Lighting (Again!)

[pawsplus 253]

Oh--so frustrated!!! Yet another fluorescent striplite seems to have died. Now I have NO lights on my 90 gal tank. I just replaced one of them (6 weeks ago--can't find receipt of COURSE) and now I need to replace both of them.

I'm back to considering LEDs. Do they hold up better? They are SOOO expensive, so I'm having a hard time justifying the expense. I have live plants, but they are not fancy and have been happy w/ my plain old non-plant fluorescents. I just want something that makes the fish look pretty but that also doesn't constantly need new bulbs and isn't constantly having to be replaced.

How bright ARE the LEDs? Could I get away with 1 36" strip on a 5 foot tank? Other thoughts?

[ShawneeRiver 2,720]

Is it the bulb or the light? Does it take fuses?

I have two Hidden LEDs on my 90 (mine is 4 feet long), and they help, plus I have a fluorescent hood light. I just got this tank, so I can't say yet if the lighting is adequate for plants. It must be OK lighting because I am growing algae.

[pawsplus 253]

By fuses, do you mean ballast? I don't see a way to replace the ballast on these. My old reptile lights you could, but not these. It seems to be the unit--I swapped out bulbs. One of them isn't working at all--the other keeps strobing.

I am trying to decide if it's worth it to go to the LFS and make a fuss--I don't have the receipt. Is LED better? Should I still w/ fluorescent??

[kaylaj2355 464]

An alternative: I simply removed the hoods on my tank (no cats, haha) and flanked it with reading style stand-up lamps. The "reading" fixture holds a fluorescent bulb and points down toward the tank and the ceiling fixture is just a regular soft room light It's nice, also, because you can transition the lighting for them by turning on the ceiling before the reading lamp and then turning off the reading lamp before the ceiling for bedtime.

[tithra 4,917]

I would still try to contact the store, maybe they have a record? My store was able to look up based on credit card once when I had lost a receipt

[pawsplus 253]

OK--I'll check w/ them.

I DO have cats, and a fish who is a jumper, so hood is not optional. And standing lamps near the glass tank also not a good idea (flying permakitten).

[ShawneeRiver 2,720]

If you aren't worried about plant growth, LEDs are nice. Many don't have the right spectrum of light for plant growth, so you need to read about whichever one you are considering.

Check out the HIdden LED from Marineland. I like them, and several others here have them. They are reasonable at less than $50 for a 21 inch fixture, and they are versatile. Mine are suction-cupped to the underside of the top of my acrylic tank. You could start with one and see if you like it, and get another if or when you want one. I got my first one on sale at Petsmart for about $40.

http://www.marineland.com/Products/aquarium-lighting/LED-Aquarium-Lighting/freshwater-saltwater-reef-aquarium-led-lighting-system.aspx

[ShawneeRiver 2,720]

Wow, it's $40 now, and if you order online, I think they would give you another 20 percent off! Jeez, I just paid full price for one.

http://www.petsmart.com/featured-shops/lights/marineland-hidden-led-lighting-system-zid36-16486/cat-36-catid-800729?var_id=36-16486&_t=pfm%3Dcategory

Here's a picture of my new 90 gallon with just the single stock florescent.

Here's with the two hidden LEDS. (The one on the left is aiming forward too much because I don't have the correct suction cups.)

[*Amanda* 556]

I really like my LED. I have the 36" Marineland Double Bright, which is great for plants as well as viewing the fish. It puts me in the lower end of medium light based on the PAR data. My plants have been doing amazing with it - I've seen so much growth, even though they haven't been in there very long!

Edited September 6, 2014 by *Amanda*

[pawsplus 253]

GOOD NEWS!!! My LFS happily took back the dead fluorescent unit. I then turned around and bought (from them) a 48" LED unit for my 5 foot tank.

OMG I LOVE IT!!! It's almost too bright for me on all white, but there is a "mode" button that lets you select from various effects, including, bizarrely, thunderstorm LOL. I like the one that is a cloud passing over-it's a little bright, then it dims a bit (more blue light) and then brightens again. But it's never as bright as all white. The fish look lovely and it's nice to have practically nothing on top of the tank!

[ShawneeRiver 2,720]

Woo hoo! Now, where are the pictures?!!

Edited September 10, 2014 by ShawneeRiver

[pawsplus 253]

Alas, I killed my non-waterproof camera on my kayaking trip in the San Juan Islands this summer. I need to buy a new one, but until I get around to that, imagination will be required LOL!

[*Amanda* 556]

GOOD NEWS!!! My LFS happily took back the dead fluorescent unit. I then turned around and bought (from them) a 48" LED unit for my 5 foot tank.

OMG I LOVE IT!!! It's almost too bright for me on all white, but there is a "mode" button that lets you select from various effects, including, bizarrely, thunderstorm LOL. I like the one that is a cloud passing over-it's a little bright, then it dims a bit (more blue light) and then brightens again. But it's never as bright as all white. The fish look lovely and it's nice to have practically nothing on top of the tank!

What brand and model is it? That sounds really cool!

I know, I love the look of LEDs. It's nice just having a thin strip light instead of a huge fixture. I removed the front panel of my 2-panel canopy to leave it open a bit for my big plant to grow out of the water. Some people don't even place the LED strip on the canopy and simply place the strip over open water, but Marineland strongly advises against doing this with LEDs (I think to protect against shortages). I don't know if it's a real risk or not, but I'd rather not chance it - the LED lights are expensive to replace if anything should happen. This is how I set mine up:

[pawsplus 253]

I'm not even sure about the brand! I'll check. I can't leave the top open--I have a 6.5" fish who is a jumper! I like the look, though!