# So my LEDs are no good for plants?



## seaecho (Jan 31, 2012)

Why, oh why do these things seem to happen to me? I was all excited when I bought my 20 gal. high tank with the LEDs. *Never* did I assume the lights wouldn't support plants! I did a lot of research on quality and prices before I bought this Marineland tank and thought it would be perfect. I have planted some beginner low light plants in it - 2Java Ferns, Hornwort, Marimo ball, Anacharis and Water Wisteria. 

Yesterday, I just happened to come across a post somewhere that said LEDs are NOT sufficient for plants! WTH? I looked up a Marineland questions and answers site, and they confirmed this in one of the posts. So this means my plants will die without double or Reef Capable LEDs! I had plans to order some anubia petites, a couple of Crypts and a Corkscrew Val. Now I feel like I'm going to have to start all over with* plastic plants,* yuck! I can't afford the double LEDs, which I see run around $83. And even THOSE are said to only be good for some very low light plants. Haven't even checked the Reef Capable prices. Too depressed to. I thought I had just about everything I needed, with my Eco Complete substrate, two caves and decorative rocks to hold the plants down. The tank is actually starting to look good. I am MAD at Marineland! Nowhere on the box the tank kit came in, or the instructions inside state that the lights are not capable of sustaining live plants!

Desperately looking for a solution, I read clamp-on lights are not a good idea, as they can too easily melt the plastic rim on the aquarium, or come loose while I'm not home and fall into the water. What am I supposed to do now? Anyone else had this happen? I'm so upset. PLEASE, any suggestions?


----------



## Levi (Mar 20, 2011)

LED's can support plants you just need to make sure to have the right spectrum and enough wattage. I mean you have medical marijuana people using LED's on their plants. Most plants like red spectrum LEDs.


----------



## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

You could always get a new hood and get cfl or flourescant lights (6500k rating) and even though this rule is said to be out of date at least 1 watt per gallon.


----------



## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

LED lights do fine for my Banana and Java Fern plants in a 10G tank. My Hairy Algae pest also does well. I would like to try them on a larger tank once their price comes down.


----------



## seaecho (Jan 31, 2012)

So I might still be OK with low light plants? *Does a little happy dance.* I've priced new hoods, and they are almost as expensive as the double LEDs, so that wouldn't really save me much. How do I find out if I have the right spectrum or wattage? I can't find either on the box or the instructions that come with it.


----------



## jbrown5217 (Nov 9, 2011)

It will tell you on the box. I mean I paid $30 for my hood and that came with a t5 light. So I imagine a hood for a 20 gallon is $40 - $50? If you want to keep your plants alive (not saying that your leds won't work) it is worth the investment rather than having to let your plants die, buy new plants, and then buy a new hood and lights anyway. It becomes more expensive if you don't do anything currently to save them.


----------



## ShrimpDiver (Sep 28, 2011)

The plants in my betta tanks do fine with the LEDs. I only use java fern, anacharis, el nino fern and rotala though.


----------



## Marci99205 (Dec 13, 2011)

I have the Marineland 29 with LED, I find Anubias, horn-wort, dwarf lily's, amazon sword, Java Moss, and java fern grow very well with the light. I actually decided to upgrade the 29 hood (my new LED light comes in today) and i am going to use the Marineland hood on a 20 gallon long.


----------



## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Marineland has all the specs on their lights on their website.


----------



## WinterLiu (Mar 31, 2012)

LED lights are needed for it, LED products with good quality is really expensive now, and you have to know what light ( blue , red, white) your fish need(perhaps can get from some reserch), according to all of these requirements, to choose one product.


----------

