Lighting for "Planted" Discus Tank?

[NC122606]

Hello,

I was just wondering if anyone knows of light that could provide plants good lighting and makes my discus color's pop? I was thinking on either the Aquasky 2.0 or the Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus, but I do not know which one to choose. Or is there a better one I should be looking at? I am trying to stay in a budget of $100.

*This is not going to be co2 or anything special just a good light.*

[Johnny95132]

Hi, I personally recommend the Beamswork DA 6500K for planted tanks. I've used it on three of my tanks and found that it easily grows most types of plants. It also shows the discus' colors really well. And fits within your price range at 69.99. Take my word with a grain of salt though as I've yet to try any other led brands out there. From what I've heard the Current's are very powerful lights.

[Shan_Evolved]

I've done both LED and T5 bulbs and T5 bulbs destroy LED growth by landslide.

I've built a 24" T5 fixture with 2 giesman aquaflora bulbs for around $40. My red plants turned national geographic on 4k qled TV red.

[Willie]

Tell us about the build, Shan.

[Shan_Evolved]

Ill upload a picture of my old tank on this thread when I get home but if you're talking about a build for the lighting it was almost 2 years ago but -

24" Odyssea Fixture that I got from amazon on sale at the time (https://www.amazon.com/Marine-Aquarium-Light-Cichlid-Odyssea/dp/B01L2JK58Y/ref=pd_sbs_199_t_0/136-9940289-3800348?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01L2JK58Y&pd_rd_r=c3989156-9dea-4a31-a8f0-471165b38551&pd_rd_w=Jyc8q&pd_rd_wg=1j9jp&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=Z8AKQHTGQD4R8KHYBCCW&psc=1&refRID=Z8AKQHTGQD4R8KHYBCCW)

2x Giesemann Superflora (https://www.bigalspets.com/fish/lighting/replacement-lamps-bulbs/giesemann-aquaristic-super-flora-t5-lamps.html) bulbs that I also got during a sale. I think it was 10 dollars at the time

Edit: Here is a quick pic of the tank. It was my first serious attempt at this hobby

127125

[Johnny95132]

Those reds are really eye-catching. Didn't know about T5's being such a improvement over the LED's though. I thought it was the other way around, with LED's being better for plant growth since they came out more recently. But I still believe the more powerful LED's are pretty good lights for growing plants. I mean the more expensive ones like the Currents OP listed, not the flimsy LED strips you get on top of an aquarium from Petsmart.
Since I'm a believer in the Wattage per gallon rule, I think the LED's still are a good bet. Most LED's are around the 50-100W range, around 1 WPG, which is sufficient enough to grow plants. But for a more in-depth comparison of lights, you would have to measure the light output of each fixture using a PAR meter. And I believe those have been made tested and made available by planted enthusiasts.

Most light fixtures on the market are adequate to grow a wide variety of plants. The real difference maker though is CO2. When you have high light levels but insufficient CO2, the extra light will only fuel excess algae growth. So if your looking into growing a lush aquascape, definitely consider a CO2 unit. And don't forget adding fertilizers via root tabs or liquid ferts.

[NC122606]

Thanks, everyone! Has anyone used the Vivagrow 24/7 before? I am looking to provide plants with some good lighting and make the discus's colors pop. Nothing special like co2 yet unless I change my mind in a few years to change my substrate to dirt.
Mostly blue discus though.

[farebox]

I've used the BeamsWork DA FSPEC LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater, 72"L, and $129.95 @ Amazon.com, on my 125G Discus tank until I went crazy and got my dream lights for my 71st birthday gift, 3-Kessils 160 Tuna Suns.

[Willie]

i got a Finnex from Chicago Discus which was demonstrated at the Chicago NADA meeting. The colors on the discus really popped.

It's a bare bottom tank so I can't speak for the plants.

Willie

[planter]

t5's will give you better colour rendition but you need to buy good bulbs which can get expensive. I've switched over to LED and although I don't get the same color I like the the units I have which allow me to dim them to my needs. They also need new bulbs after a year or so.

what length are you looking for? I'm using the fluval 3.0. It's more than $100 but it's a well built unit and very versatile.

[Chicago Discus]

Finnex Vivid+ lighting was designed specifically for your purpose. The fixture has two independently controlled LED strips. One strip is the Monster Ray LED, which brings out the colors of discus better than any other lighting that I have seen. The other strip is the Stingray LED which was designed for planted tanks. We use them on all our tanks.