# Beamswork LED review



## do-boy86 (Sep 3, 2013)

I scoured the Internet for 2 weeks looking for good information on cheap LED lighting and planted setup before I ordered. I'd like to do my part and spread some knowledge. I'm very new to this hobby so I appreciate criticism and tips!

The light:
Beamswork 30" 6500k 0.2w x 99

http://pages.ebay.com/link/? nav=item.view&id=300952339744

I had a really hard time deciding which model I wanted as they have a similar one with 160 LED's but I didn't want too much light and have to go high-tech / fert crazy. I decided on the 99 led model as it was $25 cheaper (yea I'm pretty cheap) and considering my shallow tank, I was willing to bet it was enough PAR. If the plants don't grow as I'd like, I have a 24" t5 fixture I can ziptie to this housing.

first impressions are hugely positive. topdogseller on ebay was amazing quick on shipping (to point roberts, free shipping and no duty). $60 for a solid LED light with hopes of growing plants.


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## do-boy86 (Sep 3, 2013)

The setup:
20 gallon long (petsmart brand) 30x12x12 
Playsand substrate 
Laterite in sand
SeaChem root tabs 
Flourish 2 x week

I'm not too great on ID'ing the stem plants so any help would be appreciated! I do know the hygrophila kompakt and am attempting a glosso carpet up front.

First day of planting. I received a lot of free plants from various BCA members and really appreciate the gesture. I look forward to sharing my clippings in the future!


















This is approximately 2-3 weeks in running on a 24watt t5 a total of 10 hours a day. around this time i point in a small amount of Glosso (so expensive!) and am going to slowly propagate it to a lush carpet


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## do-boy86 (Sep 3, 2013)

First couple days with the Beamswork. the light is not quite as bright as the t5 but i'm not concerned for viewability. it actually looks better in there, the water is crystal clear with a touch of shimmer. The plants are still pearling approximately the same amount although i was hoping for more with the LED as they say LED puts out more useable light for the plants. I'll keep an eye on growth rates and continue updating this.

I did a pretty big clipping and propagation to thicken out the background. the plants on the left are showing great reds and pinks which was my theme for a "sunset from behind the mountains" look. I hope the Beamswork has enough juice to sustain the coloring.


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## liquid_krystale (Dec 13, 2011)

How is the grow using the beamworks? Any updates?


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

Ah yes I remember reading this post before when I was in the process of doing LEDs and was looking forward to the update. All I have is anubia haha. Tanks looking good btw thanks for the post as pics.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

You can see this light for yourself at Charles's place. He sells them too.


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## liquid_krystale (Dec 13, 2011)

2wheelsx2 said:


> You can see this light for yourself at Charles's place. He sells them too.


I'm looking for grow results.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Unless those are recently trimmed, pink colored rotundifolia at 1/2 height of a 12" tank is impressive. Those plants don't usually change colors until they reach the surface without high intensity lighting. However, another telling sign would be how fast and how low the glosso grows.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Reckon said:


> However, another telling sign would be how fast and how low the glosso grows.


That's the best sign. My AquaRay mini tile forces my S. repens to grow laterally at 18" from the light to the substrate. It never grows any taller than 2". To prune I end up cutting the horizontal stems to limit the ground coverage instead of pruning vertically. If there is enough light, the carpet plants will crawl along laterally very rapidly.


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