# DIY LED floodlights any good???



## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

So my MC is struggling at the moment. That and my Alternanthera Reinekii Mini. Both are faded red and green. They are both low down in the tank so have been told it could be my lights not reaching the depth enough for them to colour up nicely.

At the moment I have got 2 of these.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L2RQ3WR/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_7epCEbX82RZ7G

But am thinking of going for 2 or 3 of these.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZZ26WDV/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_e1oCEbTY0VAWP

My main concern though is the floodlights arent full spectrum, they're just white.


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## Aqua sobriquet (17 Mar 2020)

The Warm white ones I've seen didn't look that good to me. I’m running a cool white COB spot on my Nano and it looks good. I have easy plants like Anubias and Moss and they’re growing like mad.


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## Tim Harrison (17 Mar 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> My main concern though is the floodlights arent full spectrum, they're just white.


White light is composed of all the wave lengths of the visible spectrum so it is really full spectrum.



Aqua sobriquet said:


> The Warm white ones I've seen didn't look that good to me.


Agree, best to use cool white, that is a colour temp of around 6000-6500 Kelvin.

This might be of help https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/redneck-led-lights.50916/#post-505808


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> The Warm white ones I've seen didn't look that good to me. I’m running a cool white COB spot on my Nano and it looks good. I have easy plants like Anubias and Moss and they’re growing like mad.


Thanks. I'll make sure I dont get warm white then.



Tim Harrison said:


> Agree, best to use cool white, that is a colour temp of around 6000-6500 Kelvin.
> 
> This might be of help https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/redneck-led-lights.50916/#post-505808



Excellent bud. Thanks. So definitely worth using a couple of floodlights? I take it they manage to achieve the depth easier?
So 6000-6500 Kelvin is best, what about lumens? I have a 4ft tank with approx 300 litres of water in it so should I be aiming for 6000 lumens?


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## Aqua sobriquet (17 Mar 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Thanks. I'll make sure I dont get warm white then.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It’s more the depth of the water that will determine how bright your lights need to be, at least for small plants near the substrate.


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> It’s more the depth of the water that will determine how bright your lights need to be, at least for small plants near the substrate.


So the bottom plants are 550mm from the top of the tank and there will prob be another 400mm gap between the lights and the top of the tank. So approx 950mm between the lights and the MC.


@Tim Harrison you reckon 3 of these will be ok with the info I put above regarding the distance between the lights and the MC?? So 3 of these will give me 6000lm

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07T8LZV9F/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_qbqCEbEMFV41A


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## Tim Harrison (17 Mar 2020)

Not sure if the light has the same output but yes I reckon you'll need 3 for good coverage...






Thanks to Clive...
If PAR at the substrate level is approximately 50 micromoles or less, this is generally considered low light.
If PAR at the substrate level is between 50-150 micromoles, this is generally considered medium light.
If PAR at the substrate level exceeds 150 micromoles, this is generally considered high light.

You'll probably have medium light at substrate level. Just choose your plants accordingly check out Troica's plant list. MC will probably be okay if you dial your CO2 in properly and concentrate on achieving max flow and distribution.


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> Not sure if the light has the same output but yes I reckon you'll need 3 for good coverage...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ah man I really wish i understood what was going on in that graph. Lol. That's all a bit too technical for my simple mind. Lol.

C02 distribution and flow in the tank is really good. I can see a lot of microbubbles from the diffuser in fast flow in all sections of the tank


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

@Tim Harrison where is your tank in relation to where you sit? I'm just trying to picture how bright the lights are going to be to where we sit on the sofa. Because they'll be elevated quite high above the tank, the lights are going to be easily visible from the lower position where we sit on the sofa


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## alto (17 Mar 2020)

You don’t need to buy Kessil (or similar)
But
You do need to look at the technical specifications that allows these LED more efficient depth penetration
(high intensity LED, suitable drivers, reflector lens design etc)

What are your tank and light details?
Is it really light limitation - ARm does take longer to establish than its taller cousins, MC actually grows quite well even in shaded areas (but obviously also slower so will take longer to establish)

If you add additional lights, and the limitation is actually CO2 or nutrients, you will only strengthen the imbalance

(I’ve Kessil A160 and various other lights, Kessil design is recessed so much easier on the eye when sitting on the sofa etc)


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

alto said:


> You don’t need to buy Kessil (or similar)
> But
> You do need to look at the technical specifications that allows these LED more efficient depth penetration
> (high intensity LED, suitable drivers, reflector lens design etc)
> ...


