# LED Plant Lights?



## irisleetw

Anyone has experience with LED plant lights yet? 
My 47 gal tank is tall with almost square base. I currently have a 20" compact fluorescent 96 Watt light. But, I heard that CoralLife has discontinue the replacement bulb so I am thinking about changing the lighting. LED lights typically should have pretty good penetration which is very good for a deep tank like mine and they should not release as much heat as compare to the one I am using now either. If these are true, it would really be good for my tank. 

I am interested in this Marineland Aquatic Plant LED Lighting System and wonder if anyone has already try it and can share some insights. Much appreciated!


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## Raymond S.

That one is relatively new so info which fits "yea, I have that one on my tank" may be thin.
There are three other than that one(and one of those is new also, the Planted+) which people sometimes have algae
problems/w, but I mentioned that because on a tall tank like you have they might be just right for that.
Getting info from peoplewho have them is better. I have only had one and it wasn't good for plants.
It was the Marineland Double Bright.


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## coralbandit

Here's a thread on that light I believe;
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/ma...s-42566.html?highlight=marineland+plant+light


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## majerah1

Are they still as pricey as they were? 

I would personally go with the Finnex Planted + but with either you will most likely need CO2 and ferts.


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## jrman83

What is the distance from your light to your substrate or how tall is your tank? Tall tanks are hard for any type of lighting, LEDs will make it harder. You will need to get a good quality one and I would suggest one that has proven positive results or provides PAR measurements at different distances from the light.


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## irisleetw

Thank you all for the information!

The light currently is about 29-30 inches from the substrate and I does Flourish Excel to substitute CO2 for now. I had done DIY CO2 before and probably will do it again here soon. Under the gravel, I put in some topsoil as my dirt layer. Need to put the fert schedule back on as well. I have been so busy with work and slacking on the ferts. 

I have read some mixed reviews about LED lights these couple of days about algae problem, which I am not that concerned as Raymond S. mentioned for a tank deeper like I have it may be fine. Besides, the Flourish Excel has limited algae growth a bit. Thank you, coralbandit. The link to the thread was very helpful! 

The price I found on Foster and Smith is current $159.99 for 18" - 24", which fits my tank (20" wide). The price isn't bad at all comparing to the other light I am considering. I am also thinking about a T5 6 lamp that's $286 on Amazon…(Amazon.com: Aquatic Life Light T5 HO 6-Lamp 2-Lunar Aquarium Light, 24-Inch: Pet Supplies)


Here is how my tank looks like and my fish …. on Sunday - 
I have purchased a clown pleco on New Year's day who just loves the driftwood. I also added a piece of wood with some rock under the clay pot to give him more options on wood.


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## jrman83

Algae is not related to LEDs, or the LEDs is not the cause. Algae is controlled by the light, nothing more. Leave it on too long and you get algae. It is as simple as that. Most people choose to not adjust their light timing and fight the algae. Not sure why that is, but most people hate the idea of leaving their light on for only x-hours per day and would much rather leave it on for 10+ hours per day. 

I see you have BBA on your leaves. Excel should take care of that if you add a little more. I have treated BBA with Excel and found it really easy by doubling the daily dose every other day. Just remember it is not a substitute for CO2 but it does add carbon. I have never seen improvement in my plant growth by using Excel.

I like the T5 fixture you linked, but would only get it if you could turn some of the light off if needed. It may turn out to be too much. If it is, DIY CO2 just isn't going to keep up. On that, DIY CO2 is really only good for smaller tanks. You will see some improvement, but when it comes to light choice and how high of light power you are considering the DIY is not at any level to allow you to up it a notch in lighting because you have CO2. Understand what I mean? In other words, I would consider the light from not having any CO2 because essentially DIY cannot produce enough to make a difference in lighting choice and fighting off algae.


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## irisleetw

Thank you, jrman83. That was very helpful!

In other words, I probably don't need to worry about not having enough light if I just want to keep my plants alive, stable and not faster growing without pressurized CO2. I may be adding CO2 in the summer when I have more time to plan things out and such. Maybe I'll switch the light then. 

Yea I had some algae issue, but it has been getting better and better by adding Excel. I'll try double dose every other day as you suggested. I have been careful about adding Excel because I don't know if it would kill off too much algae for my otos to eat. But, I'll be sure to supplement their diet with veggies more often.


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## Threnjen

I did a bunch of research on LEDs, actually after the guys around here recommended against this Marineland one as being mad overpriced.

