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High, medium or low?

Myrtle

Member
Joined
21 Aug 2008
Messages
827
Location
Basingstoke
Hi, I've recently set up a little 12l tank to play with some stems (it's all I had space for!) but I have no clue what is considered high, med or low lighting when it comes to LEDs! I've currently got a 9w nicrew C10 running which looks pretty bright to me, but I don't photosynethise, so... On the nicrew site it suggests it's low to medium but despite searching I can't find a way to work it out. I was hoping to head further towards high tech and dose LC but if the light is too limiting then that's a waste!
 
I use 41w leds with 60° lens for 15gallon tank dimmed to 5% it's low light, i've been a high light user for few years, i was blind, i thought plant really needed high light, everytime i failed because lots of light increase everything needs, co2, nutrients, there is such a small margin of error with high light that it drived me crazy. I honestly can't handle it, too much work, too much stress. Must be easier in a big tank.

In one tank i have walichii and tuberculatum with co2, co2 is so hard to manage in high light tank, i needed so much co2 that i couldn't add any fish in it, wouldve killed them. With such lot of light (50% of the 41w led, 180 * 5630 led) there is no way i have the skill to manage that lol

So i went from 50% to 5%, at the beggining it looked weird, colors were washed out even more if your plant is not covering the substrate, but with time it look amazing..
For the first time i have success to grow walichii in perfect shape without stress, tuberculatum is growing nicely too. For the best color high light is amazing, but i once read ceg answer on the topic which said that growing plant for colors is a bad plan, growing them healthy is the goal and i think it's the truth, once you have nicely plant growth, it's all that matter, colors can come later.

CO2 growth plant not light, for the first time i agree with that, maybe i'm finally out of the matrix

12l means the margin of error is even smaller, if you want challenge go with 10w led but it's really high light, i'm too old for that lol
 
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Hi, I've recently set up a little 12l tank to play with some stems (it's all I had space for!) but I have no clue what is considered high, med or low lighting when it comes to LEDs! I've currently got a 9w nicrew C10 running which looks pretty bright to me, but I don't photosynethise, so... On the nicrew site it suggests it's low to medium but despite searching I can't find a way to work it out. I was hoping to head further towards high tech and dose LC but if the light is too limiting then that's a waste!
I can help. I currently have a Nicrew RGB+W 24/7 on a fairly heavily planted 12L. Just give me a sec to read the thread...
 
Unfortunately it doesn't look like the C10 model lists Lumens or PAR levels unlike my RGB+W 24/7 which does. So, we will have to go by watts I guess...

So, my light is 12watts vs 9watts with your C10. My tank was planted just under 3 months ago and I am currently at the following levels...

White - 40%
Red - 70%
Green - 25%
Blue - 30%

That equals 41% intensity. I have algae under control aside for a bit on my floaters because the light is only about 1 inch from them. I started lower though and worked up. As a guess, I would probably start around 30-40% intensity as your light is 25% less wattage then mine. If you go too low you will be below the LCP of some plants and their growth will halt. I have seen this with some of my harder to grow plants like Rotala Green and Ludwigia Super Red recently.

My lighting duration is 11hours with a half hour of low light at both ends to simulate sunrise/sunset(so 10 hours of peak intensity).

I hope this is helpful...
 
Unfortunately it doesn't look like the C10 model lists Lumens or PAR levels unlike my RGB+W 24/7 which does. So, we will have to go by watts I guess...

So, my light is 12watts vs 9watts with your C10. My tank was planted just under 3 months ago and I am currently at the following levels...

White - 40%
Red - 70%
Green - 25%
Blue - 30%

That equals 41% intensity. I have algae under control aside for a bit on my floaters because the light is only about 1 inch from them. I started lower though and worked up. As a guess, I would probably start around 30-40% intensity as your light is 25% less wattage then mine. If you go too low you will be below the LCP of some plants and their growth will halt. I have seen this with some of my harder to grow plants like Rotala Green and Ludwigia Super Red recently.

My lighting duration is 11hours with a half hour of low light at both ends to simulate sunrise/sunset(so 10 hours of peak intensity).

I hope this is helpful...
That's super helpful, thank you! I was initially running it at 30%, but whacked it up when I read it was low-med. My light is raised about 3 inches from the surface so there should be a relatively even spread but I'll knock it back down to 40% and take it from there.
My tank says thanks too :) as does Mrs Betta who is recuperating in there.
20221201_191533.jpg
 
Unfortunately it doesn't look like the C10 model lists Lumens or PAR levels
I should have added this with my original reply, but didn't.

Yes the manufacturer does give par data for the C10 model, and "IF" we believe the stated 50 par @12" it should be more than enough for your tank @Myrtle
Admittedly, the klingon light loving hordes, often mentioned by Clive might not be swooping down to steal said light anytime soon, but thats not a bad thing in my book 😉

Screenshot_20221128-134601_Chrome.jpg
 
That's super helpful, thank you! I was initially running it at 30%, but whacked it up when I read it was low-med. My light is raised about 3 inches from the surface so there should be a relatively even spread but I'll knock it back down to 40% and take it from there.
My tank says thanks too :) as does Mrs Betta who is recuperating in there.


View attachment 198322
No problem at all. My 3 gallon houses a Betta too as well as a Zebra Nerite Snail fyi. I do a 70-80% Water Change every 7 days(I worked up to that after observing the animals and plants behaviour and they are perfectly fine with it with my water parameters).

Beautiful tank👍.