Hey bud. So the light I have is this one, the spec of the light is on one of the pictures on the listing

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L2RQ3WR/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_7epCEbX82RZ7G

The tank is 350 litre tank but is holding about 300 litres of water. The MC is sitting about 600mm away from the light at the minute. The C02 distribution is good around the tank as all areas have fast flowing microbubbles and the DC is showing a lime green in all areas of the tank. I am dosing Ei at 20ml per day but have added extra Phosohate to the current mix to eliminate GSA which seems to have worked.

The MC going a paler green than from the start I'm guessing is lack of light or lack of iron. I was going to work with the light side of it first and then if still no luck maybe look at other causes like iron and anything else it could be.

Here is a pic of when I planted it compared to 3 months later. The green is a lot paler


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## Tim Harrison (17 Mar 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> @Tim Harrison where is your tank in relation to where you sit? I'm just trying to picture how bright the lights are going to be to where we sit on the sofa. Because they'll be elevated quite high above the tank, the lights are going to be easily visible from the lower position where we sit on the sofa


It was torn down several years ago. The lights are bright and there is considerable spill; no shades. Will be very distracting if you're trying to watch TV, for instance.


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> It was torn down several years ago. The lights are bright and there is considerable spill; no shades. Will be very distracting if you're trying to watch TV, for instance.


Thanks bud. So if I could bite the bullet, I been looking at the Twinstar 900EA. Just read a thread on comparison between twinstar and Kessil. Reading it, I'm definitely swaying towards the twinstar. For me it's less work involved as it just plonks straight on the tank rather than having to make brackets/hangers for it, there is less light spill, and the reds and purples show up more in the fish and plants.


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## Tim Harrison (17 Mar 2020)

If your budget can stretch to it the Twinstar 900SA is worth the upgrade for colour rendition alone, but either way both are good lights.


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## Keetchy (17 Mar 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> If your budget can stretch to it the Twinstar 900SA is worth the upgrade for colour rendition alone, but either way both are good lights.


Mate I'd love to but I'm oroper stretching as it is going for the EA so I cant get the SA


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## alto (18 Mar 2020)

Sorry I’d forgotten that light 
(one of the reasons it’s relatively economic is the lack of water resistance (and likely UK rating))

The MC may be pale due to multiple factors - diatom attack, low light, low nutrient etc
I’d add the extra iron as that’s an easy try (I assume)

Order the Twinstar (you’d need 2 Kessils and having run a similar tank with 2 x A160WE Tuna Sun, I wished I’d gone for the 360s so I’d have extra light to dim ... except it was also a budget decision), just check the wattage etc between the EA and the S versions 
(Call around if anyone has a display model on discount, check the Swap Forum etc)


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## alto (18 Mar 2020)

You might also look at  
Aqua Medic Qube 50 Plant LED - I prefer Kessil for appearance and 120* vs 90* lens but @sciencefiction gives it a good review here (you can also search her journal for photos)
(I found it listed at Charterhouse)

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/led-lighting-for-24”-high-tec-tank.52502/#post-521909


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## Keetchy (18 Mar 2020)

alto said:


> You might also look at
> Aqua Medic Qube 50 Plant LED - I prefer Kessil for appearance and 120* vs 90* lens but @sciencefiction gives it a good review here (you can also search her journal for photos)
> (I found it listed at Charterhouse)
> 
> https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/led-lighting-for-24”-high-tec-tank.52502/#post-521909


Thanks for the recommendation bud. But they're £160 each and I'd need at least 2 on my tank. The tank is 4ft long.

I'd love to be able to afford the 900S but that's an extra tonne on top of the price of the EA. I'm having to stretch to get the EA as it is 

Think the plan is to get the 900EA and also change my ferts from Ei back to either TNC complete or another all ready made fert. I've noticed the tank starting to struggle ever since I started dosing Ei so I think I've either mixed the incorrect amount of dry salts into the mix for my tank, or I'm dosing the incorrect amount into the tank. So I think with the combination of the twinstar and dosing a different fert, I could get back to having a healthy tank again


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## Keetchy (18 Mar 2020)

Cause I'm now starting to get holes in the middle of the Ludwigia's leaves as well


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## Siege (18 Mar 2020)

What are the dimensions of your tank? Seems a large litre for 900 light.


