# Marineland Aquatic Plant LED - impressions



## WheeledGoat

Welp, after much deliberation and help from members around here, I pulled the trigger on the Marineland Aquatic Plant LED 24-36" with timer. (I got mine for $211.99 from amazon in March 2013).

First, the actual unit measures 22 3/4" - but you'd have to allow for 24" of width for the power cord coming out of the side. You can use the wire brackets on either end (that extend to 36" wide) to sit on the side of the tank, or they work just as well as stands to sit on a glass canopy. The wire stands also pull completely out if you like. The width left a few inches on either side on my 30" wide 29gal - but I think the light coverage to the sides of the tank is pretty good.



The unit does get pretty warm... I can't hold it for too long before I have to sit it down when I'm taking it off my tank for something. The whole unit is built like a heat sink.

I love, love, love the timer! It comes set from the factory;
9am: blue lights
10am: all lights (white & RGB)
8pm: blue only
10pm: all off

All you have to do is set the time of day. And it's surprisingly simple to change any of the timing settings, even though there's only 2 buttons. If you turn on the blue or white lights and override the timer, you won't effect the timer's cycle - it'll keep on trucking.


The Red/Green/Blue LEDs (middle row, every other light) have diffuser lenses on them, and that is pretty effective at spreading the light from those LEDs around the tank. The RGB lights make a real difference in bringing out the colors in the fish and plants - things look more interesting! The rest of the regular white LEDs are relatively focused, which gives that awesome shimmer effect that's impossible to capture in a picture.

I was wondering how the brightness and color was going to compare to what I had. For those with the same question, I put my old light back on the tank and took shots with the same camera settings. It makes the "before" shot too dark for a proper photo, but makes for a good comparison:

With Ecolux Plant & Aquarium F20T12-PL/AQ-ECO Wide Spectrum 20w fluorescent bulb:


With Marineland Aquatic Plant LED 24-36":


And finally the moonlight. I dig it. I'm surprised by reviews that say the moonlight on this fixture is much brighter than the moonlight on even the double-brights. I wouldn't want it any dimmer at all - wouldn't be able to see anything!


Though since the "blue" light is also on with the white lights (as part of the RGB LEDs) I wonder if they will go first. But it's nice that this light is rated at 50,000 hours (unlike the Marineland single and double-brights that are only 17,000 hours). That's the same rating as Marineland gives their 10,000k Reef-capable lighting, but this one is at the more appropriate 6500k for freshwater.

I know I sound like a little Marineland fanboy, because that's all I've talked about here... I did consider Finnex for a time but the fewer LEDs on this Marineland (instead of more, smaller LEDs on the Finnex) gives a better shimmer effect, which I like a lot. That + the built-in timer = I'm very happy.


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## TroyVSC

Looks nice,Hope your plants do well. Too bad they didn't have a 30" unit.


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## WheeledGoat

Yeah, the lack of a nicely fitting 30" unit gave me pause. And if I had known just how far in from the fixture's edge the LED started, I might have paused even more.

Despite how the pictures look, though, I'm quite satisfied with the light coverage to the sides of the tank. The photo only picks up the brightest spots of the LED light, not how it looks in person.

My plants are friggin taking off! Even though I don't have co2 up and running yet;

*#3 Moneywort (not pennywort) is growing like 1/4" a day, 

*#3 amazon swords have new growth popping out of them all over the place, as does my crypt. 

*#3 Even my hairgrass has filled in very noticeably in only a couple weeks.

*#3 I've got another plant that has tall, long stems and medium wide, long leaves at the end... with a white flower at the end of one stalk with a spikey thing in the center of the flower. don't know what it's called but at the rate that's growing it's gonna be growing out of my tank by next week.

so yeah... plants are good! haha

(thanks for replying btw! i was starting to get my feelings hurt at so many views but no comments!)


