# Beginner in planted aquariums: Lighting



## Phantheman (Mar 4, 2012)

Hello everybody, hope you're having a great summer.

I have just set up a 20 gallon long tank (30x12x12) not too long ago, which I hopefully plan on using as a planted tank. I've already added substrate (eco-complete), rocks, filtration, etc., but I have yet to purchase any lighting as I realize how complicated lighting is for planted aquariums. 

I am not exactly sure what kind of lighting (T5, T8, T12, etc.), or how many watts I should get (I've done research, but there seems to be a wide range of opinions so I'm indecisive and unclear).

Could someone explain or suggest to me what kind of lighting (type and power) I should go for, and where I can find it? (I've read that lighting in most LFS are not enough for planted tanks). 

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

what kind of plants are you planning to have? what is your budget?


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

You have to ask yourself, what you want to do? Just a plain Jane Planted tank or a tank that can grow just about any plants now and in the future.

Here is a very very old video of one of my tanks that I consider plain Jane, it's actually the same tank as the one in my sig when I first started in the planted tank hobby.






If your planning on doing something like the above, then get some T5 Normal Outputs and your good to go.

This is my most HighTech tank






If you want to do something like that above, I would go with T5 High Output. a 30" fixture might be a little harder to find. I honestly would do 4 bulbs and hang it a little higher but you can probably do it with 2 bulbs and set it right on top of your tank but then you have to start thinking about presurrized co2, then daily fertz etc..etc.. so more work more money, I just want you to understand that.

Here is a pic of my 20g long or what it used to look like years ago, the fixture is homemade 3x26w cfl bulbs. I don't remember if the co2 in there is yeast + sugar or pressurized.

http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17418


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## Phantheman (Mar 4, 2012)

My plan is to start small on plants until I get more familiar in the hobby. I don't know what plants I want exactly but I was hoping I would figure it out as I go, which is why I would like to get lighting that is somewhat suitable for most plants. As for budget, I'm willing to spend whatever for the initial setup of the lighting.

Btw coldmantis, your second tank is gorgeous. That's kind of something I want to go for in the near future.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

There are a lot of options depending on what you want, and what you're willing to spend. What I found (the hard way), is that if you're planning on eventually going for a high tech tank like the second link, then you're better off investing in a quality multi tube fixture right at the onset, else it ends up costing way more in the long run. Right now, I'm stuck, as, I can't justify the cost of changing lights, but at the same time, covet a high tech tank...so if u know which direction you wanna head in, better to invest from the onset.

As coldmantis said, research the other demands of a high tech tank (CO2, Supplements), as those come into major play if you want to avoid becoming an 'algae farmer'. Basically, you need to have your lights, CO2, and supplementation in harmony, and that takes some degree of effort and a li'l bit (to a lot) more money relative to a low tech or fish only tank (there are lots of options there as well, but all will generally exceed the efforts and budget of a low tech). 

Al.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

thanks for your kind words, when you get comfortable with planted tanks hit me up, I might have a presurrized co2 setup for you to use.


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## Mlevi (Jan 28, 2012)

coldmantis said:


> thanks for your kind words, when you get comfortable with planted tanks hit me up, I might have a presurrized co2 setup for you to use.


I fully plan to! 
I got you on my radar...lol

Al.


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## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I found a very useful chart of lighting. One big thing many of us have done is over light a tank, which just promotes algae. This chart will hopefully help you understand how much lighting you need.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105774

Also, be careful getting into planted tanks. I was just a guy with a 10 gallon tank, until I planted it. Now I am a man observed, and am about to go from a 10 and 35 to a 10, 65, and 75, and yet, I feel it is not enough. Maybe I could squeeze a 55 in the other room?

Be sure to keep a close eye on the freshwater plants section in the marketplace. I got some crazy good package deals here, and have had so many plants I couldn't keep them all!


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Might be best going with a t5ho double bulb system, high light but not super high, can basically do almost any plant you want. 30 inch is hard to find but there are lots of 24 inch that have arms to be able to fit on a 30 inch, using one like that myself, one benefit of being slightly shorter than the tank is there isn't light right next to the side glass to cause extra algae on the sides of the tank


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

If you are going to stay with that tank then i would look into finnex ray II led light. They are considered high light at 12 inch mark but if you decide to upgrade then you need to think about better lighting. I must warn you though, that 20 gallon will be too small in few months because i have 29 gallon and I regret not getting anything bigger.

You can have nice looking tank with low light set up too but you just need to find the right plants.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

pyrrolin said:


> Might be best going with a t5ho double bulb system, high light but not super high, can basically do almost any plant you want. 30 inch is hard to find but there are lots of 24 inch that have arms to be able to fit on a 30 inch, using one like that myself, one benefit of being slightly shorter than the tank is there isn't light right next to the side glass to cause extra algae on the sides of the tank


I tried a 24" t5HO 2 bulb on my 20g long, I don't feel like the lights spreads properly to all the corners (also looked weird), it would be a better idea to get a 24" T5Ho 4 bulb and hang it like 10 inches above the top so that the light will spread evenly everywhere.