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## Keetchy (18 Mar 2020)

Siege said:


> What are the dimensions of your tank? Seems a large litre for 900 light.



It's a 48x24x18. Even the 900 might be just too small. But I think I can make it work. I can't afford to get the 1200


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## Siege (18 Mar 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> It's a 48x24x18. Even the 900 might be just too small. But I think I can make it work. I can't afford to get the 1200




Personally I wouldn’t go with the 900E.

You are not gonna stretch the legs over the length. You’ll also struggle growing growing a carpet with depth.

If you want the Twinstar, better to delay and get the 1200SA. Better that than potentially waste your money now


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## Keetchy (18 Mar 2020)

Siege said:


> Personally I wouldn’t go with the 900E.
> 
> You are not gonna stretch the legs over the length. You’ll also struggle growing growing a carpet with depth.
> 
> If you want the Twinstar, better to delay and get the 1200SA. Better that than potentially waste your money now


Ah serious? You don't think the 900 will reach the MC enough at that depth? With it not reaching over the tank's edges I can deal with. But if you dont think it'll be good enough for the MC at that depth then that's a different story.


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## Sammy Islam (18 Mar 2020)

Save your money! Don't panic, why buy a new light at all? If things were growing well and now they are not then that indicates you need more ferts or co2 or both (most likely) rather than a more powerful light.

I would go back to dosing tnc complete, how much were you dosing daily? You can work out what you've been dosing using rotala butterfly under the premixed option. In 200L tank i would assume you should be dosing around 20ml a day to have a good level of ferts. I would try fix the deficiency rather than spend money on a more powerful light that would only accelerate any deficiencies or algae you have.

If you were adding 20ml a day then you would be dosing this much per week:


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## Keetchy (18 Mar 2020)

Sammy Islam said:


> Save your money! Don't panic, why buy a new light at all? If things were growing well and now they are not then that indicates you need more ferts or co2 or both (most likely) rather than a more powerful light.
> 
> I would go back to dosing tnc complete, how much were you dosing daily? You can work out what you've been dosing using rotala butterfly under the premixed option. In 200L tank i would assume you should be dosing around 20ml a day to have a good level of ferts. I would try fix the deficiency rather than spend money on a more powerful light that would only accelerate any deficiencies or algae you have.
> 
> ...


Ok I see your point. I cant remember how much TNC i was dosing now. I think i was dosing twice the amount it recommends on the bottle. Into a 300 litre tank.
I think I know why I'm getting BBA again. I increased the amount of phosphate into my Ei mix to help keep GSA away which I think in turn has helped the BBA.

So start off with dosing TNC complete again and then go from there?

At some point though I will need to get a better light as the one I have at the moment is ok but no way near powerful enough. It's only 2600lm


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## Sammy Islam (19 Mar 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Ok I see your point. I cant remember how much TNC i was dosing now. I think i was dosing twice the amount it recommends on the bottle. Into a 300 litre tank.
> I think I know why I'm getting BBA again. I increased the amount of phosphate into my Ei mix to help keep GSA away which I think in turn has helped the BBA.
> 
> So start off with dosing TNC complete again and then go from there?
> ...



I would get everything growing as you want it before upgrading the light, i know it's tempting to get something new but you will only have more problems with more light unless you correct the underlaying issue.

Forget the label instructions, they are mainly for people with low tech tanks or people entering the hobby rather than someone who's attempting a high tech aquascape full of plants which will demand a lot more nutrients than the standard tnc dose.

Were you dosing weekly or daily? You must have a rough idea how much tnc you were dosing and then we can evaluate from there by looking on rotala butterfly. I would be dosing daily.

The folks at aquarium gardens have always advised me to dose "tnc complete" to the levels/instructions of the "aquascaper complete" - i assume they are similar products, maybe even the same product just marketed differently  (tnc complete for weekly "low tech" dosing, and aquascaper complete for "high tech" daily dosing.)

For your 300L tank i think that you should be dosing 25-30ml a day, you can work out what the total you would be adding easily if you want to target levels similar to EI.


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## Keetchy (19 Mar 2020)

Sammy Islam said:


> I would get everything growing as you want it before upgrading the light, i know it's tempting to get something new but you will only have more problems with more light unless you correct the underlaying issue.
> 
> Forget the label instructions, they are mainly for people with low tech tanks or people entering the hobby rather than someone who's attempting a high tech aquascape full of plants which will demand a lot more nutrients than the standard tnc dose.
> 
> ...