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## coralbandit

I think your tank looks good with those lights and it sounds like they're doing well by you.I didn't comment originally but "said thanks" as I appreciate your sharing.It is nice to hear what people think either way sometimes.You're pics of the old light compared to the new are overwhelming.Keep us posted on your plants and how you like the light over time.


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## KMoss

Nice lights. I have the Marineland double bright on a 20 gal long and love them..... my plant growth is amazing. i was curious how a deeper tank would do with LEDs and yours looks great. Sounds like these are a step up from the double bright, being longer lasting and with the timer. Enjoy! They look great!


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## WheeledGoat

lol - thanks 

the tank is nowhere near where i envision it being, but the fun is in the journey. i put off taking those pics for a while cause i wanted to make sure i had perfectly clear water, everything looked good, etc etc etc... but then i realized it'll never be there so I just did it. I think that's why I like this hobby, cause it moves slow, kinda like me.


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## TroyVSC

Keep the pics coming as you add to your tank.


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## WheeledGoat

Just a quick update; this light has effectively converted my low-tech 29gal aquarium into an algae farm. It started with green water. My resident albino pleco and snail are in heaven, but unable to keep pace.

Twice weekly water changes, decreasing the light period to 6hrs a day and dosing Flourish Excel have kept things at bay, but it's clear there's now an imbalance. I have no choice but to accelerate my plans for co2.

So be forewarned, and prepared, if you go with this light. You'll probably need co2 and ferts to keep up with it! Don't expect to maintain a "low-tech" tank.


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## WheeledGoat

Bada-bing! I'm finally up and running, firing on all cylinders (light, fertz & co2). 

And boy-howdy is stuff growing! The flowering cabomba furcata and crypt have grown well over an inch just this weekend - both are sticking out of the water now! I don't think I expected such feverish growth. I don't mind at all, though. I thoroughly enjoy monkeying around with my tank a couple times a week.


Saturday afternoon:


Monday morn:


Ah, well, now that I have the pictures side by side, they don't seem to do justice to how much stuff has filled in, nor does the crypt look any different in the photo. Well, whatever. I just uploaded the pix, I ain't undoing it! lol

A question: the Cabomba Furcata's red/purple tones, and especially its flowers, probably require iron, yes? The plant has no roots to speak of, so should I expect to need to dose the water column? Currenly I only have substrate tabs.


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## majerah1

Nice light. I would like to see a full tank shot after its been on the tank for about four months.


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## Raymond S.

I have been searching for any article/review etc on how well the LED lights work on plants specifically.
Till now I have found none which give any detail. Grateful for the heads up about the algae especially.


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## rtmaston

I have the same led light I bought it back in December and really like it.


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## Avraptorhal

WheeledGoat said:


> Welp, after much deliberation and help from members around here, I pulled the trigger on the Marineland Aquatic Plant LED 24-36" with timer. (I got mine for $211.99 from amazon in March 2013).
> 
> First, the actual unit measures 22 3/4" - but you'd have to allow for 24" of width for the power cord coming out of the side. You can use the wire brackets on either end (that extend to 36" wide) to sit on the side of the tank, or they work just as well as stands to sit on a glass canopy. The wire stands also pull completely out if you like. The width left a few inches on either side on my 30" wide 29gal - but I think the light coverage to the sides of the tank is pretty good.
> 
> 
> 
> The unit does get pretty warm... I can't hold it for too long before I have to sit it down when I'm taking it off my tank for something. The whole unit is built like a heat sink.
> 
> I love, love, love the timer! It comes set from the factory;
> 9am: blue lights
> 10am: all lights (white & RGB)
> 8pm: blue only
> 10pm: all off
> 
> All you have to do is set the time of day. And it's surprisingly simple to change any of the timing settings, even though there's only 2 buttons. If you turn on the blue or white lights and override the timer, you won't effect the timer's cycle - it'll keep on trucking.
> 
> 
> The Red/Green/Blue LEDs (middle row, every other light) have diffuser lenses on them, and that is pretty effective at spreading the light from those LEDs around the tank. The RGB lights make a real difference in bringing out the colors in the fish and plants - things look more interesting! The rest of the regular white LEDs are relatively focused, which gives that awesome shimmer effect that's impossible to capture in a picture.
> 
> I was wondering how the brightness and color was going to compare to what I had. For those with the same question, I put my old light back on the tank and took shots with the same camera settings. It makes the "before" shot too dark for a proper photo, but makes for a good comparison:
> 
> With Ecolux Plant & Aquarium F20T12-PL/AQ-ECO Wide Spectrum 20w fluorescent bulb:
> 
> 
> With Marineland Aquatic Plant LED 24-36":
> 
> 
> And finally the moonlight. I dig it. I'm surprised by reviews that say the moonlight on this fixture is much brighter than the moonlight on even the double-brights. I wouldn't want it any dimmer at all - wouldn't be able to see anything!
> 
> 
> Though since the "blue" light is also on with the white lights (as part of the RGB LEDs) I wonder if they will go first. But it's nice that this light is rated at 50,000 hours (unlike the Marineland single and double-brights that are only 17,000 hours). That's the same rating as Marineland gives their 10,000k Reef-capable lighting, but this one is at the more appropriate 6500k for freshwater.
> 
> I know I sound like a little Marineland fanboy, because that's all I've talked about here... I did consider Finnex for a time but the fewer LEDs on this Marineland (instead of more, smaller LEDs on the Finnex) gives a better shimmer effect, which I like a lot. That + the built-in timer = I'm very happy.


I've been doing the same thing you did, will LED work? So appreciate the thorough report. The LED looks to be so much brighter in the comparison shots. I don't want to get into the CO2 thing so I'll hold off. Thanks again.


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## WheeledGoat

Avraptorhal said:


> I've been doing the same thing you did, will LED work? So appreciate the thorough report. The LED looks to be so much brighter in the comparison shots. I don't want to get into the CO2 thing so I'll hold off. Thanks again.


I just now found people talking about this light over on another forum - looks *awesome*. Aside from the lower PAR levels, I'm supremely jealous... you can adjust the RGB lighting on this every which way, plus is has all kinds of neat presets (thunderstorm/etc...) and a remote! And apparently the price is pretty reasonable too! Might be just the ticket if you're wanting to stay "low-tech".

Here's the other forum's thread if you wanna read about it.


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## WheeledGoat

majerah1 said:


> Nice light. I would like to see a full tank shot after its been on the tank for about four months.


how about after 11 days?? LOL

April 8th


April 19th


And this is after doing a bit of pruning, and moving the moneywort that got crowded out!


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## ajguzik

After 3 months with this light I have now suffered my first ever algae bloom with green water. My schedule was 10 AM blue on, 12 PM all on, white off at 10 PM, and all off at mignight. What did you end up reducing your light scedule to, and how did you solve the green water problem? My water test of ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate was all good.


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## WheeledGoat

I hadn't quite assembled everything I needed to go live with co2 when my algae bloom hit, so I reduced my light to I think 8hrs/day (skewed toward the evening so I could enjoy it when I got home from work).

I was doing some pretty aggressive water changes - 50% twice a week, and triple-dosing Excel after the water changes. I finally slapped on a cheap UV light too, and all that barely kept the problem at bay.

Once I got co2 up and running (not a quick process) I'm happy to report things are great. I get a little algae, but it's quite manageable. And zero green water.

Do you have co2? If not, I'm not sure there's a good solution for you other than very small light cycles. If you haven't started assembling stuff for pressurized co2 yet, maybe check out DIY since you're in a bit of a crisis... you can put together a DIY co2 and have it running tonight after one trip to the grocery store (well, almost - need a diffuser... grocery store and pet store...  )


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## ajguzik

Thanks. I have one of the little yeast generated CO2 setups whichn has no impact on a 65 gallon. I was afraid to significantly reduce the light cycle to protect the plants. Sounds like CO2 is the answer. I have a beverage CO2 setup with a spare regulator and CO2 bottles. Last night I bagged the tank to kill off the algae bloom. Unfortunately I have to travel for work for a few days. I'll have to deal with it when I return. Might order a setup from GLA before I leave today.