Currently my 20g long is just for Painted Fire Red Shrimp breeding and also a place where I dump my excess plants in. It's on the bottom of a 2 teir 36"x13" metal stand. I have a fixture mounted on the underside of the top teir, for the longest time it was 36" 4x21w T5NO but one fixture shorted out so it has 1xT5HO 39w and 2xT5NO 21w lighting the tank now. It's hung at least 12"-15" above the top of the 20g long. Nothing is done plant wise except liquid co2, macro+micro once a week. No algae what so ever.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

GAT said:


> If you are going to stay with that tank then i would look into finnex ray II led light. They are considered high light at 12 inch mark but if you decide to upgrade then you need to think about better lighting. I must warn you though, that 20 gallon will be too small in few months because i have 29 gallon and I regret not getting anything bigger.
> 
> You can have nice looking tank with low light set up too but you just need to find the right plants.


I always say "NO" to LED and planted tanks, why? well leds dim over time some faster then others, when the lights go out you have to replace the whole fixture(expensive). With regular lighting you only replace the bulb(cheap depending on brand of bulb).


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

One thing to consider when you're deciding on lighting is the cost to run it, hence the interest in LEDs, which are the cheapest by far to run. But unless you're willing to spend on the very highest end LED fixtures, which are pretty new still, they don't have the greatest track record for plants, as others have said. You can get quite good results with flourescent tube fixtures and while they are not the latest tech, they are tried and true and reliable, and relatively inexpensive to run. Lighting technology tends to lag behind for aquariums.. about ten years or so behind other lighting applications. Which is why LED light for planted tanks is still in its infancy and very costly, unless you are the type to make it yourself, which does save cash, though you may still have problems with LEDS and getting the growth results you want.

Once you decide on lighting, then you will have a much better idea what plants you can grow. Unless you have reasonably high light output and C02 supplementation, think green, for the most part. Red plants are among the more demanding, for the most part.
But whatever you grow, you're going to have to feed them properly. Feeding is so important for healthy plants and it can help tremendously with algae issues too.

Algae troubles are often the result of a lack in one or more of the essential nutrients, and fish alone are not able to provide everything that's needed for lush, healthy plants. Though it does depend on the plants you choose, as some have much higher needs for certain elements, such as iron, than others do. But they all need N, P, K and if you have few fish or only shrimp, they probably won't produce enough waste to provide all that's required for good growth in a thickly planted tank.

I recently ran across a fantastic online book that explains the various dosing schemes and theories very, very well. The very modest price of $4.95 virtually all goes to support varying sectors of the planted tank and fish keeping hobby, not to profit the author. Totally worth the money, totally worth the time to read it. It will save you many headaches as you delve further into this very addictive hobby of ours.

If you'd like to get the book [ downloadable PDF ] PM your email and I'll email you the link to it.


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## Phantheman (Mar 4, 2012)

Wow thanks for all the help guys. Really appreciate it. I came across an ad on Kijiji on a light used for both saltwater and freshwater tanks and would appreciate if you could look it over for me:

http://www.aquaticlife.com/products/277#1

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-pets-acc...le-Aquarium-Light-Fixtures-W0QQAdIdZ496501800

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-...Tank-Light-fixture-30-2x24-W0QQAdIdZ501144087


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## Phantheman (Mar 4, 2012)

In terms of the Kelvin range, which is an appropriate range for planted tanks? I hear 5000-10000K is good but then some sources say 18000K is fine as well.

Any ideas?


Edit: not sure if K stands for Kelvin! Lol


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Don't complicate yourself too much on the lighting situation 
Keep in mind forums and planted sites are a great place to acquire info and facts, but the best way to learn is still through experience! Personally when I first started in plants, reading some forums and sites were intimidating, as it seemed as there is a rule for everything - but there really isn't, you just got to find a balance for yourself as every situation is different.

Personally if you decide to start "small" on planted tanks, you will most likely not enjoy it and do poorly due to algae out completing your plants. Since you have a great local forum like this one, acquiring plants is extremely cheap and easy, so I would recommend you do the research and stuff your tank with as many easy plants as you can at the start and that will help you keep algae in line.

For the fixture, LEDs are great, but personally they aren't ready yet.. Give them a few more years when they tweak everything out and find ways to make them better and cheaper for the planted use! So if you aren't willing to dish out a fortune on a nice fixture, I would recommend avoiding LEDs for now.

