ahelmes71
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Okay folks, I am posting pics almost exactly one year apart of how my tank looks after a year of the Marineland LED "Double-Bright" 48" hood on a 55 gallon tank.
Obviously, there are some additional plants visible in the 2013 pic. Left to Right you will see an Anubias congensis variety, the two original Java ferns on the rock (now huge), with an onion plant behind them. Two decent-sized Amazon swords, the two original Anubias nana plants in the center foreground (They were moved from their position in the 2012 photo), and the trimmed-back but still thriving Crypt of Doom to the far Right, with a small, temperamental Windelov Java in the right foreground.
Many of the usual suspects are still seen swimming around as well
though some have gone on to their watery reward (RIP Big Red). 
I am dosing every few days with Flourish and Flourish Excel. Also, I usually put some root tabs in when planting new specimens.
Hopefully this will give some of you an idea of what the LED hood can do, but I realize these are still considered low-light plants. I had tried some hair grass and wisteria which failed to thrive in this set up, so clearly not everybody is happy in this tank.
As far as reliability, all the LEDs are still working and I like the sleek, clean design of the hood. Are they still as bright as a year ago? Can't answer that one. I'm not sure if these things fade out gradually or just crap out one at a time. Overall, I'm happy with the product for what it is and hope this technology continues to improve...and get cheaper.
Obviously, there are some additional plants visible in the 2013 pic. Left to Right you will see an Anubias congensis variety, the two original Java ferns on the rock (now huge), with an onion plant behind them. Two decent-sized Amazon swords, the two original Anubias nana plants in the center foreground (They were moved from their position in the 2012 photo), and the trimmed-back but still thriving Crypt of Doom to the far Right, with a small, temperamental Windelov Java in the right foreground.
Many of the usual suspects are still seen swimming around as well
though some have gone on to their watery reward (RIP Big Red). I am dosing every few days with Flourish and Flourish Excel. Also, I usually put some root tabs in when planting new specimens.
Hopefully this will give some of you an idea of what the LED hood can do, but I realize these are still considered low-light plants. I had tried some hair grass and wisteria which failed to thrive in this set up, so clearly not everybody is happy in this tank.
As far as reliability, all the LEDs are still working and I like the sleek, clean design of the hood. Are they still as bright as a year ago? Can't answer that one. I'm not sure if these things fade out gradually or just crap out one at a time. Overall, I'm happy with the product for what it is and hope this technology continues to improve...and get cheaper.