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## WheeledGoat

whaddaya mean, "bagged the tank" ? especially since you're out of town for a few days, I think a blackout would be a perfect solution. plants will do just fine for a few days; they have energy stores and reserves - algae does not.. a blackout is a very valid method of fighting algae! 

anybody you can call to just turn off your lights?


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## ajguzik

I cut the seams out of a large black plastic garbage bag and taped it in place around the aquarium after unplugging the lights. Should effectively 'black-out' the aquarium. I contacted GLA in Florida and they were very helpful in suggesting a setup. Should have it early next week when i return. What lighting schedule did youn resume after setting up your CO2? I actually leave tomorrow evening. I think i'll leave as is until Sunday.


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## rtmaston

I have the same marineland led light with timer and l really like mine and you got a good price on it.i paid 20 dollars more and free shipping.you will really like it.


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## WheeledGoat

awesome!! you absolutely did "bag your tank" ! lol

I'm going to admit that I was severely tempted by GLA's regulators, and especially their bubble counters - they look slick as hell. But since I already had a tank and regulator (and only needed a solenoid, needle valve and bubble counter), I emailed about a "custom setup" that would fit my needs. Since they throw that term around the website so liberally ("custom"), I was surprised to get a response that they could not accomodate my request, nor would they sell individual parts. They are only able to sell the configurations shown on the website. That soured me on GLA and I went elsewhere.

/rant

anyhoo - to your question: My light's current settings:
blue: 6:30am
all: 7am
back to blue only: 9pm
all off: 11pm

I have the solenoid on a timer to turn co2 off at 8pm - an hour before white lights go out.

Let us know how the blackout goes!! good luck!


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## ajguzik

I will let you know on monday. Im can't believe you don't have a problem with 14 hrs of daylight. Are you using any fertilizers, orm just the excel?


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## WheeledGoat

I never added it up, I just have it turn on so I see it in the morning and off after I go to bed. It does sound like a lot when you actually figure out the number, tho, eh? 

In any case, it's better than what I've done all these years up 'till now. I've _never_ had the light on a timer - ran those flourescents 24/7 baby! It's only since I got this marineland plant LED w/ the builtin timer than the fish get a night time. I know there's tons of people that swear that it's important for the fish, and I'm not going to try to argue the point because it does make sense, but honestly I see no difference in their behavior. I did it more for the plants!!

I haven't been using Excel at all recently, only Aqueon Plant Food - 10ml on Mon/Wed/Fri in my 29gal.


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## Senayski

Looks damn good!

Quick question. If I plan on getting this light what size do I get. My 50g has two seperate 18 inch hoods fixtures on it. I'm guessing the 24-36 inch?? Thanks


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## Raymond S.

I can't afford this light but because I can't afford to get the injected Co2/w it. So I'll need to stay/w the T5's for my 55 when I get it(could be either a 40L, 45L or the 55).
Really would like the 55 but have this issue/w not being able to reach the back for landscaping/planting etc.
Aqueon has a 40L and it's listed at 16" tall while Glasscages has a 45L listed at 17" tall. Either way they look a bit short. So for months I've flip flopped between them and a 55.
I know the T5's would be a slight overkill on the 40/45 (my favorite LFS uses two T8's on his 55's but his plants could use a bit more) but should be quite adequate
on the 55. Just hope to find a single bulb fixture for the T5 as I can then use two timers. These LED's look great and perhaps one day I can join all of
you in using them on my tank. Besides I'm sure the competition will bring the price down eventually.


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## WheeledGoat

Senayski said:


> Looks damn good!
> 
> Quick question. If I plan on getting this light what size do I get. My 50g has two seperate 18 inch hoods fixtures on it. I'm guessing the 24-36 inch?? Thanks


Thanks!