Fluorescents are still your best bet, t8 and t12s are extinct and prehistoric nowadays, go grab yourself a t5ho fixture. T5ho are my favorite as they are dependable and the fixture usually last forever with regular cleaning.
However with t5hos they will give you a lot of light if you plan on starting "smaller" without co2 and regular ferts, so if you get a dual fixture, just use one bulb and you're good to go/or you can just raise the fixture.

For the colour spectrum, I always prefer the lower spectrums. I run a rosette/pink bulb and 6000k on almost all my fixtures. And they can grow any plant.


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## default (May 28, 2011)

Phantheman said:


> Wow thanks for all the help guys. Really appreciate it. I came across an ad on Kijiji on a light used for both saltwater and freshwater tanks and would appreciate if you could look it over for me:
> 
> http://www.aquaticlife.com/products/277#1
> 
> ...


Those fixtures are expensively priced. The new aquaticlife is somewhat a decent deal as it is new, but you only save a few bucks from retail pricing.
And bear in mind the nova extreme runs 24" bulbs so you might still get dark corners.
I am taking down a plant tank which has new equipment, I will pm you.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

Phantheman said:


> Wow thanks for all the help guys. Really appreciate it. I came across an ad on Kijiji on a light used for both saltwater and freshwater tanks and would appreciate if you could look it over for me:
> 
> http://www.aquaticlife.com/products/277#1
> 
> ...


Why don't you get the same lights I use, I have 3 from them

36" quad
36" quad with timer(new versions)
24" double

http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-2x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52121p.htm

http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-4x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52303p.htm

The one below is nice, only 1 power plug and timer to control all of them, however because of the way it's made it's a bitch to move when you have to do water changes/trimming/maintenance... It's big so it gets in the way, So you have to take it off flip your glass top if your using one then put it back.
http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-4x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Digi-Timer-Fixture-p/52323.htm

Now if your jaws drop from the shipping price and possible duties. put it this way. It will still be cheaper then buying something equivalent here in CANADA!. I just bought the 36" quad led with timers in april I had it shipped to the U.S. and I picked it up while on my vacation there(Free Shipping  ) and of course since I was there for more then 48 hours no duties. Remember the you get what you pay for applies here, the build quality is ok, I have some beefs with it. The stock bulbs are not that powerful, for the price you pay it's best bang for your buck IMO.

This is the 36" quad no led, this tank was the first video and also the same tank as my sig. I considered this tank my "low light, grows too damn fast" tank 

__
https://flic.kr/p/f4b42Z


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## Phantheman (Mar 4, 2012)

coldmantis said:


> Why don't you get the same lights I use, I have 3 from them
> 
> 36" quad
> 36" quad with timer(new versions)
> ...


Thanks coldmantis! Sucks how they don't have 30" fixtures. Do you think a 24" could do?


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

quad one might since it's wide and has more spread. If you decide on 24" quad you might have to get the older version without legs since those can extend to 30". The newer ones with legs you will have to hang because if you just put it on top of your glass top it will look weird and out of place maybe.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

To answer your earlier question, when speaking of lighting, K does stand for Kelvin, but refers to the 'colour temperature' of the light. There is also a Kelvin temperature scale that is for atmospheric temperature measurements, which goes down to the value known as 'absolute zero'.

Colour temperatures that are over 6700 K, such as 10,000K and others, are intended for marine aquariums, to grow corals, which have very specific lighting needs different from green plants. Some people use some of these high K bulbs for plants, and some have good results, but the 6500/6700 K bulbs, which are often called "Daylight", are the best for plants in most situations. The manufacturers try, and succeed reasonably well, to replicate the colour temperature, or spectrum, of sunlight during the brightest part of the day. Plants respond very well to this range, which makes sense, it's what they evolved to use.

Bear in mind that water diffuses and diffracts light. The greater the depth of water the light must pass through to reach the plant, the less usable light there will be for the plant. You may see the term PAR.. it means photosynthetically active radiation. That's what plants are actively able to utilize to turn into energy, or food, for themselves. The green pigment in plants, Chlorophyll, absorbs certain colours of light. It converts the light energy to food energy. Once they have enough for their needs, anything extra is not used and is pretty much wasted.

This is one reason why there is no benefit to leaving lights on too long, or all the time. The plants use only what they need, not more. Many plants need a period of darkness, either to grow properly and remain healthy, or to reproduce, that is, to flower and set seed.

PAR meters are quite costly, so not many of us have one, but if you did have one, it would show you the usable light available at any given location in your aquarium. There are many articles online about this topic, some of them quite technical. You can read these if you want to understand the topic in greater depth.

But the main thing for a planted tank is having light with useful K values with enough intensity to grow what you want to grow. If you want to grow dense carpeting plants, you need either higher intensity lighting than is needed for most other plants, or else a much shallower tank.

