# 60" Led?



## hydrashocker (Apr 1, 2007)

I have a 60" 120 gallon about 26" deep that will be semi planted and looking for a light. I have been looking at the Fruval LED that goes to 57" P48 model mainly because it looks like a good light. Now I don't have a top to hide the light so it's going to be seen and being that it only extends to 57" and I think lights to 48" it might be an eye sore. Also going to two 30" lights can be more expensive then a single.

Do you guys know of a 60" light that would work fine for a potted semi planted aquarium? Also I found it at Petco for $279 but seem still a little steep.

Thanks!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Do you want to stay with LED? 26" deep may require you to get higher light that the avg tank because of so much water to penetrate, which takes down the ability of getting lights to the plants. Will be even more of an issue if you plan to get low grower ground cover plants. On the other hand, I would think that as long as you stayed with low-light requirement plants you may not have such an issue.


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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Have a 56 column. I thinks its 30" deep. And its heavily planted. I have the smaller version of the light your looking at. But also ended up needing a strip light with a grow bulb. The LED wasn't strong enough on its own. I could have put another LED on it. The LED does give a cleaner looking light. Almost a more natural look because it will "shimmer" but you won't likely get away with just one light on a tank that deep.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

You can get away with one light, but for LED you may need a little more money.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Reefing Madness said:


> Marineland LED Double Bright Light for Aquariums 48" 60" | eBay


This would be the low-light plant option I referred to earlier. Keep to the lower light requirement plants and this may work for you.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

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## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

I still needed extra help for my small plants. The worst that happens you get the light and get more if its not enough.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Reefing Madness said:


> Those are 1w LEDs, they would sustain Soft Corals at a depth of 24". More than enough for FW Plants.


That's what I said also, but just low light plants. This fixture has had hit/miss results on standard/common depth tanks. Add in one that is deeper and results would be worse. This would be good for mosses, java fern, most crypts, etc., just nothing requiring higher levels of lighting.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts
Scroll down to the LED/PAR chart.
Now will someone care to guess how long it will be before a person/group etc will come up/w a list telling you
how much PAR it takes for each plant or plant type ?
Tropical freshwater aquarium fish: Find plants
This site tells it in high/low/medium as does a few others...but no PAR per plant type chart yet......
However...look at where it says "Low light, med light, high light just above the charts. It does say not exact/subject to change but you could
probably use the numbers it gives for each category to decide on which plants would work fairly accurately from that plant list.
You did say semi-planted...so a 48" would give good light for the whole tank...just keep the plants more towards the middle.
Or if one were an A-simetrical fan, they could put the light on one end with a pile of driftwood under the light/up against one end and that end would
represent the rivers edge while the other end represented the deeper/more open middle of the river/lake. Yea I know, I could have
kept that idea to myself...LOL...just a thought.
But "just a thought" how come no one mentioned this light ? It's available up to 72".
Custom LED Strip - BML Custom


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Don't bring up PAR if you don't understand the thread. Why would you need a PAR per plant and who would even try to collect that kind of detailed data? What is in there is a PAR level that says if you have X level you can grow just about everything which is all the info you need. There is also in there some discussion on where the break point is on needing CO2.

There are numerous lights available in 60" and many out there that can be custom built. The OP wanted something less than $279. Not likely to get that at the BML site.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Here are several 60" lights in price range;
EVO 60" LED Aquarium Light Marine Coral Reef Fowlr Cichlid 44x 3W 3 Watt Lunar | eBay
This has 10K and actinic LEDS ,but only one switch so manual operation is it's only option.
Here's a flourescent that comes with 2 @10k and 2 actinics(just cahge one or both of them
T5 Quad 60" Timer Aquarium Light Marine Coral Reef Cichlid LED 320W Odyssea | eBay
This one is completely appropriate for freshwater
T5 Quad 60" 6500K Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant Tropical Fish 320W 4X 80W | eBay
Let me know if you want more choices(there are plenty).
I would stay away from any of the marineland lights(found this out the hard way!)