The fixtures measure just slightly less than the lower measurement (mine, that's labeled as fitting tanks 24-36" in width actually measures 22" & change.) The extra width is made up for with bracket arms that extend out. If your tank is actually 36" wide, you might be kinda disappointed in the side coverage with a single 22" light on there. Lighting on the sides of my 30" wide tank is fine, but borderline. Sounds like your tank is 36" wide - enough to accomodate the next size up for a perfect fit!


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## WheeledGoat

Raymond S. said:


> I can't afford this light but because I can't afford to get the injected Co2/w it.


Did you see post 14 of this thread? There's some lights that look really really cool and won't push you into co2 territory.


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## ajguzik

WheeledGoat said:


> Let us know how the blackout goes!! good luck!


When i got home last evening, I would guess that I had eliminated about 2/3 of the green water. I left the light on for abot 2 hours to feed the fish, then recovered the tank since I am still waiting on the CO2 equipment. I realized i hadn't completely covered the back corner the first time, so I blacked it out also. Must have been just enough light.


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## WheeledGoat

Wow! that's pretty amazing. i bet the few algae that remain are weakened a good bit, too, and in their little algal throws of death... mu-hahahahahah!


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## choutman

I like the lights thank you for sharing and the revue I rely on those


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## MrG

Not sure if a question went unanswered but I think I've skimmed all posts. You asked if the one plant needs more iron, with red on it? I have red plants as well and was told the red plants require more iron..to maintain color I guess.


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## MrG

...oh and your tank is ugly.....*jealous*


How do your fish feel about you rearranging? I hate stressing mine out, but I set it up, look at it all week and start hating it then change it up during WC on Sunday. My water turns all mucky from stirring up the substrate and I dont know if it does my fish any good :-/


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## WheeledGoat

Damn, the crypt is taking off! And I've already split the cabomba furcata too.

4/19


4/25


I've never really noticed my fish getting stressed out from me changing stuff up. 

*#3 The [10] neons always seem to just hang out around the bottom of the tank in the low-flow areas. Sometimes they school, all looking the same way at some imaginary movie screen, other times they slowly wander around solo. 
*#3 The [6] black skirt tetras always alternate between zipping around and messing with each other and then just schooling. 
*#3 The [4] fancy guppies are always in search of the strongest current and play in that. I think the highlight of the guppies' week is my siphon tube during water changes. 

All this behavior is pretty consistent, doesn't really change with relation to rearrangement or water changes or anything.


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## WheeledGoat

MrG said:


> Not sure if a question went unanswered but I think I've skimmed all posts. You asked if the one plant needs more iron, with red on it? I have red plants as well and was told the red plants require more iron..to maintain color I guess.


thanks for noticing! yeah, i had pretty much figured. it's noticeable, too! the new growth/tips of the cabomba furcata are nice and red when i do water column fertz - when i forget, they still grow but are more green.

skyence iz phun!


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## MrG

How often do you fert?

I do mon-tue-fri and sunday after WC. According to the bottle, twice weekly is fine, but you think this should change if I have plenty of plants? I'm just messing with different setups to see what will work best for fine. I'm already suspecting my 2L DIY CO2 isn't enough, bu again, I may just be impatient :-/


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## WheeledGoat

Currenly I put 10ml (Aqueon Plant Food) MWF, with 50% wc on the weekends. This is right on the mark with what the product's label recommends for my volume, but seems minimal for getting the red out of the cabomba - I only start getting nice red out of that plant when I dose a little extra.


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## ajguzik

WheeledGoat said:


> Wow! that's pretty amazing. i bet the few algae that remain are weakened a good bit, too, and in their little algal throws of death... mu-hahahahahah!


Last Thursday I uncovered the tank following the second blackout period. Most algae was gone with the water being slightly cloudy. I installed the CO2 system and set the lights on for 8 hours, CO2 on 2 hrs prior and 1 hr. after lights. Alage has now returned. I am doing 25% water changes every other day. CO2 concentration is good as evidenced by the drop checker. Will algae dissipate with the CO2, or do I need to try something else? Need some help!