First consider instead the Satellite Freshwater LED+
Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Fixtures: LED Aquarium Light Fixture

A step up from the Satellite for PAR will be the Finnex Ray II or Finnex FugeRay Planted
Amazon.com: Finnex Ray2 Aquarium LED Daylight, 24-Inch: Pet Supplies
Amazon.com: Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light Plus Moonlights, 24-Inch: Pet Supplies

If you want the Ferrari of plant LEDs AND in your price range? Then you want a Build My LED, either 6300k planted or 10000k planted
Freshwater - Build My LED, LLC
Also a light for a 20" wide tank from Build My LED is $134+dimmer $15+legs $15 = $164 right about what you were going to spend on the Marineland which is VASTLY inferior to this powerhouse LED PLUS with a custom plant spectrum
I think you will be very, very, very, very pleased with this light if you were already willing to spend this much.

I will now try to find you the chart of PAR values for various lights. Do notice however that there are PAR charts on the Build My LED pages and that is because they are pretty darn proud of how awesome their lights are


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## Threnjen

OK I wish I could link you directly to the image of the chart in this post...
Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts

There is a chart on this post with the measured PAR using various LEDs.
I will just attempt to give some values for various lights.

Marineland Double Bright PAR values at Distance From Light
15 inches away - 60 PAR
20 inches - 40 PAR
30 inches - 25 PAR

OK now the Finnex Ray 2
15 inches away - 90 PAR
20 inches - 65 PAR
30 inches - 45 PAR
(remember this light is cheaper than the Marineland)

Now the Build My LED 10000k Planted (same price as Marineland with needed accessories)
15 inches away - 135 PAR
20 inches - 100ish PAR
30 inches - 63.75 PAR (estimate by me)
By ANY accounts, an amazing light, PLUS with a custom built spectrum for plant growth.
Just be sure to get the dimmer

Note: Current Freshwater Satellite+ wasn't available when that post was made on the other forum, but tests place it slightly under the Finnex Ray 2 for PAR values


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## jrman83

Yeah, BML will be getting my business if I ever make the switch over. Finnex Ray 2 gets a lot of usage in the planted world and people speak fairly highly of it on the planted sites, like the one linked above. You may need to be a member to view that thread.

All of the Catalina and Fishneedit light fixture data in that chart is from my T5HO lights tested using my PAR meter.

Just remember when you break into certain areas for PAR this may drive the need for CO2. The light will drive the plant to grow at certain rates, higher light - faster growth, if it doesn't have the CO2 there to support that faster growth the plant will actually suffer and you will have high light with dying plants. Sounds funny, I know. Once the plants become weakened in any way they will soon be covered with algae of some type, usually BBA. It will also drive the need for fertilization. This is fairly easy, readily available, and plenty of refs to get you started. All of this is why I was saying that I would only be good with the 6x T5HO if I could turn off some of the bulbs, in case it pushed me into this territory.

You would also need a fairly strict light period plan. This would let the light come on only for a specified period and then shut off. This is the biggest control of algae growth. Finding the optimum period of time for your setup is what you will have to do or you can loose control of the situation and have lots of algae to contend with.


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## majerah1

Here is the PAR on the Current USA Satellite + 

12"	36
18"	28
24"	21


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## MriGuy85

Hey majerah1,

I'm toying with the idea of EVENTUALLY using live plants in my tank. It's a standard size 55 gallon with super naturals white sand substrate. I would only really be considering some of the low lighters suggested to me...anarcharis, java fern/moss, etc. would the satellite led+ be good for this or over kill? Also, I would prefer to stay away from having to use co2 just because I really don't want to have to add more equipment and such.


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## majerah1

It would be good for the lower light loving plants. You would not need CO2 with it. I have one over a 40 breeder which is at 28 PAR and Im not using CO2 anymore. Growing Cabomba Furcata ( though its not showing its red color, it is growing very well though) Lidwigia hybrid, and a sword which name escapes me. My anubias, java fern and even hairgrass seem to be doing well also.


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## jrman83

Bev, you taking the PAR number from the distance spec they give matching your setup? Did it say if they did the test in water or air?


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## majerah1

you know, I am not even sure, that is just what they have on their site for it. Let me get my box and look, to see if they list. I am sure it is right under the fixture.


Is the Satellite Freshwater Plus bright enough?!

This is all i could find. The box does not say how it is measured.


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