Question regarding lighting

[Waylanderxx]

A friend of mine has decided that he'd like to try his hand at a planted tank and we began discussing what he would require to have happy healthy plants. He asked if LED's could be used instead of the normal fluorescent bulbs and I had no clue what to tell him. The fixture and lights are these:

Amazon.com: BeamsWork 24"-30" Single Bright Power LED Aquarium Light Fixture 400: Pet Supplies

And the aquarium he's wanting to attach these too is a Aqueon 36 gallon bow front. My question in this is, are LEDs enough to penetrate and offer substantial enough light for plants? His tank is probably about 18 inches deep. He was excited about this because of the price difference between this fixture and a double bulbed Zoomed that he has chosen in case this isn't going to work.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

What type of plants does he want to keep? I think the Finnex Led Fixtures are way better if that LED fixture is anything like the Marineland ones (which look identical).

My 26g bowfront has almost the same dimensions, just shorter in length. Check it out, it's linked in my signature. I'm using the Finnex Ray 2, which is good for moderate to high light plants. If he just wants low light plants (i.e. Swords, java ferns, crypts, etc.) then the Finnex Fugeray should suffice.

 

[aqua_chem]

400 Lumen
Super energy efficient .06 watt LEDs

Sounds like the fish will need flashlights. I think T8s generally put out 700-1000 lumens? I know lumens aren't how we measure light for plants, but that should tell you something about how bright the light is.

I'm thinking the Zoomed might be a better option. Unfortunately, in this hobby, more expensive is usually better.