hooper Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Ive got a 15 gallon bow front planted not 100% sure of the plants in it other then bamboo What would be best to run leds or t5 i have an extra led unit run 10k daylight or a friend will trade me for a t5 unit So just a wonder....thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Do you have the spectral output graph for the LED? DIY? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted March 5, 2013 Report Share Posted March 5, 2013 Depends on the brightness and spectrum of the leds, but if all things are equal (intensity, spectrum, par) is go with led for the appearance and lower running costs. Need more info to make a real recommendation though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooper Posted March 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 it is a Beams works power LED 400 there is 78 .5 watt LED's tthats really all i can tell ya no longer have the instructions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 Ah. Jeremoose had a go with that light on his 30 gallon about a year ago. He ended up switching to a dual t5ho setup. With a 15 gallon you might be able to get away with it. The only thing against that fixture is it lacks penetrating power because of the half watt per led. This is his thread http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=35680 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremoose Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 Ah. Jeremoose had a go with that light on his 30 gallon about a year ago. He ended up switching to a dual t5ho setup. With a 15 gallon you might be able to get away with it. The only thing against that fixture is it lacks penetrating power because of the half watt per led. This is his thread http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=35680 ^^^ I wouldn't go with LED's unless you can afford the really high end stuff which isn't at all cost effective compared to how cheaply you can get t5ho... And T5HO is proven to produce results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 I think it really depends on the light fixture. I have a finnex and it's great, although I can't find what wattage the LED's are so that you can compare to a Beamswork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 I have 8 Beamswork in my fish room. They light up the tanks well, but that's about it. They can't even keep Java Moss alive on a 20 gallon long. If you are going to go LED you will need to spend some money. I just wanted to save on power as running a whack of T8 fixtures was a bit of a pig. There are good plant fixtures on the market, but they are pricey. But if you figure you should change your lamps every 6 months, over 5 years it can almost make it worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted March 8, 2013 Report Share Posted March 8, 2013 If you want to go LED the finnex Ray 2 is a good option for high-light, co2/fertilizer tanks or the Fugeray is good for low-light, regular tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slava Posted March 31, 2013 Report Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hi Hooper, Check out this light http://uk.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/Fixtures---Canopies/A3970 It's rated for up to 10 gal tanks so may be a little underpowered for your tank. About 140$ at Pisces. I have purchased this strip: http://uk.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/Fixtures---Canopies/A3980. Paid 200$ at Pisces. Currently growing HC emergent in my iwagumi 21 gal tank. HC seems to be doing well. The light is very slick and well-built. I went with plant-rated LED because if you factor in semi-annual bulb changes and power consumption of T8s or T5s the cost of the LED light is much easier to justify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquadweller Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 Hi all, i know this is a little late, but I'll add my two cents.... I'm new to LED lighting and understand the gist of wavelength and lumens and like to see how LED progress in future years. I have a 225 gal tank... The plants were doing okay (all low light plants). Before I had two light strips by Current USA (4 T5s)/unit. Then both failed unexpectedly shortly after the warranty date!!?!?! This was around the time CurrenT USA were having issues. I was tired of spending money on lighting Units and replacement bulbs. So i considered LEDs but the technology is still so new. I reverted back to T5HOs. I got two - 2 T5HOs strip lights with individual reflective lens. It is adequate to get some light into the tank. I remember years back with the same tank I was getting significant growth from the plants and I remember that I was running three or four - 2 CF bulbs for the tank AND dosing regularly. Now looking back I was possibly over dosing... Now, I'm using two - 2 T5HOs bulb units (4 bulbs total) and have been regularly dosing the tank (twice a week) with Seachem Excel and Iron and noticed healthier plants - Anubias, Crypts, Hydra, are coming back. Only several weeks ago I've added two - Fluval LEDs for freshwater / planted tanks to augment the lighting. I'm not sure if the lighting would have an impact or it is from the dosing. Long winded message, but I think dosing is an important part... I agree with other members comment about light penetration with half watt LEDs. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverWolf Posted April 26, 2013 Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 Don't mean to thread jack, but I've been doing a lot of looking into this as well!I don't like the Fluval one posted above as it doesn't cover the tank end to end (for my 10G) but was looking into getting this one: http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/ld-mldp2436/Marineland+Aquatic+Plant+LED+Lighting+System+(24+-+36+Inch).html Anyone have feedback on this? Would it be sufficient for high light plants? Super nervous making this move since it's so expensive, I want to make sure it is sufficient for a 10G NPT. Otherwise I may go with the good ole T5HO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted April 26, 2013 Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 IMO, spending that much to light a 10 gallon is insane. You can effectively light a 10G with a spiral compact fluorescent bulb in a brooder lamp for under $20, including the gas to drive to the hardware store, and yup, you can even get well into high light. I don't know if people don't know about plantedtank.net, but y'all might benefit from checking out their lighting section http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=10 http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=85667 http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368 http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160396 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverWolf Posted April 26, 2013 Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 A brooder lamp is exactly what I want to stay away from. I like my set up to look aesthetically pleasing as it is in the middle of our house and do not want the unfinished/bare lamp look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted April 26, 2013 Report Share Posted April 26, 2013 There are so many other aesthetically pleasing options out there besides that 'break the bank' marineland LED. That price is beyond stupid, I think. For that you could pick up 2 finnex fixtures with shipping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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