LED Lighting

[DiscusFishcus]

Hey everyone, thanks for accepting my request onto this forum. I love Discus and I never would have imagined that there would be somewhere this dedicated to them.

I have been wanting to brighten up my tank for a while and I always circle back to the idea of LED strips or tube lighting. Every time I think of it however I always manage to convince myself that they would be really bad for this fish, even thought there are tons of reputable companies selling them. I am assuming that there is a difference in the light put out by the strips for aquariums compared to the every day use LED strips but I really don't know for certain and the 16 year old in the pet shop by me was no help.

What are some good LED lighting solutions that I can look at that would not be harmful to the fish in any way? Is there some aquarium LED lighting that is not going to harm the fish but still let you see everything inside the tank? To clarify, right now the tank is not filthy or dark but I think it could look brighter, I have seen some picture of some really well lit up tanks and I want to do that with mine. Thanks for all the advice/tips!

[jim LI]

I use this light on my 3 tanks.

https://www.aquaticlife.com/light-fixtures-accessories/edge-led-light-fixtures/aquatic-life-edge-led-light-fixture.html

[fishbubbles]

This is what I use, having the remote is a nice feature.

https://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00C7OTF9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505659071&sr=8-1&keywords=led+satellite+fresh

[DiscusFishcus]

Thanks guys, I will be sure to check those both out. I really like the remote, it would save on me getting my hands wet so often!

[jmf3460]

+1 for the aquatic life edge, I've got two now.

[Kyla]

I also love the Aquatic Life Edge, I have the 36" lighting system and really like both the colour difference and the fade feature so that the lights turn on/off gradually, instead of super bright light blasting on all at once which would often startle my discus. Here's a before/after pic of the tank - the right side is the Aquatic Life Edge.

112527

[Phillydubs]

This is what I use, having the remote is a nice feature.

https://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00C7OTF9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505659071&sr=8-1&keywords=led+satellite+fresh

+1 here... I have this guy and love it. I got it on kens fish though at a much better price I believe, may want to check there/

[gators111]

While the above are certainly good options. I've been using my Beamworks led strips for a couple of years now. I got the optional timer for them. They don't have all the fancy programs and such, but they are half the cost.

[above design]

Does anyone know the major differences between the current satellite and the current satellite plus pro? Just wondering because it's a big price difference. Is it worth it?

Thanks,

Mark

[Ryan925]

Does anyone know the major differences between the current satellite and the current satellite plus pro? Just wondering because it's a big price difference. Is it worth it?

Thanks,

Mark

I have the satellite plus pro on my planted tank and love it wish I had it on my discus tank. I believe it has more option for customization but not sure the specifics. I like the fact you can set the daylight spectrum and moonlight spectrum separately and the 15 min fade in and out for sunrise/sunset

I have two finnex fixtures on my discus tank and really like them. I would definitely recommend the satellite pro plus though.

[above design]

I have the satellite plus pro on my planted tank and love it wish I had it on my discus tank. I believe it has more option for customization but not sure the specifics. I like the fact you can set the daylight spectrum and moonlight spectrum separately and the 15 min fade in and out for sunrise/sunset

I have two finnex fixtures on my discus tank and really like them. I would definitely recommend the satellite pro plus though.

Thanks Ryan! I took your word for it and ordered the satellite plus pro. Got a good deal..... 25% off at Drs l. Foster & smith ��

[Ryan925]

Thanks Ryan! I took your word for it and ordered the satellite plus pro. Got a good deal..... 25% off at Drs l. Foster & smith ��

Nice. I got mine on Amazon. I love it on my planted. Wish I had gone that route with my discus tank

[DiscusFishcus]

Hey everyone, thanks for accepting my request onto this forum. I love Discus and I never would have imagined that there would be somewhere this dedicated to them.

I have been wanting to brighten up my tank for a while and I always circle back to the idea of LED strips or tube lighting. Every time I think of it however I always manage to convince myself that they would be really bad for this fish, even thought there are tons of reputable companies selling them. I am assuming that there is a difference in the light put out by the strips for aquariums compared to the every day use LED strips but I really don't know for certain and the 16 year old in the pet shop by me was no help.

What are some good LED lighting solutions that I can look at that would not be harmful to the fish in any way? Is there some aquarium LED lighting (https://www.for-sale.ie/aquarium-led-lighting) that is not going to harm the fish but still let you see everything inside the tank? To clarify, right now the tank is not filthy or dark but I think it could look brighter, I have seen some picture of some really well lit up tanks and I want to do that with mine. Thanks for all the advice/tips!

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions guys! I ended up ordering a couple different light systems to try out, most places had pretty good return policies so if I don't like them then I just send it back :)

[pitdogg2]

This is what I use, having the remote is a nice feature.

https://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00C7OTF9E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505659071&sr=8-1&keywords=led+satellite+fresh

I used those as well for 2yrs. Amazon price is the standard price. If you look at several of the online places it goes on sale for as low as 70$. I bought both mine at drsfostersmith.com at that price. 100% love them.

[pamdb33]

Nice. I got mine on Amazon. I love it on my planted. Wish I had gone that route with my discus tank

What kind of plants are you keeping? I have a few plants in my discus tank, (various swords and a bit of rotalla), and I would love to switch over to LED, just wasn't sure if it would be enough light.

[pitdogg2]

What kind of plants are you keeping? I have a few plants in my discus tank, (various swords and a bit of rotalla), and I would love to switch over to LED, just wasn't sure if it would be enough light.

Tuff call tbh. I kept swords, anubias and they both did well. I was using 2 4' fluorescent Sylvania sky 8k 2200 lumans each tube. When i switched the the current fixture they grew better but the tank didn't look as well lit. Difference was the kelvin rating between the two 8k vs high 65-68k. They grow plants short answer.

[pamdb33]

Tuff call tbh. I kept swords, anubias and they both did well. I was using 2 4' fluorescent Sylvania sky 8k 2200 lumans each tube. When i switched the the current fixture they grew better but the tank didn't look as well lit. Difference was the kelvin rating between the two 8k vs high 65-68k. They grow plants short answer.

Good to know. I've been playing around with idea of upgrading my lights, and these look like a great option. I'm using 2 T5HO lights now. My plants do ok but I find the swords and the few anubias I do have aren't looking as good as they could be.

[pitdogg2]

Do you use any Excel or ferts?

[pamdb33]

Yes I use Excel and Flourish Advance.

[pitdogg2]

Yes I use Excel and Flourish Advance.

They should grow like weeds

[Ryan925]

Yes I use Excel and Flourish Advance.

Flourish alone really isn't enough. My plants really took off when I started using the full line of seachem ferts and their dosing schedule. That got expensive quick and was a pita for dosing. I now use the pps pro and love it. So simple and so expensive.

With anubias and swords you shouldn't need much ferts. Remember swords are root feeders and would benefit from tabs

[pamdb33]

I do use tabs occasionally... especially if I'm moving swords around.