# LED Lighting



## Professor Monkey (Jan 8, 2015)

I think that the 20 PAR at 24" I currently have on my 220gal tank is likely going to be too low even for low light plants.

Would either of these products be okay for a tank without CO2, or are they too much light?

http://www.aquatraders.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=56369P&CartID=1

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/LED-72-0-50W...404?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d0626dd4


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## balutpenoy2oy (Feb 17, 2011)

last one only has extendable bracket up to 72". look like your tank is way to big for this. Try home depot, I saw in my place 48" T5 fixture it has LO bulbs. Looks like it suffice to you needs...IMO


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## mitko1994 (Dec 12, 2012)

Look into floodlights, I personally haven't tried them but lots of ppl have and are getting great results.They are cheap and have great power. They come in different wattage so you can choose a set up that will be most beneficial to you in terms of light temperature and wattage. I would think you can even place them right on your glass top since they don't heat up too much.Last year I purchased a current usa satellite + for my 90g, deep low tech but it's nothing special. I get decent growth for the most part on anubias and java fern. I wouldn't suggest the lighting fixtures that have many low power leds unless you have a cichlid tank that you just want to light up in the evening. From what I've read online the only successful led light fixtures for plants are finnex but most people have them on shallow tanks, which I assume is not the case with your 220g. For a deep tank you would probably need multiple fixtures which is well over $300 if you go for those "special" aquarium fixtures. Here are some examples of the floodlights I'm talking about.The lower link is a vid of a guy using them.I believe you can get high light PAR readings for about $150.
I hope it helps.

Edit:Most of these lights sell WITHOUT a cord and you have to wire them yourself. Make sure the ad says that they come with a power cord like the one in the link above unless you want to wire them yourself.

links:
floodlight
vid of the lights in use

maybe try these chinese retailers.Most amazon sellers buy their stock from there and resell them overpriced.I've used this website and it's great because whatever you order, you get free shipping on and you only release the payment once you receive the goods and are satisfied with them. Here's a link


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## Professor Monkey (Jan 8, 2015)

Thank you for the advice!

I'll be posting updates on my tank in my other thread, but in short I have decided to tear down the tank and apply the Walstad method using the current lights on the tank. 

The LEDs have so far actually been pretty good. I didn't see much growth at first, but then it started to get some brown algae at the top of tank so I setup a diy co2. My narrow leaf (pygmy) chain swords have sent lots of runners and have had decent growth. Their colour is a little bit on the light/yellowish side; I am hoping a capped dirt substrate will improve their colour or show that the light is the deficiency. The Java fern immediately started growth at the stem and produced some new plants. The crypts have only minor growth, but look more healthy. Like the sword, the vals are showing new growth but some of it doesn't have ideal colour. One annubias has started a new leaf shoot and the other has significant root growth.

Given that I have an inert gravel substrate I believe the evidence suggests that root acquired nutrients are my limiting factor. I am not looking for impressive growth rates, but rather healthy, good sized (eventually) plants. 

If the new substrate doesn't yield the kind of growth that I am looking for I will experiment with some of my other tank lights to see what I should buy.


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