering if the double bright would be too much or not.
Specs:

# of white 6000K Daylight LED's:8
# of blue 460 Lunar LED's:4
Lumens:600

 

[ashleynicole]

well, I orderd the LED double bright strip, The website says the doublebright are suitable for plants in a freshwater tank.

 

[Amicus]

what size tank and how deep is it?

 

[ashleynicole]

29 gallon, standard, 30" across I think, not sure how many inches deep.

 

[Amicus]

Your tank is 18" deep and the double bright will be plenty for growing low light plants. You will get good PAR with that fixture at an 18" depth. There may be an algae issue, for my tank I dose regularly with Excel Flourish to keep it at bay. I have never over dosed the Excel and I dose following the directions, it even knocked back my BBA algae in 2 weeks. I hope this helped.

 

[ashleynicole]

Your tank is 18" deep and the double bright will be plenty for growing low light plants. You will get good PAR with that fixture at an 18" depth. There may be an algae issue, for my tank I dose regularly with Excel Flourish to keep it at bay. I have never over dosed the Excel and I dose following the directions, it even knocked back my BBA algae in 2 weeks. I hope this helped.

I use seachem flourish, is the excel formula better? I thought ahead on the algae issue which is why i stocked with oto's and a bristlenose pleco.

 

[jeffp]

flourish excel and flourish comprehensive (i assume this it he flourish you're talking about) are two different things completely. excel is a carbon source, like co2. flourish is a fertilizer, giving plants micronutrients. yeah, they need a better naming scheme

 

[ashleynicole]

flourish excel and flourish comprehensive (i assume this it he flourish you're talking about) are two different things completely. excel is a carbon source, like co2. flourish is a fertilizer, giving plants micronutrients. yeah, they need a better naming scheme

hmmmm... maybe I could just blow in the tank through an airtube a few times a day

 

[Amicus]

I was talking about Flourish Excel. Sorry, I can't keep them straight.