Ok now you mentioned that, I think i was dosing about 30ml per day TNC complete. Then i moved to 20ml per day Ei. The only reason I changed to Ei was to save money. But if it's going to be harder to get the correct amount of nutrients into the tank then I'm quite happy to start paying more and get TNC complete if I can get back to a healthy tank again.

So when dosing TNC, it was 30ml per day as is.
When dosing Ei I was mixing up the salts as per Aquarium Plant Foods website instructions and dosing 20ml per day. I then started getting a lot of GSA so I made up a new mix of Ei but doubled the amount of phosohate in the mix. But still dosing 20ml per day. GSA was no more but BBA is still appearing.


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## Sammy Islam (19 Mar 2020)

Mark Keetch said:


> Ok now you mentioned that, I think i was dosing about 30ml per day TNC complete. Then i moved to 20ml per day Ei. The only reason I changed to Ei was to save money. But if it's going to be harder to get the correct amount of nutrients into the tank then I'm quite happy to start paying more and get TNC complete if I can get back to a healthy tank again.
> 
> So when dosing TNC, it was 30ml per day as is.
> When dosing Ei I was mixing up the salts as per Aquarium Plant Foods website instructions and dosing 20ml per day. I then started getting a lot of GSA so I made up a new mix of Ei but doubled the amount of phosohate in the mix. But still dosing 20ml per day. GSA was no more but BBA is still appearing.



Yes tnc will cost more money but if you have some left i would switch back to tnc and daily dose 25-30ml a day. Wait two weeks and see if your new growth is good, the old bits will not recover if it's an iron deficiency. 

The APF recipe calls for 10ml per 50lt, how come you're only dosing 20ml for a 300L tank when the dose calls for a starting point of 60ml? 

Also the BBA is mainly on your buce? Seeing as it's high up in the tank without any shading at all, means it's probably recieving too much light for the amount of ferts/co2 you are providing. I've never been able to grow buce up high as it just gets blasted with light. 

Instead of buying a new light right now, i would wait and maybe spend a fraction of that on some more really fast growing stem plants. The more plants you have, the more likely it is you can blast them with better light as long as your flow, ferts and co2 is up to scratch.


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## Keetchy (19 Mar 2020)

Sammy Islam said:


> Yes tnc will cost more money but if you have some left i would switch back to tnc and daily dose 25-30ml a day. Wait two weeks and see if your new growth is good, the old bits will not recover if it's an iron deficiency.
> 
> The APF recipe calls for 10ml per 50lt, how come you're only dosing 20ml for a 300L tank when the dose calls for a starting point of 60ml?
> 
> ...


Holy crap.....60ml per day its supposed to be? Well maybe that's where I'm going wrong then, not ferting enough.
I'm away thr next couple of days so as soon as I'm back I will grab some TNC complete and maybe some Rotala H'ra from AG and get all that into play.

So you reckon monitor the tank for couple of weeks with dosing TNC before adding in any extra iron or upping the lights?

So the BBA is mainly on the Bolbitis. But it is also forming on the Buces and on the Staurogyne Repens at the bottom.


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## alto (19 Mar 2020)

Going back to the LED light (which is likely significantly low light for such a deep tank, also the front to back footprint), any indication of number and type of LEDs?

If tank were only 35-40cm tall, substrate PAR would be a lesser factor but judging by the cost of the light units, I suspect it’s stocked with cheap low intensity 0.2w (maybe 0.3w) LEDs

I assume your travel plans have been delayed, so you’ve more time to sort out the tank before leaving for months?

If travel is still on, and you can afford the Twinstar, I’ve be tempted to upgrade the lighting
(you can lose a load of money through plant failure)


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## Keetchy (19 Mar 2020)

alto said:


> Going back to the LED light (which is likely significantly low light for such a deep tank, also the front to back footprint), any indication of number and type of LEDs?
> 
> If tank were only 35-40cm tall, substrate PAR would be a lesser factor but judging by the cost of the light units, I suspect it’s stocked with cheap low intensity 0.2w (maybe 0.3w) LEDs
> 
> ...


Right the only info I could find on the light is its 38w, 2470lm, 7000-7500k colour, IP44 (which I'm guessing is water resistant), 167 white LEDs, 30 blue, 14 red and 14 green.