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I think the PAR link is good and important.I don't expect there will ever be a PAR per plant type of chart,but to understand how light penetrates depth(although the chart reflects depth with no water),I think the link to Hoppys' info is important.
That being said and the fact that most of us will never purchase a PAR meter(or at least a good one) what else do we have to go off of?
The link is just about the only resource any educated person can find with "accurate" info on how different styles and plain old different brands of lights perform.
If you want plants you won't go wrong getting a fixture with the highest PAR rating,but you will be sorry if you got one with the lowest PAR ratings.WATTS PER GALLON IS DEAD!There is good info in that link.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

You can guess at it from this link but the reason I thought it might be nice to have a chart would not be to keep away from the lowest one...a real need...but rather to try not to get a light that was tons stronger than you can use which would cause algae unless you up graded to injected Co2. So if all you wanted was a medium light/w no injected Co2 you could use a chart like that to but only the light as much as you needed...see. I don't think anyone would do all that work either...was just wishing out loud.
This is the link you can use but it don't tell you which lights are well over the plants you want.
Tropical freshwater aquarium fish: Find plants


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The algae will be controlled by lighting cycle(time lights are on) not how "powerful" they are.It is possible to go with way to powerful lights,but since the chart didn't include MH and I run truelumen pros (in multiple units),and they rated fairly well,I only grow algae because of time of lighting,I have shortened my cycle and had good results.I just can't bring myself to only have lights on for 8 hours!My bad I know!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you wanted to see what plants did good in what type of lighting I would go to aquaticplantcentral or plantedtank.net and research them. The big problem is just knowing what category (low, med, high) your light is actually in and even then it may have not been tested at the kind of ranges described in the OPs tank, since PAR readings change as distances change from the light. You'll be lucky to find any PAR data at all, although manufacturers are getting better at providing it.

Tom, not sure what is wrong with 8hrs. All of my heavy light tanks are on for 7hrs or less, one being on for only 6hrs. Even in those 6hrs I'm by it for about 2hrs. The plants were unaffected by the 8-6hr change and in fact still grow at their same rate.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

jrman83 said:


> Tom, not sure what is wrong with 8hrs. All of my heavy light tanks are on for 7hrs or less, one being on for only 6hrs. Even in those 6hrs I'm by it for about 2hrs. The plants were unaffected by the 8-6hr change and in fact still grow at their same rate.


The problem is not with the tank,I'm sure it would be better if turned down my light cycle.I just like seeing them with the lights(whatever ones are on at different times).I'm up early and often out the door short after and like to see tank before I go and often would not even be leaving my work in a 10 hour span.I often work 12+ hours a day(when I work).My reef from NJ has computer programmed lighting and doesn't even start to rampup till 7 am and is back to blue by 6pm,and most days I never even get to see it with the lights on.So no need in saying(almost ashamed),but yea I added 2 4' ledsand 2 1' leds that are seperate timers from computer light so I can see it!
I do have an algae issue in my 180,but I know I(and my lighting cycle) are to blame.I will turn the cycle down an hour or two,but that still leaves me in double digits!
I like to look at it!I'm sure it would look better if I ran lights for 8 hours or so ,but I would never(rarely or not enough for me) get to see it.
I need help this form can't address LOL!


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## hydrashocker (Apr 1, 2007)

Well I made a mistake, the top to the gravel is 22" of water column, please forgive me. Wow I didn't think I would get this many posts and good ideas, you guys rock!

Anyway, I have a set of 30" T8 Coralife 50/50 model number 53005 fixtures on the tank right now. This posed a few issues that I have come to learn.

1. I've had a few potted different plants (it's been 5 years ago so I don't remember which types) and they would turn brown and did not thrive. Sure they would grow a little and some grew a bit better but nothing grew all that well.

2. Wattage. In my house the way they ran the wiring there are a few high wattage pulling devices all on my aquarium circuit, so I'm trying to alleviate some wattage pull. There is a 15 AMP breaker that flipped the other day when of course everything was on and pulling. So the lights I have pull 65 watts each and if I could drop that it would surely help. And no, there isn't a different option of aquarium placement.

3. The bulbs are 4 pin, not 2 so you have to use the 4 pin bulbs only which of course nobody sells locally. Besides Coralife already stopped making the 10000k Colormax bulbs and she stated they didn't know how much longer they will still make the 6700k bulb.

Anyway, I called Coralife and talked to one of their tech's in which they stated that the light I was using is the wrong lighting needed. This light is more of the blue spectrum for reef corals, not what freshwater needs and most likely causing the issues with my freshwater plants. She told me I could simply change out my bulbs to a T8 Colormax 1000k if I could find some (they stopped making them), or 6700k but they are starting to move away from the T8's. This leaves me wondering if I will find replacements which are already hard to get now. Replacement Lamps | Coralife Marine & Freshwater Aquarium Supplies

I really would of liked to have the Coralite double bright T5 10000k for freshwater fixtures so I could see the fish and plants plus the deeper water and plants, but that isn't curing the wattage issues. If only the damn pet store would have sold me the correct fixtures I wouldn't be in this situation. It was a nice local shop, but they should have ordered me the right model number and given me the right type for what I was asking for. This is why I want to make sure this time I buy the right type.