I had a single 11 W spiral Daylight bulb, 6500 K, over a two gallon tank [round aluminum reflector over the bulb] and because that tank was so shallow, the result was extremely high light for that tank, even though the source wouldn't normally be considered 'high light'.

If you want your tank setup to look sleek and attractive, the fixtures like those you linked to are the way to go if they are within your budget. If you don't mind a bit more 'industrial' look, much less expensive shop light fixtures can provide the light, but perhaps not the desired look.

It all depends what you're willing to spend to get what you want it to look like.


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

coldmantis said:


> I always say "NO" to LED and planted tanks, why? well leds dim over time some faster then others, when the lights go out you have to replace the whole fixture(expensive). With regular lighting you only replace the bulb(cheap depending on brand of bulb).


don't they say it will last for 50K hours? is that including the "wearing out" period? I've never used but lot of people at planted tank seems to like them. I just use two 26watt cfl light. only downside is that i couldn't get a nice fixture setup so my lighting looks ugly.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

GAT said:


> don't they say it will last for 50K hours? is that including the "wearing out" period? I've never used but lot of people at planted tank seems to like them. I just use two 26watt cfl light. only downside is that i couldn't get a nice fixture setup so my lighting looks ugly.


I think that's it's full lifespan, I seen leds start to dim after 3 months!!


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

coldmantis said:


> I think that's it's full lifespan, I seen leds start to dim after 3 months!!


even the cree ones? I know most ready-made builds don't use cree but you can use cree leds in DIY project.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

GAT said:


> even the cree ones? I know most ready-made builds don't use cree but you can use cree leds in DIY project.


I never seen crees in person or know anyone that uses them so I can't comment about the quality of those, I was talking about those cheapo marineland double bright ones they sell at bigals.

Since your asking about L.E.D.S I'm assuming you want to save alittle money since L.E.Ds uses less watts therefore less $$$ per year, I'm going to try to convince you it doesn't cost as much as you think running T5HO for aquarium lights. I hope my calculation are right.

I'm using this site to calculate the cost of all my 11 running tanks
http://www.ontarioenergyboard.ca/OEB/Consumers/Your+Utility+-+Bill+Calculator

Now I will be using the cost for me during offpeak times since that is when my lights come on and I will be using Summer rates since they are at a higher cost. So the true cost to me and you will be actually lower since rates changes in the winter time.

lights on at 7pm off at 2am (off Peak)
Summer rate at 0.067 Kilowatts and Hour
Kilowatts per hour is equivalent to running 1000 watts an hour

40g breeder 156w
5.5g 13w
7.5g Starphire cube 26w
7.5g Starphire cube 26w
10g 26w
10g 26w
14.5g Japanese Curve 26w
20g Long 81w
45g Tall 156w
29g 69w
20g high 48w

Total watts 653w or 0.653KiloWatts
0.653x7hours = 4.571KW per day
4.571x30days = 137.13KW per month
137.13x12months = 1645.56KW per year

now that the 1645.56 number and put it on the website then put your rate per KWH mines is 0.067
it will cost me $190.76 to run 653w of light for 2520 hours(1 year worth of light)
Doesn't sound that bad when you do the calculation.

I don't have leds so I don't know the watts, if someone wants to do a fair(almost the same amount of tanks and leds for each) they are welcome to.


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

I am interested because I think LED are interesting technology. Your calculations are fine but did you consider the cost of T5 light bulb? You can buy the cheap ones because there are some very expensive ones too. 

I was considering LEDs because it was a nice DIY project for me to do and cheaper but i decided to go with CFL. I don't regret it except i need to make a nice hood.


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## coldmantis (Apr 5, 2010)

Out of the 11 tanks only 4 tanks are using a combination of T5Ho and T5NO the rest are CFL. I think I wrote a post on DIY CFL lighting but I can't find it. If your using a glass top, you can always build yourself a slim box fixture out of Alluminum duct material from HD cost is like 6-8 bucks for a huge sheet. Use some pigtails to wire up the cfl fixture add a switch, paint the fixture it will look pretty decent.


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

I read your DIY project before but i went with the clamp fixture that seems to work well. I don't have issue with temperature so i think it might be a problem a closed fixture. Its only one tank and I am not having issue with plant growth so i'll leave it like that for now. When I have time and i will fix something up.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I have wished I had the skills to build a DIY LED fixture, like the ones I read about of this forum and others.

I often think of taking an electronics course, so I can learn enough to one day to do that, as well as how to fix other electronic things. I understand electricity in a very basic way, and wiring a new outlet or fixing a lamp is not difficult, but once it gets past that I am not confident. I understand the principles in some cases but have no experience with anything beyond pretty simple household electrical fixes. Be nice to acquire some more skills.


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