Yeah the travel plans have been changed to a play it by ear situation now. So like you say, I wanna try and get all these problems eliminated or at least under control before I have to leave.

As for buying the light, even if the light I have now isnt causing the issues I'm getting, the plants are going to need a better light at some point for the tank to grow in as much as I want it to. I thought the 900ea would have been enough of a light for my tank but after reading @Siege comment, I need to rethink or chat to Dave about what light to get.


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## Jayefc1 (19 Mar 2020)

And just to add have you tried upping the ferts first as people have said 20ml in a 300ltr tank seems quiet low to me I add 20ml to my 140 dont know what your mix is obviously but still it's a easier way than forking out for new light especially if its not the real issue
No harm.in trying it for a couple of weeks mate

As for the ar mini do you have amanos they apparently love it as a salad

Oops sorry didnt see page 2 of this


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## Jayefc1 (19 Mar 2020)

You could also wait and get the 900sa and hang it from the ceiling if you dont think it would fit properly.its very easy to do mark and you wouldnt
Need to.spent the extra on the 1200


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## Conort2 (19 Mar 2020)

I’d take your time as mentioned by others. Get your ferts sorted out first and then go from there. Low light should slow down growth but not be putting holes in leaves. This indicates a fertiliser issue. Are the leaves new leaves which are getting holes or is it on the older leaves?

what brand of fert are you using for your iron dosing? I always used to get my plants start off well and eventually overtime they would deteriorate. Turns out I need to dose more magnesium than even ei due to my London tap water and change my source of iron as the iron glucanate used in my fertiliser is a waste of time in my hard water.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the algae issues. This can often happen in new set ups whilst things are balancing out. My tank was rescape recently, bba started to develop all over the place along with gda and diatoms. I just kept up the water changes and dosing. Once the plant mass had increased and was growing strongly this out competes the algae and now I’m pretty much algae free.

Try not to rush things or change too many things at once and I’m sure things will sort themselves out.

cheers

Conor


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## Tim Harrison (19 Mar 2020)

Sorry didn't read the thread properly before, got fixated on the DIY angle. Yes ideally you'll need a light that spans the entire length of the tank, so a 1200 would be best.

However that said, looking at the pics of your tank all seems to be growing well, so your current light seems to be doing a good job. And more importantly your CO2 flow and distribution look to be fine also.

However, as plants grow you need to keep upping your fertz. TNC Complete is good stuff but you'll need to ignore the dosing instructions. Once my tank has grown in I pretty much dose a whole weeks worth every day. That MC carpet will be very hungry...

I've since switched to TPN+ and find it to be just as good but a whole heap cheaper, I dose the same as I would the TNC. You can buy it here https://aquaplantscare.uk/shop/aquatic-plants-fertiliser/tpn-mix/


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## Keetchy (19 Mar 2020)

Jayefc1 said:


> You could also wait and get the 900sa and hang it from the ceiling if you dont think it would fit properly.its very easy to do mark and you wouldnt
> Need to.spent the extra on the 1200


Only issue with getting suspended version is we are in a rented flat so drilling holes in the ceiling is a no go area bud. Also to be honest I do prefer a light to be fixed to the tank rather than suspended. When I do eventually upgrade the light, I think I will go with the 1200. At least that way I have a very good light that I can use for a very long time without issues. I'm never gonna get a bigger tank than I have now. 
And yes I have about a dozen amano bud. But the ARM hasn't got any holes or munch marks in it, it's the Ludwigia that has holy leaves. Lol.



Conort2 said:


> Are the leaves new leaves which are getting holes or is it on the older leaves?
> 
> what brand of fert are you using for your iron dosing?
> 
> ...


So I've only noticed the holes on the older, lower down leaves. And at the moment I'm not ferting a separate iron supplement. I'm just dosing Ei. I think the conclusion is to just try one thing at a time. So ferts first then go from there.



Tim Harrison said:


> Sorry didn't read the thread properly before, got fixated on the DIY angle. Yes ideally you'll need a light that spans the entire length of the tank, so a 1200 would be best.
> 
> However that said, looking at the pics of your tank all seems to be growing well, so your current light seems to be doing a good job. And more importantly your CO2 flow and distribution look to be fine also.