This is why I thought moving to a new LED light would be the better option all the way around. I do really like blue moon light options I've seen where the main light turns off and just a few blue light LED's stay on. Not only would this option help my fish navigate a bit, it acts like a night light for my family. Also I do like the timers….LOL….I think I’m starting to spend more money the more I think about the options out there.

The EVO fixture coralbandit posted looks good but I think there’s too much blue light in it which is more ment for for reef tanks and I question the intensity. There isn't that many LED's in it so would it be enough output? Do they make a freshwater version?


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

LED Pent 60" Timer Aquarium Light Freshwater 330X 20W Tropical Fish Tetra 5 Ft | eBay


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## hydrashocker (Apr 1, 2007)

I was looking at that one but it runs 67 watts, and I can't even find a company web sight. Upon reading the internet on them people aren't all that satified and a lot of people say plant growing isn't great with them either?


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

hydrashocker said:


> I was looking at that one but it runs 67 watts, and I can't even find a company web sight. Upon reading the internet on them people aren't all that satified and a lot of people say plant growing isn't great with them either?


And it's good that you did as I looked it up by light + night light x 60".
But then this is what people are talking about when they attach that "you get what you pay for" slogan to LED lights.
I have no Idea of the amperage involved but 80W doesn't seem like it would break the circuit. A cheap shop light
in T8 would only use that much in Watts and two good bulbs in it would grow plants well...like a 10,000K + 7000K.
You would just have to reconcile using a 48" fixture.
Somewhere on this forum a person showed a two fixture CFL set up where it has hanging fixtures of the type which
just clamp on, but of course he removed that clip and hung then from the ceiling and painted them black. You
could use three instead of two for the 60". The bulbs are about $8 for good ones. The fixtures are close to $10 and 
they grow plants very well. You would need to check on how much juice they use.


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

Found these online at F&S: Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Compact Fluorescent Straight Pin Bulbs You could drop down into the 55W 10,000K, but even then that wouldn't alleviate much of the circuit issues. Since your tank is fairly deep, the 10,000K should be ok to use. Those bulbs are definitely not cheap! 

The LED fixture Raymond posted would use 67 watts TOTAL vs the 130 watts with your current fixtures (both on), which should cut the wattage nearly in half. As an FYI, that fixture doesn't come with the timer, etc. I'm not sure I have been totally convinced led are the way to go in planted tanks yet...I'm currently fighting battles with algae in my 10 gallon tank with a led fixture. On the plus side, the led lights do put out a clear bright white light and make the tank look spectacular.


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

> Somewhere on this forum a person showed a two fixture CFL set up where it has hanging fixtures of the type which just clamp on, but of course he removed that clip and hung then from the ceiling and painted them black.


I've been hunting for that person too Raymond! But I think he was using screw in led bulbs instead of cfls.


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## lonedove55 (Jan 25, 2012)

Ooops. Forgot this link: Philips 55-Watt PL-L 4-Pin (2G11) Energy Saver (non-integrated) Natural Light (5000K) Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb-138446 at The Home Depot Heck of a lot cheaper!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I always went to Catalina Aquarium - Catalina Aquarium for less expensive lighting.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

This is the bulb I was talking about...very high rating on plants:
Philips EnergySaver 13-Watt (60-Watt) T2 Compact Fluorescent Daylight (6500K) Light Bulb (4-Pack) (E)*-420091 at The Home Depot
And this is the "fixture" remove clamp/paint black/suspend from ceiling:
HDX 150-Watt Incandescent Clamp Light-CE-300PDQ at The Home Depot


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## hydrashocker (Apr 1, 2007)

I can see how that could look if you added some aluminum bars to hold it together, I think it could be almost rustic. Anyway on Aquarium Lighting: Coralife Compact Fluorescent Straight Pin Bulbs the replacement bulbs are the cheapest I've seen but does nothing about my amp/wattage issue. 

Who ever installed the power grid in my house should be taken outside. The power kicked off again during dinner and I'm starting to get hot. They put the front room on it, the formal dinning room chandelier, and the microwave in the kitchen. I have a large tank and a small about 20 gal tank in the living room. Going to swap the breaker out as it could be worn.

I have a one of my coralife lamps on covering the whole tank while trying to grow some algae and bacteria load. I have a set of cheapo black fluorescence lights I can throw on it maybe until after Christmas then get a set of nicer LED's or a single 60" setup. In fact I'll probably just use the Home Depot replacement bulbs for now and see what I can do to fix my power issues. I'd rather just sell my set of black 30" fixtures anyway.

I never thought of trying to do a DIY fixture in which I might just try. I’ll have to look more into that.


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