I have been looking for an affordable way to grow plants in my tank with out using florescent or dealing with big al's. I Used 100 watt comparable energy efficient light that twists I forget the name so please excuse me. lol
I have been using them for about 2 years and get the same growth as the regular hood lights. Now the light that I just bought because I have a store credit at a local lighting shop is an northern star LED lamp PAR38 model 80462 12W 120V FL/NFL. Now there not yellow there a cool white and the guy at the store said there about 5000+ kelvin and 900 lumen, not 100% sure which one. My question is, will these lights work? Or did i just waste 80$? LOL
Last edited by architect1; 12-22-2011 at 10:06 PM.
Oh ok thats not so scary yeah I bought 1 to see before I bought the other 2 Its for a 100g tall and I have it a 1 foot or a foot and a half off the top of the glass.
Now what kind of growth would i see? is it a good light? Have you used them?
Some experts have said that LED is good for plants others have said it is not. I think the jury is still out on long term use of LED with plants since it is relatively new to the market.
Let us know how it goes if you buy it.
If corals are animals and plants are well, plants; I wonder how what is good for one is good enough for the other in terms of wavelength? I heard actinic is not good for plant photosynthesis.
Well I bought the light and its for fresh water, and the quality is amazing, but I have only had it on for 4 hours. I have been looking on reef tank forums and planted tank forums and people have been saying good things about them, but most of the lighting there using is diy systems. Mines an actual bulb. I'm just trying to see or find out how good the bulb I have. There are also floresnt lights t5 t8 and t12 that are led, and there like 40$ on sale. Which in my books is way better then a fish store lighting system.
I have to ask? I have read about the kelvin spectrum, and notice between 5000 and 10000 are good. Which I new for some time, but I'm starting to think you need 2 to 3 spectrum of light for growth and human eye? is that true? or can you grown plants under one spectrum?
architect1, I'm a "reefer" and have been studying LEDs for the past 2 years, and run an AI Sol over my 40 gallon breeder mixed reef. Over a refugium in a reef sump, the color spectrum one looks for is between 5,000K and 7,000K. Most "daylight" style bulbs run at 6,500K.
PAR38 is the form factor of the bulb. The form factor itself is completely application agnostic. You typically see these bulbs used in can lights (recessed ceiling lights) or some outdoor spotlight fixtures.
I have read that freshwater plants have basically the same light spectrum requirements. I have a planted 20 gallon high that I just purchased as a whole package a couple weeks ago. I haven't changed the lighting over yet, but I will be looking into LEDs falling into the above listed spectrum.
I'm willing to bet that the beam off your PAR38 is fairly focused, which will give you a cool shimmer effect, but could be a little harsh for your plants. That's probably your biggest concern.
The plants will grow just fine under anything in the Kelvin range you already found. Beyond that, you are looking for color temps that will make the colors of your fish "pop", and in your application they are more aesthetic than anything else.
I hope this helps. As a hardcore "reefer", one has to learn quite a bit about lighting to get the desired results.
Yeah what you said all makes sense and thank you for the post it actually answered a lot of the doubt/ concerns I had about the light.
So basically any light will work as long as its in the 5000-7000k kelvin spectrum. The rest is for visual effect to the human eye? is this all correct?
Also when you said the part about my light an it being harsh, do you mean due to it being focused I'm going to have to have it a little higher then say other types of light? If so i have it at about 14" above the top of the glass. I just don't want to have a 80$ bulb that isnt going to grow the plants lol. I also seen some information on the LED bulb lights that go up to 20,000k for the salt water plants. something you might already know or be interested in http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...ic=269622&st=0 Hope this might help you.
when I originally started this post and pasted this same post on reef forum and planted tank forum, i started digging and once i started to read more I was very worried that the light I had wasn't going to do it. Have any other suggestions or comments please tell me more. I do like to learn.
Strictly speaking, if the spectrum is above 5,000K, and below 7,000K, it will grow most plants really well. Anything above or below those ranges, will be less effective, depending on how far out of that range it is. For instance, on my refugium, I used to have a 6,500K CFL spotlight. It did its job really well. I replaced it with a PAR30 LED (similar form factor to the PAR38, just a little smaller). The LED light has a spectrum of 2,700K, if I remember correctly. Although not ideal, the chaetomorpha (a macro algae) I have in there hasn't seemed to mind a bit.
Other considerations are the lumens, which you said are around 900, and the focus of the beam. It sounds like you have the bulb up high enough to give the tank good coverage. Keep in mind that low-tech freshwater setups (no CO2 or massive amounts of fertilizers) will not need anywhere near the light intensity that corals from closer to the equator require.
Now, here's the fun part. The right lighting depends on the depth of your tank, the type of plants you keep, the clarity of the water, the length of the photo period (how long you keep the lights on), and an untold number of "magical" factors that we humans still don't quite get. Whether CFLs, T5s, MHs, or LEDs, you, as the aquarist, have to find out what works best with your tank and your "style". LEDs are still fairly new to the market, but I have heard a lot more good than bad, especially on the reef side of things. Only time will tell if all the claims of lower energy consumption coupled with longevity of life translate into a long-term success.
Basically, with the purchase of the LED bulb, you have just agreed to be an experiment. The best you can do is observe the changes in the tank, and only slowly tweak things, unless there is an obvious system-wide reaction that jeopardizes the whole tank. I think you'll find the LED to be just another light source (albeit a good one in my opinion). It's not voodoo. Keep us posted!
Impressive, did you see the led link i attached go there theres tons more lighting types there for coral's also I found out just recent there t5 and t2 and even t8 led light tubs, shocked but amazing at 50000 hours of lighting.
My tank is 100g tall. so its 60"x18"x30" it has large vals and broad leaf sword, which im trying to stop the leafs from turning yellow and look like skeleton which i hear is lack of nutrients, but soil is potting soil with a 1" layer of crush course granite. I do have 2 fert tabs 2" away from the roots. Now i do want another step type plant and maybe anubila or Anubis what ever its called ill have to look. But nothing to crazy.
I forgot i have the light on for about 7 hours. so should i just observe the one led because i never got the other 2 due to not having money. and the one led is on the sword.
Last edited by architect1; 12-24-2011 at 03:28 PM.
Good luck with it. I'm sold on using 70 watt, 6500K double ended MHs for 30" deep tanks. Something you might consider if it doesn't work out as you would like. The fixtures with ballast online are $100 each, and the bulbs are $20.
so is that watt per gallon rule even true or applicable? it always came down to never having the money for lights. and if i totaled the amount of money spent i could of had real good lighting from like coral life and what not.
If i knew now what i know about tanks id rather a wider tank then deeper.
Watts per gallon is drastically different for LEDs. It comes down to knowing the lumens more than the wattage. Unfortunately, I'm not immediately familiar with the lumens you would need. If I don't reply with more information by the end of the weekend, ping me again, and I'll see what I come up with. I'll be leaving the house soon and strarting the holiday festivities
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