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Lighting Suggestion?

Started by phatty, October 19, 2017, 04:18:43 PM

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phatty

Hi guys, I know i am new here and i ask alot of question:)
But i would love some input from the pro like you guy:)
Currently i running 7 -14w led with 40degree angle and 5000k for my 120 g tank 24" deep and i want to know shou i switch to other led light for carpeting or those light should be fine?

And if i need to, wat are you recommend? Diy? Or some pre build? And what brand?
If diy where would be a good source for it? And good tut?
Thank uou so much in advance ;)
You guy rock!

charlie

Quote from: phatty on October 19, 2017, 04:18:43 PM
Hi guys, I know i am new here and i ask alot of question:)
But i would love some input from the pro like you guy:)
Currently i running 7 -14w led with 40degree angle and 5000k for my 120 g tank 24" deep and i want to know shou i switch to other led light for carpeting or those light should be fine?

And if i need to, wat are you recommend? Diy? Or some pre build? And what brand?
If diy where would be a good source for it? And good tut?
Thank uou so much in advance ;)
You guy rock!
Welcome to OVAS.
There is no such thing as too much questions , so i encourage to continue asking away, it`s why this forum exist  ;).
Regarding your light question,  i would suggest you post some more  detailed specs ( such as Par or Lumens) on your present light fixture, possibly a brand and model. 
This would help the more light knowledgeable folks in coming up with some suggestions.
I also encourage the more knowledgeable folks , to respond and help our new hobbyist among us.
Regards "charlie'

tanksalot360

I can't say whether you need more light or not. Which carpeting plants are you interested in? Sagittaria, some Helanthium/chain swords, Hemianthus micranthemoides (h.m. can be trimmed to stay low) and cryptocorynes can tolerate low/medium light levels.   Too, are you planning on CO2? Most carpets do best with CO2 and fertilized substrate near the surface (hairgrass, glosso, etc)

Light reference (most lights are tested for PAR as an accurate measure of light, PAR decreases with water depth)
Level at substrate:
0-30 micromols of PAR - Low
30 - 50 micromols of PAR - Medium
50+ micromols of PAR - High                                     ..#s from plantedtank thread

While I don't have a ton of experience with LEDs, I have been having success with cool white 6500K, 20W LED spot lights (eBay) - I would recommend higher watt (30/50w) versions considering yours is a deep tank & make sure you order 110V -PM me for more details if interested. They are relatively cheap and you could add/subtract units as you experiment.
A more tune-able spot light is the Kessil, the lenses allow for depth and the spectrum is adjustable - some of our members use this. 
That said, in terms of linear light strips - I haven't heard anything bad about the fluval plant 2.0 - you'd have to check the spec sheet concerning tank depth.

I'm still a fan of T5HO. Using a dual t5ho fixture with either a aquaflora (pink) + 6500K (white) bulbs work well - or 2 x 6500K. I like the Hagen Glo fixtures with a parabolic reflector - they have top rated light efficiency at a reasonable price.

Obviously there are many options available - hope that helps a little.

phatty

I am currently use 7 of these for my tank

sippingtowel

Hey phatty, if you have some way to put this light above the aquarium either hanging or via a panel, try this shoplight from costco.
It's a 2x40W T12 equivalent, 4k lumens,  4000k color, and its 44.99 CAD. Quite powerful.
https://www.costco.ca/Luminus%C2%AE-LED-Shoplight.product.100291849.html


I've personally done the floodlight route(look for anything above 3k lumen as a guide) and got my pearlweeds pearling on my 29g. Sadly for a tank that's 120G you will need 3+ of these which is expensive.
29 gallon using chihiros a-series, beginner/newbie attempting to do aquascaping/planted aquarium with fish and shrimp. Stocked with some pearlweed, riccia, crypt, ghost shrimp, b.mollies and neons.

wolfiewill

Quote from: phatty on October 19, 2017, 04:18:43 PM
Currently i running 7 -14w led with 40degree angle and 5000k for my 120 g tank 24" deep and i want to know shou i switch to other led light for carpeting or those light should be fine?

How many of these lights are you using? I have tried two thirty watt TMC 30 watt tiles over 24" tanks and only Marsilea crenata seems to grow. I've tried them with Glossostigma, Blyxa, Staurygns repens and Hair grass with no success (all with over 30 ppm CO2, all macro and micro ferts, at ~20" depth). And to clarify, the crenata grows very, very slowly at 20.5" water depth, 7" air gap to lights, and at 85% power, 30+ ppm CO2, 10 ppm NO3, 1 ppm PO4, 0.1 ppm iron, plus micros. At the moment I'm growing Glosso, Hairgrass, Staurygn repens and Blyxa under metal halides (hot and expensive) and HO T5s. And until an LED is available in Canada at a reasonable price, and is able to provide high light levels at depths of 20 to 30 inches, and will allow a 'Dutch' style colour rendition, I'll stick with 'em.
The traditional problem with LED lighting is that it won't punch through foliage or water very well. There are newer versions which may be capable, and these are coming from manufacturers who started out perfecting LED for marine and reef applications and so have been slow to respond to us planted tank freaks. I've inquired about the Aquatic Life Halo Freshwater (only from US, and too expensive to import), and now in the process of trying to get a pair of AI Prime Freshwater which I only heard about this week. So I'm still waiting.
"Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish." Mark Twain

phatty

I run 7 of these for my 5 feet long tank, and 21" water deep
it grow very nicely but I guess because I have them about 6 inch off the water the light is very center...
I am always want to try hairgrass but I cannot find them anywhere in Ottawa, is there anyplace that you know would have it?
put in a special order at critter but still didn't hear anything yet...if you know any place that will carry the short hairgrass please let me know

here is a pic of my tank with the light in a little messy but it only about a month old. and still try to figure out what plant stay and what will go


phatty

waiting for this to come, order these the other day for the fore ground, will give it a try to see if how it grow, these are 5k
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B012ENQZ1I/ref=ya_st_dp_summary?ie=UTF8&psc=1

wolfiewill

Quote from: phatty on October 30, 2017, 07:58:19 AM
I am always want to try hairgrass but I cannot find them anywhere in Ottawa, is there anyplace that you know would have it?
put in a special order at critter but still didn't hear anything yet...if you know any place that will carry the short hairgrass please let me know

What substrate are you using?
"Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish." Mark Twain

phatty

I am doing black hermit soil from home depot  8)