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## WheeledGoat

as I understand it, co2 itself does not drive off algae - it's the plants that outcompete the algae for nutrients, and co2 helps the plants thrive.

so I think it's gonna help lots if you have a good amount of plants, and especially ones that draw nutrients from the water column (and not ones with huge root systems). water changes will def. help, and you may want to consider double or even triple-dosing Flourish Excel, just as a band-aid until you find the right balance with co2 and light cycles.


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## ajguzik

Thanks. I'll keep trying. I currently have some Val, a large Anubias (big root structure), and a Wendtii. Will try and find some additions locally. Any suggestions. Ludwiga gets out of control quickly.


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## Raymond S.

I've been watching this for a while and now have one question. Make that two. Are water lettus in that category you spoke of for plants which get nutrients
from the water instead of roots(in the substrate) ? Is API Co2 Booster the same as Excel for this purpose ? I have a 16oz bottle of excel but don't intend
to use it till the API is used up. As I'm using ten gallon tanks for now I don't have a lot of room for plants to begin/w so each tank has two small water lettuses.
They both have other plants but everything is still young and small except maybe for the Rotala (red/narrow leaf which have a slight pink tint to them since
adding Tetra Flora Pride)...previously...Substrate Eco-Complete over API First layer"Pure Laterite" / API Co2 Booster daily/Flourish Comprehensive at each WC. 
The Rotala were just green before I started adding the Tetra Flora Pride each WC. (I have 3Wpg light).


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## WheeledGoat

right or wrong, I usually jump the assumption on water column-vs.-root based on the size of the plant's roots. just makes sense to me, but there's probably some exceptions out there.

I'm not sure about API's co2 booster. A seemingly knowledgable guy at a lfs told me that despite several earnest calls, he couldn't get the manufacturer to give out an ingredient list for Excel, nor would they admit to any algae-fighting intent of the product. He said they would acknowlege 3rd party reports but refuse to advertise it that way. They seemed real tongue-in-cheek about it, for whatever reason. The lfs guy has a theory that formaldehyde was at least one ingredient that helped with the algae-fighting properties. I have no idea where API's co2 booster falls in there.


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## nate2005

wheeled goat, what co2 system do you use?


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## WheeledGoat

Reef Fanatic solenoid (aquacave.com)
Ideal needle valve (mcmaster-carr)
JBJ bubble counter (aquacave.com)
additional check valve from Fabco under bubble counter
10# co2 tank & regulator from my brewing supplies (as evidenced by the supercool sticker!)
random elbows, reducers and connection pieces from ACE hardware



It was an adventure putting it all together, lots of homework and headaches; but I wouldn't do it any other way. Now I know my system if something goes wrong. If I didn't already have the single-stage regulator onhand, I would have opted for a dual-stage. Also, you'll find some that think the Ideal needle valve's precision is overkill for our application. I disagree and think it's great!


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## GreenyFunkyMonkey

I have looked into LED lights for my aquarium... I really like the moonlight features. Though I have not found any LED lights that put out the amount of light I need for my 50 gallon planted aquarium. When it comes to plants that need high amounts of light, so far I have not been able to find a LED system that delivers. With plants that require low light, LED systems do just fine it seems. I have a 1 gallon tank with an LED light for my betta fish, and my java fern in it does just fine and would say even thrives. I looked into the Marineland lights, and none of them offer replaceable bulbs... so when one or several burn out, you got to buy a whole new unit instead of just one bulb. For now I am stuck with old fashioned lights for my 50 gallon tank.

I really love the CO2 set up.


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## Raymond S.

