# Would I need to bombard a jungle with light?



## noobscaper (2 Dec 2020)

I'd like to make my 240l (120x50x50cm) a jungle one day and have been wondering about lighting. Since there are so many plants (including floaters, once I figure out how not to kill them ) in a densely-planted aquarium, would I need to provide lots of light so the shorter ones could photosynthesise? Or would a single Chihiros A-series be enough?


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## Nuno Gomes (6 Dec 2020)

A single Chihiros A series will not provide enough coverage for a 50cm deep tank, while the alternatives will be much more costly, it's a case of buy cheap, buy twice.
I'd suggest a Twinstar 1200S, version III is just release and is a bit cheaper than version II. It's an investment but very much worth it.
Chihiros makes a similar light (WRGB120) but I've had bad experiences with their stuff in the past, from crappy quality to their terrible app.


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## noobscaper (6 Dec 2020)

Nuno Gomes said:


> A single Chihiros A series will not provide enough coverage for a 50cm deep tank, while the alternatives will be much more costly, it's a case of buy cheap, buy twice.
> I'd suggest a Twinstar 1200S, version III is just release and is a bit cheaper than version II. It's an investment but very much worth it.
> Chihiros makes a similar light (WRGB120) but I've had bad experiences with their stuff in the past, from crappy quality to their terrible app.


What about something cheaper?
I have a strict budget of £160/$200, so I'm thinking something from either COB floodlights, 4x54W T5 (used), or an additional 2 Chihiros A1201s (aren't you the guy who PAR tested those?). There might be something better though.
What do you think would be the best option PAR-wise?


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## foxfish (6 Dec 2020)

If you went back 15-20 years the majority of high tech planted  tanks were lit by 2 x T5s the length of the tank.
Some folk who had spot on CO2 were using 4 T5s 
There were many fantastic and successful tanks around then ... as there are now!


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## noobscaper (7 Dec 2020)

foxfish said:


> If you went back 15-20 years the majority of high tech planted  tanks were lit by 2 x T5s the length of the tank.
> Some folk who had spot on CO2 were using 4 T5s
> There were many fantastic and successful tanks around then ... as there are now!


OK, thanks! Do you think there'd be a substantial difference between using a cheap grow light fixture (like this) and more premium lights such as ATIs?


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## dw1305 (7 Dec 2020)

Hi all, 


noobscaper said:


> OK, thanks! Do you think there'd be a substantial difference between using a cheap grow light fixture (like this) and more premium lights such as ATIs?


Those are absolutely fine. I have that model in the glasshouse, the luminaires have got some specs of rust on them, and the electrician said the choke units are pretty cheap when he replaced a couple, but they are cheap tubes to buy. 

cheers Darrel


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## noobscaper (7 Dec 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Those are absolutely fine. I have that model in the glasshouse, the luminaires have got some specs of rust on them, and the electrician said the choke units are pretty cheap when he replaced a couple, but they are cheap tubes to buy.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Thanks for the help! Looks like I'll get those then.
Unless I find some decent-looking used ATIs


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## dw1305 (7 Dec 2020)

Hi all, 


noobscaper said:


> Looks like I'll get those then.


This <"was in 2013">, so they last OK,  and looking back I actually bought <"them in 2011">.

cheers Darrel


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## foxfish (7 Dec 2020)

It would be great if you can turn the tubes on independently, it is unlikely you will need four lights on for the full lighting period!


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## dw1305 (7 Dec 2020)

Hi all, 
The eight 54W tube units have two switches so can have the inner four tubes on, outer four on or all eight tubes on.

cheers Darrel


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## not called Bob (7 Dec 2020)

do T5s still need replacing every 6-12 months, or have they improved the degradation.  its what made a lot go the folks that had come over from Halide jump again to LED, was the ongoing cost of replacements, verses the upfront outlay of a ready made LED fixture,


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## dw1305 (7 Dec 2020)

Hi all,


not called Bob said:


> do T5s still need replacing every 6-12 months, or have they improved the degradation.


Yes it has improved, in fact you get very <"little lamp lumen deprecation"> with tri-phosphor tubes and electronic ballasts. Basically they only <"need changing when the lamp doesn't turn on">.


> .......Almost constant lumen maintenance throughout the entire life of the lamp due to Luxline Plus triphosphor technology.....


cheers Darrel


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## not called Bob (7 Dec 2020)

that’s good to know, there’s so many old T5 units out there, nice to see some out of attics and back in use,


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## dw1305 (7 Dec 2020)

Hi all,


not called Bob said:


> that’s good to know, there’s so many old T5 units out there, nice to see some out of attics and back in use,


I'm going to carry on using mine until the electronic ballasts fail and it isn't economic to replace them or you can't get the tubes. If it is a <"standard size">  you can still get the Tridonic etc. ballasts and T5 tubes relatively cheaply. 

cheers Darrel


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## Barbara Turner (7 Dec 2020)

Other option would be a cheap waterproof LED outdoor floodlight, I've been running 2  x 50w light for over a year without any issues. 
The colour rendition is never going to be as nice but the plants won't know the difference. I went for 6500K . It's not horrible. 

Don't go too cheap as there is some real crap out there... I had a Chinese special that was about as waterproof as a sieve that kicked out so much radio waves that it blocked out the radio whenever you turned it on..


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## noobscaper (8 Dec 2020)

Barbara Turner said:


> Other option would be a cheap waterproof LED outdoor floodlight, I've been running 2  x 50w light for over a year without any issues.


I've been considering those too, but I'm afraid it would be a gamble with whether they'd work correctly or not. Better spend that extra $25 than replace the whole thing, eh?
I'm also not sure about how even the spread would be. Love the shimmer though.


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## dw1305 (8 Dec 2020)

Hi all, 


noobscaper said:


> I'm afraid it would be a gamble


Quite a few people are using them, @Filip Krupa has them on <"his monster tank">.

cheers Darrel


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## noobscaper (9 Dec 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Quite a few people are using them, @Filip Krupa has them on <"his monster tank">.
> 
> cheers Darrel


So would they more or less output the same PAR?


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## Filip Krupa (9 Dec 2020)

No idea about PAR values, but my 9x50w LED floods make my 2000L pearl beautifully!


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## dw1305 (9 Dec 2020)

Hi all, 


noobscaper said:


> So would they more or less output the same PAR?





Filip Krupa said:


> No idea about PAR values, but my 9x50w LED floods make my 2000L pearl beautifully!


Difficult to know without a PAR meter, @oreo57 is your best bet for some informed comment.  If you look at @Filip Krupa's thread you can see that they work. 

cheers Darrel


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## noobscaper (10 Dec 2020)

Uuuughhhhh
How did this go from no good choices in the budget range to too many 
Looks like I'll try with the floodlights because they're my cheapest bet. Not much of a DIY guy though. 
How could I make a luminaire (what a fancy word haha)?


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## noobscaper (28 Dec 2020)

Just thought of a problem - would floodlights be blindingly bright (not just in the aquarium, but the room in general)? My tank's in the dining room and I wouldn't want it to be more distracting than it already is 
Also, how would I go about cooling them (since they're so sensitive to heat but emit so much of it)?


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