# Arcadia Classica Stretch LED opinions?



## sciencefiction

Has anyone used these below in a planted tank?

http://www.swelluk.com/aquarium/fis...a-stretch-freshwater-led-lighting-561962.html

I bought one of these for a small tank that will be changed to a soil substrate low tech tank. It's now low tech sand only. The tank is Juwel Koral 54l. The light I got is 18W 50cm length as I thought the 23W 60cm will be too much.

I do not need much light but the original 18W light that came with the tank was not sufficient. If I dropped to 6hrs duration the plants would literally stop growing. Luckily the light the tank came with failed 5 times!!! and I can no longer replace it, it's out of warranty, actually I didn't bother asking for replacement the last time though they were very good exchanging it every 3 months saying it's a manufacturing fault with a few and I may get lucky with one that works. Me, lucky? Naah


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## JohnC

From what I hear and have read one Stretch will be lowish light.


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## sciencefiction

JohnC said:


> From what I hear and have read one Stretch will be lowish light.



  I actually just received it and tested it. I must say I really like it however I think you are right and I should have gone for the 23W version. I think I got a bit confused with intensity because I have high power LED fixture in another tank that has 3W Cree XM-L LEDs and those are powerful. This one is with some miniature 1W leds.


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## JohnC

sciencefiction said:


> I actually just received it and tested it. I must say I really like it however I think you are right and I should have gone for the 23W version. I think I got a bit confused with intensity because I have high power LED fixture in another tank that has 3W Cree XM-L LEDs and those are powerful. This one is with some miniature 1W leds.



edit - reread what you posted. if you have just received the light then send it back and get the 23w version. if you can repackage it successfully.


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## sciencefiction

JohnC said:


> edit - reread what you posted. if you have just received the light then send it back and get the 23w version. if you can repackage it successfully.



Thanks mate. I thought of it. However I ordered them from UK. I live in Ireland. Postage is £9 I already paid and the same to send back, it's not worth waisting £18 postage for £49 price for the unit itself. I think I'll just order another one in a while and use this one in a slightly shorter tank.

I'll have to see how it affects the plants too.


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## sciencefiction

Just one more question. Would one 23W be sufficient or 2x18W, or is the latter is too much I presume?

Edit: To answer my own stupid question I think 2x18 is way too much. The tank is just 30cm deep so I'll just start with what I have and upgrade if needs be.


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## JohnC

i'm not an expert in these lights i'm afraid, just doing a fair bit of reading right now on these budget LED types.

I'd go as far as saying two would probably sit at medium - low light on a tank and would be a nice set up. With one I guess it would work well for a lower light, crypt, moss set up which you are aiming for especially with your fairly shallow tank.

I'm taking my PAR meter into a local shop to check the output directly next week so I can come back to you then.


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## sciencefiction

JohnC said:


> I'm taking my PAR meter into a local shop to check the output directly next week so I can come back to you then.



Cheers. That would be great to know


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## sciencefiction

I found another website stating the PAR level of the 50cm(18W) I have. It will be interesting to compare with your measurements
It says at 30cm depth par level is 22 and 1.4 klux whatever that is. That sounds lowish  to me? I aim for medium light.

http://www.arcadia-aquatic.com/classica-stretch-led/


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## JohnC

what are you aiming to grow? and are you aiming to add more high tech stuff like CO2? 

you could always add a second unit to it and that should bring you up to solid medium light. otherwise i'd try and go with the lower light mosses and crypts for an easy to run low maintenance scape. when i get a free moment i'll add the final tank shots for the DIY 70L I ran only a single aquabeam on (admittedly a higher output LED but it was mounted much higher over the tank) which if I remember came out around 25 PAR. I have to admit I also stuck CO2 on it as an experiment in seeing how low I could grow certain plants under. CO2 injection raising the "light compensation point" (i think that is the right phrase) of the species in the tank. Unnecessary but it deffo helped.


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## OllieNZ

I have the 60cm over a 60x35x32 and it's plenty (well for crypts and mosses anyway)


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## sciencefiction

Thanks for your replies guys.



OllieNZ said:


> I have the 60cm over a 60x35x32 and it's plenty (well for crypts and mosses anyway)



Thanks. That's great to know. Mine is just 5cm shallower than yours but I have the shorter 50cm 18W version that's why I am a bit annoyed I didn't ask before I bought them.



