# Question about LED lighting - which fixture would you recommend for this project ?



## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

Hello everyone 

I am very new to the hobby, and this project is my first planned setup.
I am trying to setup a shallow moss tank / riparium where the light fixture will be far from the water surface (36'' approx)
The dimensions of the tank are 36''W x 18''D x 7''T, its a really shallow tank.

Inside the tank would be a variety of mosses + a few low light plants like anubias and Java ferns.
At the center-back of the tank would be a few bog or riparium plants.
I haven't decided on which ones yet but most likely hardy species, nothing too demanding.

I would like to go with a LED fixture for this project.
I dont have a huge budget so I have been looking at Beamswork fixtures.
My question is: which fixture do you think would be enough for this setup ? Would there be another solution with similar costs ?
I have seen the Beamswork double bright, reef bright, the Dual 3W and Quad 3W fixtures by Green Element, 
but I dont really know which one would be enough.

The reason why the light fixture is so high is because the space where the tank is going is really dark,
I'd like to kill 2 birds with one stone and make the space brighter with this setup.

I have attached a very simple drawing of the setup, maybe this will help.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and advices


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Youmakemesohappy said:


> The reason why the light fixture is so high is because the space where the tank is going is really dark,
> I'd like to kill 2 birds with one stone and make the space brighter with this setup.


You can make it work, but boy you're going to be spending a lot of money to light up a room.

If I were you, I'd get a reefbright from Beamswork and then just add a regular compact fluorescent fixture to light up that area. Would be way cheaper and way more energy efficient too.


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## TomC (Apr 21, 2010)

I would get an extra light set. It would definitely be cheaper to kill 2 birds with 2 stones.


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Or get those hanging pot lights and get led bulbs

Sent from my SGH-T959D using Tapatalk 2


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## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

Thanks for the quick answers, it sounds like I should stay away from the LED-only fixture and go with a 4xT5HO fixture.

I saw that some T5 and T8 LEDs bulbs around, I'm not sure what they are worth, but maybe I could make a mix of 2 fluorescent bulbs + 2 LED bulbs inside one fixture.

That would kill 2 birds with 1.5 stone ?


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## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

Which lights are you talking about Foxtail ?


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## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

OK, I'm taking the 'light up the room' part out of the equation, it's a bad idea + I can do it by other means.

The light fixture will still have to be a little high from the water surface to leave some room to the riparium plants (approx 18-24'')

Is the Beamswork Reef bright enough for such a setup ? its intended for reef use ... will it be fine for plants ?


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

at that height of the tank and what you growing, if you are puting the light direction on top of the tank, a freshwater bright LED fixture will do and it is only $75.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

There is a huge range in quality in LED lighting. Many companies use poorly rated LED's to keep the price down. Cree LED are the best out there but are not cheap. Many mainstream companies have tried to enter this market but the results vary. I recommend you do your research on LED before your purchase.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

charles said:


> at that height of the tank and what you growing, if you are puting the light direction on top of the tank, a freshwater bright LED fixture will do and it is only $75.


He's not going to put it right on the tank Charles, as it's going to be a riparium, with emersed plants on top of the tank. The light has to be suspended to work. I don't think the freshwater brights will do.


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## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

I am going to do a little more reading before making a decision on which way to go 

I read this article yesterday, not what its worth Aquarium Lighting; Reef, Planted Light Information. PAR, Bulb, Watt, Kelvin, Nanometers, MH, LED.

If there are any other recommended in-depth articles about light or LED lighting I would love to read them!


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

Here's a great article if your considering T5HO. The first chart will help you with your T5HO distancing considerations.: PAR vs Distance, T5, T12, PC - New Chart

With a 4 bulb T5HO you'd be looking at medium-high light (depending on reflector quality) which would more than likely encourage your plant selection to grow well emersed.

Here are some comparisons on known brands of LED kits (unfortunately most only available in the States): http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=160396

You'd be looking at significantly higher up front costs to get decent power especially at the 36" distance.

HTH


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## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

Thank you DR1V3N! Going to read all this


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## DR1V3N (Apr 22, 2010)

Youmakemesohappy said:


> Thank you DR1V3N! Going to read all this


You're welcome . We're in a similar boat right now, I'm looking to upgrade to a 4 ft hanging fixture to light up 2 tanks and hopefully lower my hydro foot print a little.

If you do decide to go the T5HO route, I'm looking at the Aqua Nova light fixtures that IPU carries: Aqua Nova

They come standard with stainless steel hanging kits (just buy your own anchor). Dual manual switches allow you more flexibility to increase or decrease your lighting as needed. Not much data on the reflector but maybe Grant can chime in here. Either way, good value I found.

I put my name down for a 4ft dual bulb and the next shipment ETA is mid-July.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> He's not going to put it right on the tank Charles, as it's going to be a riparium, with emersed plants on top of the tank. The light has to be suspended to work. I don't think the freshwater brights will do.


I see.

He can also go with the Reef bright LED or our 36" trio HOT5 with timer setting for the amount of light on and off through a digital switch. And best of all, it comes with 3 switches with only 1 single electric plug; one control middle HOT5 bulb, one control the 2 outside HOT5 bulbs, and one control LED moonlight with a price tag of only $120 including all new HOT5 bulbs.


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## Youmakemesohappy (Mar 19, 2012)

The Reef bright LED and the 36'' trio are both fixtures I was looking into!
Since I dont know much about lights for planted aquariums, I am trying to learn a little more before making a decision.
Anyhow, it seems like there isn't ONE right way to do it, so I will have to make a choice at some point


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Youmakemesohappy said:


> Anyhow, it seems like there isn't ONE right way to do it, so I will have to make a choice at some point


No, there isn't. I have 5 tanks, 2 CO2 injected, both with Aquaray LED's, but one is low light and one is high light. My other 3 tanks have Beamswork freshwater bright (3 w total growing Hygro, some stargrass, anubias and tons of subwassertang), one with 4x24w T5HO and 1 with a 3 foot T8. Every one is planted, but I tailored the plants to the lighting level and whether I have CO2 or not. You need to set everything up based on your objectives and budget.


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