Mines a cube so yours should be even easier to manage. I plan to rescape mine, to free up some space and make it easier to maintain, after Christmas as I went a bit too heavy on the hardscape. Here it is today on day 6 since a water change(pretty dirty as I don't touch it at all until water change day aside from Floater management). Please excuse the Buce Kedagang, it was put in a couple of weeks ago and is still recovering from melt. Also, just cut down all the Hygrophilia Difformis recently as it was breaking the surface...
20221201_165503.jpg

20221201_165512.jpg

20221201_170011.jpg

I know, I know, trim your darn Rotala and Taxiphyllum lol. There is going to be a heavy trim session tomorrow on water change day...

This is my first ever planted tank so please go easy on me😉...
 
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I should have added this with my original reply, but didn't.

Yes the manufacturer does give par data for the C10 model, and "IF" we believe the stated 50 par @12" it should be more than enough for your tank @Myrtle
Admittedly, the klingon light loving hordes, often mentioned by Clive might not be swooping down to steal said light anytime soon, but thats not a bad thing in my book 😉

View attachment 198327
Oh nice, where did you find that? I scoured the Amazon product page for it and didn't see it. Here is the one for my light so the OP can compare...
SmartSelect_20221201-170412_Gallery.jpg

Yeah, I don't see why anyone would waste money on a high end light for a low tech tank(so far anyway). These Nicrew RGB+W 24/7 lights are amazing for the price with full spectrum control(full control of everything really), 90CRI, and plenty enough intensity until you get a CO2 bottle from what I have observed so far anyway(heck, I bet one could do a reasonable high tech with 2 or 3 of these at a fraction of the price of some of the high end lights. I have 2 of them on my 60 and it looks amazing and is only at 40%...
20221201_171104.jpg

20221201_171116.jpg

Those 2 lights together cost about 1/4 the price of a Chihiros WRGB 2 Pro 60 and they are IPX67 Waterproof to boot.
 
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I know, I know, cut trim your darn [...] Taxiphyllum lol. There is going to be a heavy trim session tomorrow on water change day...
Oh no, I'd personally never trim such a nice taxiphyllum moss, its large branches add another dimension to such a small tank, optically unachievable in larger tanks - just my 2 pennies.
 
Oh no, I'd personally never trim such a nice taxiphyllum moss, its large branches add another dimension to such a small tank, optically unachievable in larger tanks - just my 2 pennies.
Yeah, I like it a lot too but it grows crazy fast anyway and it is interfering with the much harder to grow Vesicularia Ferriei on the Spider Wood(it needs lots of light and flow). It also blocks the also nice Hygrophilia Difformis in the back left corner if I let it get too think and high. Here is another pic back when it was lower and the Hygrophilia was filled in. I'm torn which I like better but, I'm tearing it down after Christmas anyway so I guess it doesn't matter that much really...
20221109_155828.jpg
 
No problem at all. My 3 gallon houses a Betta too as well as a Zebra Nerite Snail fyi. I do a 70-80% Water Change every 7 days(I worked up to that after observing the animals and plants behaviour and they are perfectly fine with it with my water parameters).

Beautiful tank👍.

Mines a cube so yours should be even easier to manage. I plan to rescape mine, to free up some space and make it easier to maintain, after Christmas as I went a bit too heavy on the hardscape. Here it is today on day 6 since a water change(pretty dirty as I don't touch it at all until water change day aside from Floater management). Please excuse the Buce Kedagang, it was put in a couple of weeks ago and is still recovering from melt. Also, just cut down all the Hygrophilia Difformis recently as it was breaking the surface...
It's hard not to go heavy on hardscape with a tiny tank! I think I just about hit the limit, though I did have to remove some stone. I'm going through the diatom stage atm and what looks like filamentous algae is actually dog hair coated in diatoms! That stuff gets everywhere! Yours looks lovely though. I normally do a 50%+ water change weekly, but I think I'm a bit overdue having lost track of which day it is as I'm off sick atm.

So, if it's 60par @ 12" (at full blast I assume) would that need liquid carbon adding? I'm still confused as to what's high lol
 
APS do a small LED l think it says 10000 k it's around £10 last time l looked ,ideal for nano size. I have about 3. Setting up small projects they are just the job. Rendition nice also. I have a nicrew plant light over the 30"(15"deep) I guess it's set around 40 or 50% Never used it for the ramp up and down but you can dawn to dusk. Java Fern grows insane with it but l guess the stems and Salvinia help heaps
 
I grew plants fine including red plants using a 4w led daylight bulb in an IKEA desk lamp over a 12l tank. No CO2 and no filter

You won’t need a lot of light as the tank can’t be very deep.
 
It's hard not to go heavy on hardscape with a tiny tank! I think I just about hit the limit, though I did have to remove some stone. I'm going through the diatom stage atm and what looks like filamentous algae is actually dog hair coated in diatoms! That stuff gets everywhere! Yours looks lovely though. I normally do a 50%+ water change weekly, but I think I'm a bit overdue having lost track of which day it is as I'm off sick atm.
Yes, it definitely is. I'm pretty sure this is my last tiny tank. It's 60's and up for me in this hobby going forward lol.
So, if it's 60par @ 12" (at full blast I assume) would that need liquid carbon adding? I'm still confused as to what's high lol
It all depends on how high you want to run the lights I suppose. That tank I posted a pic has been run with and without. The easiest way to get the lighting right is to buy a PAR meter with an submersible probe. They are expensive unfortunately...
 
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