Yeah after chatting to @Siege on the phone he has talked some sense into me and calmed me down a bit. Lol. It will be the 1200 I'll go with when I upgrade the lights. Only because I dont like suspended lights so that's the 900s out of the question.
It's good getting another point of view on the tank so if you say the growth looks good enough along with the C02 flow, then I'm happy with that.


To summarise guys, plan of action is to stop dosing Ei and start dosing TNC complete or TPN+ if that's gonna be cheaper but still as effective. Lol. Dose the amount I need to daily (but not by the bottle's recommendations). Then once I got the algae and colour all back under control, think about upgrading the light


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## Jayefc1 (19 Mar 2020)

Sounds like a good plan mate the S range is a lot better than the E the range on the twinstar


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## Keetchy (19 Mar 2020)

Wish me luck


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## Jayefc1 (19 Mar 2020)

Dont need luck mate it's all skill lol


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## Aqua sobriquet (19 Mar 2020)

I’ve just wired up one of these to see what it looks like.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07T8LZV9F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Perhaps not quite as cool white as I’d like but I’m sure it will be more than bright enough for the 60L Nano I have in mind. Just a matter of working out a suitable way of mounting it over the tank.


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## Keetchy (19 Mar 2020)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> I’ve just wired up one of these to see what it looks like.
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07T8LZV9F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> Perhaps not quite as cool white as I’d like but I’m sure it will be more than bright enough for the 60L Nano I have in mind. Just a matter of working out a suitable way of mounting it over the tank.


 I was going to go for 3 of these over my tank but I didnt want the hassle of fabricating a bracket up for them and I dont think I could live with the light spill.


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## sciencefiction (20 Mar 2020)

alto said:


> You might also look at
> Aqua Medic Qube 50 Plant LED - I prefer Kessil for appearance and 120* vs 90* lens but @sciencefiction gives it a good review here (you can also search her journal for photos)
> (I found it listed at Charterhouse)
> 
> https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/led-lighting-for-24”-high-tec-tank.52502/#post-521909



Hey, the Qube 50's are still doing a great job and plants respond really well to them. They can be strong and burn leaves or cause algae if too close. I love that the Qube 50 is so light and so easy to position/twist around and they can be fit on any of my aquariums or plastic tubs. I love the color rendition. They are on the purplish side of color and they cause shimmer effect, so it all depends if this is what your are looking for. The kessil felt like a crippled giant in comparison, really heavy, and mine eventually fell in the water. Thank god it switched off the electricity. I find the color rendition of the Kessil really ugly, yellow and blurring the colors of fish and plants. 

As far as Flood lights are concerned, I have one that has been brilliant in terms of supporting plant growth and health, and if it wasn't as heavy and difficult as the Kessil, and possibly bigger, I'd recommend it. But I find the convenience of the design of the Qube 50 way better.The Kessil was the worst of these 3 options, in terms of plant growth, color rendition and ease of use around tanks. 

Both the Qube 50 and Kessil 360 have the controls to reduce the light intensity. My flood light doesn't.


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## Mikeyd (16 Apr 2020)

Don't know if it helps but these are the floodlights that mark uses at MD fishtanks
https://www.amazon.co.uk/V-TAC-Waterproof-Outdoor-Security-Floodlight/dp/B079LLRQ2Q

Video of one of his tanks using them here


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## Aqua sobriquet (17 Apr 2020)

I did fit the chip from the security light I bought into a suitable housing and it’s plenty bright enough but I don’t like the colour. 

This is the one I bought and I don’t think it’s as white as it’s supposed to be.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07T8LZV9F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Tim Harrison (17 Apr 2020)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> but I don’t like the colour.


The colour temp can appear more than a little stark and lacking in the red end of the visual spectrum which washes out the colours in plants.
However, I found that after a while either you get used to it and/or the plants seem to green up a little more and it appears okay.


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## Aqua sobriquet (17 Apr 2020)

From what others have said I guess it would be ok for the plants but it’s a bit too yellow for my liking.

I also recently received another COB spotlight from China that’s supposed to be 15W as opposed to the 12W ones I’ve been using but it certainly doesn’t look any brighter to me though! 

Due to the hardscape I’m using at present on the new tank I don’t think a single light source will be any good. I’m now looking at the Chichiros style multi chip type of aquarium lights. They can be had cheaply enough from China, it’s just how long it takes to get here at the moment. Then again I could spend three times the price for a Fluval Aquasky. Decisions, decisions.


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