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LED lighting advice for novice

Fogcat

Fogcat

Seedling
Joined
7 Apr 2014
Messages
7
I have a Juwel Rekord 800 which is 80cm x 34cm and 35cm from the top of the tank to the substrate. Currently I'm using the lighting that came with the tank hood 2 x 18w T8s (1 Day-Lite & 1 Warm-Lite) and I have pressurised CO2 but I can't really get anything like Hemianthus Callitrichoides to take (it hangs on for a couple of weeks and then dies).

I'm thinking of upgrading and going in the LED direction. I've been doing a lot of Googling and reading and there are some very technical posts and articles but it seems I should be looking for something than will give me about 50 par at the substrate level?

It also seems that something that is controllable would be a good idea so that I can turn down the intensity if I need to once I observe how the tank reacts. And to be even fussier I'd like to be able to have main and "moonlight" lighting times separately controlled.

There are cats in the house which is I why I've started out with a hooded tank, but if I go for a new lighting unit I'm aware I'm probably going to have to go for a glass or mesh cover (unless I build a custom hood) but I would prefer tank mounts rather than suspended.

There seems to be an awful lot more marine lighting systems out there and much fewer suitable for planted tanks, and fewer still for tanks my size..

Finnex systems seem to get good reviews but as far as I can make out they're either on or off, no intensity control and it's one power supply, two switches so no separate timing is possible for the moonlighting.

The Arcadia Classica OTL seems a good light but the reviews pan the controller.

AquaRays seem a possible but I'm finding it hard to work out if a single GroBeam unit would suffice and by the time you've added mounting systems and the controller it can get very pricey. I do realise that you (mostly) get what you pay for but I'm trying to keep the budget down under £300.

I'd be grateful if any of the experienced folk here could point me towards other bits of kit or suppliers I should look at. Thanks.
 
Sorry to derail your thread but HC is pretty difficult to grow and if you really want successful carpeting plants you should focus on getting your CO2 right.

You should search this forum for 'pH profiles' to see how some other members have solved issues with poor plant health like you describe.

Also Micranthemum sp. 'Monte Carlo' is very similar to HC but much easier to grow.

Your existing lighting is fine (though I do have LEDs myself). It is great to turn down the intensity as this will reduce the plant's demand for CO2.

P
 
Thanks, I'll have an investigation of Micranthemum sp. 'Monte Carlo'
 
Did you want the LEDs to be fade in-out or is a simple manual dimmer ok? I've got a couple units now. Yes, they are more marine orientated, but the usual configuration is a "white" and "blue" channel. The white is white enough. If used itself, it could be ok for a planted tank. You could then separately time the blue channel as moonlight at a low level.

On the cheaper end, there's several £70 units on ebay. I've got one to play with, and have decided to use that to grow algae. You can manually set the dimmer on each channel, and with two plugs you can time them separately. Downside of the unit I got is the blue channel at lowest level is probably a bit strong for moonlight.

In the mid-range, there's the Evergrow IT2060 around £220. This has a built in two channel timer/controller, so you can set up a ramp and gradually brighten/dim the lights throughout the day. They call it a 3 channel unit, as the white channel when set below 10% goes into moonlight mode. Again, the blue channel might be a bit strong as moonlight.

Both units will do best hung at a suitable height above the water. The IT2060 ended up relatively close to the water surface on my tank, but it avoided the disco effect. The cheaper £70 unit doesn't seem to great in that respect. Probably something to do with the lenses dispersing the light, but I'm not sure what either unit uses. Also, on both units the higher you turn it up, the noisier they get. The cheaper one just has a simple fan on/off depending on setting. The IT2060 seems to be variable speed.
 
What's delivery costs like from the USA? And are there any issues about the mains voltage?
 
Fogcat said:
What's delivery costs like from the USA? And are there any issues about the mains voltage?
Click to expand...
You'll need to check delivery costs with BML as they can offer a variety of carriers and shipping times. I guess you're in the UK like me so you should be fine with mains voltage. I do believe their LED power supplies (or drivers as they are known) are worldwide compatible but you will need an adaptor as the driver is fitted with an American plug. Adaptors are readily available. I got mine from Maplin and it cost me £6.50.

Don't forget that you'll have to pay VAT in order to get clearance by customs plus a handling charge of £8.

JPC
 
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