JohnC said:


> hat are you aiming to grow? and are you aiming to add more high tech stuff like CO2?



I haven't made up my mind yet but it will be a non-CO2 soil substrate tank.
Currently there is just dwarf hairgrass, spikey moss, anubias and a crypt but I'll be changing this probably if I am not too lazy. I've got other tanks to steal plants from but they are all low tech but not that low light.

Sadly I never measured PAR so can't know for sure what I've been using successfully but I learned the hard way that too low light kills my plants. This is the third tank in which the lights went bust. I have a large 5f tank in which the drivers of the LEDs went bust one by one too so tank was running on 2/3 then 1/3 of the lights and some of the plants died by the time I bought new drivers!!! I had glosso lovely carpeting in it which was the first to die, or actually just disappear.

Same happened in another 60-ish cm deeper tank with 2xT5s, one went bust, plants withered and almost died. Though I don't have any "planted" plants in this one because it's covered in oak leaves.

So too high is bad, too low is bad  I want medium  This hobby has my pockets thorn..

Anyway, would 22 Par be enough to sustain some growth? What I am worried is that when the plants fill out there will be no light reaching the bottom but I may just go with very easy plants.


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## JohnC

sciencefiction said:


> Thanks for your replies guys.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. That's great to know. Mine is just 5cm shallower than yours but I have the shorter 50cm 18W version that's why I am a bit annoyed I didn't ask before I bought them.
> 
> 
> 
> I haven't made up my mind yet but it will be a non-CO2 soil substrate tank.
> Currently there is just dwarf hairgrass, spikey moss, anubias and a crypt but I'll be changing this probably if I am not too lazy. I've got other tanks to steal plants from but they are all low tech but not that low light.
> 
> Sadly I never measured PAR so can't know for sure what I've been using successfully but I learned the hard way that too low light kills my plants. This is the third tank in which the lights went bust. I have a large 5f tank in which the drivers of the LEDs went bust one by one too so tank was running on 2/3 then 1/3 of the lights and some of the plants died by the time I bought new drivers!!! I had glosso lovely carpeting in it which was the first to die, or actually just disappear.
> 
> Same happened in another 60-ish cm deeper tank with 2xT5s, one went bust, plants withered and almost died. Though I don't have any "planted" plants in this one because it's covered in oak leaves.
> 
> So too high is bad, too low is bad  I want medium  This hobby has my pockets thorn..
> 
> Anyway, would 22 Par be enough to sustain some growth? What I am worried is that when the plants fill out there will be no light reaching the bottom but I may just go with very easy plants.



id stick with everything marked low light to start. especially crypts and root feeders if you are doing a soil substrate. then experiment with slightly higher light additions and see what you can get away with. 

low light tanks are a joy when they grow in. so little maintenance compared to the higher energy set ups. 

and if you want to up the light at a later date just get a second stretch.


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## sciencefiction

Thanks mate. That's what I'll do.


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## JohnC

sciencefiction said:


> Thanks mate. That's what I'll do.



I've updated my old 70L DIY ADA journal for you with the photos from the final months. It was all around 10 - 25 PAR so will give you some ideas.... Low light funtimes. 

link in my sig.


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## sciencefiction

Cheers, will read it now.


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## sciencefiction

Just saw the journal of the corner tank you had/have? Such beautiful scapes from start to finish!!!
I am useless in aquascaping, have no idea and just throw plants together hoping it will magically look nice.


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## OllieNZ

Here's my tank at the moment


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## sciencefiction

Nice! The crypts have grown really nicely. I love the pink hue of the lights. Some people may dislike that but I love it.
I think I'll just stick to easy stuff as John suggested.
My problem is I have 0 aquascaping skills. The tank at the moment is in appalling condition because it hasn't had light for 2-3 months and I've been moving a T5 fixture to it from another tank every 2nd or 3rd day to keep the plants alive but they are almost dead though a crypt in it is still ok! 
I think I'll open a journal just to show an ugly picture of a tank for a change 


@OllieNZ. Is this a low tech? Do you add any ferts or CO2?


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## OllieNZ

Low tech, occasional ferts and soil substrate


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## sciencefiction

Thanks Ollie


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