I can now say that I have tried an LED and can speak on personal experience instead of guess work. Petsmountain had a sale and the Marineland Double Bright's
were on sale so I thought I'd try one for my ten gallon in order to be able to know if I thought I'd like it for the 55 when it becomes real for me.
Actually it didn't fully inform me of every fact as that tank is low compared to a 55 and here's why I mentioned that. As it worked out the beams of light
from the Double Bright are very narrow and of course straight down. In a taller tank the beams may have had time to widen out before they hit the bottom.
But in the ten gallon the beams were so narrow along/w the straight down part that there were many more shadows than there had been/w 2 T8 bulbs.
I did say T8's and not T5's. It seems as though if there was only one T8(or T5) bulb on your tank before you did the LED you would gain, but 2 T8's give
more light and at better angles to fill the tank/w light than the LED does. It might be fair to suggest that as normal daylight typically shines down from
above, that the LED may be more of a natural look(the shadows might be what is more normal than not). But I actually had plants starting to wither which
were not directly under one of the bulbs.
Some of you may not think that 8 days is a fair amount of time to try it before coming to a decision but the LED is now back in the box and the T8's are
back on the tank. Oh did I forget to mention...I left one of the T8's on top of the tank during the trial time period...it was an LED plus one T8 and still
I had plants withering.
For those who would like something to undermine these observations in order for them to go ahead and get their LED lights I even give you that.
I sometimes watch B&W movies(from Netflix) on my computer monitor(1080HD) and they are always clear and sharp. Much more so than modern digitally 
made movies are.
My pet theory: The first one they make works perfect...then they improve it till it's useless. LOL ...


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## WheeledGoat

> My pet theory: The first one they make works perfect...then they improve it till it's useless. LOL ...


LOL!!

Yeah, I had read that there's quite a difference between the "double brights" and my "aquatic plant" light. Not only is the PAR much lower, but it lacks the diffuser lenses. That's a really good point about the focused LED lights not having the space to spread out in a 10gal. I like your B&W comparison! goes for photos too I think.

I like how you're thinking ahead, Greeny! replaceable LED bulbs. I have to admit I didn't consider that - I just trusted the 50,000 hour rating of the unit. You made me go look at mine and while I stopped short of actually popping it out, I'm guessing that each bulb _is_ actually removable (for the fearless DIYer, anyway).

I'm not sure what the length of your 50gal is, but this Marineland aquatic plant lights do come in various lengths.... but I don't mean to beat the marineland drum too loud. All I can say is I've had fantastic success with mine in my 29gal (which is pretty deep!). It's not just sustained, but supported strong growth, in every single plant I've put in my tank, high-light plants included. So much so that I'm going to try the expensive and elusive Madagascar Lace next! But there are certainly other fixtures. The Finnex Fugeray is really neat because not only is it a bit less expensive, but it's incredibly thin (like 1" wide!), which not only opens you up for flexible positioning, but allows you to add almost as many as you'd like side by side above your tank.


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## nate2005

How much would you guess the co2 system parts cost? Where do you buy the big things of co2?


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## WheeledGoat

Allow yourself $200 if you're going co2. If you shop around, you should be able to get a tank and regulator/solenoid/metering valve for $150. But going co2 also means you'll probably want a drop-checker to monitor it, and you'll want to put the solenoid on an automatic timer, and you'll need a reactor (or diffuser)... so there's some sundries to be had before it's all done.

But don't be deterred! It's a solid move, and these systems retain their value. Not hard at all to resell to fellow hobbyists. Just beware of trying to save $$ and buying used co2 tanks - they are marked with an expiration, and once past they must be recertified. If you're getting a killer deal, make sure it's not an expired tank.

edit: oh yeah, and I bought my co2 tanks at a Fire Extinguisher Supply place... same place I get 'em refilled (I originally bought mine for my brewing endeavors, and now use my "back up" tank on my aquarium). I've seen others recommend welding shops as purchase/refill places. There are a very few homebrew shops that do as well, but I only know that from others' reports. None of the homebrew shops I frequent here in Chicagoland do co2 - they just refer to the Fire Extinguisher place.


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## nate2005

Tank you. Considering it but not going to jump in just yet.


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