Is this water movement okay for Water Spangles / Salvinia / Amazon Frogbit?
- Thread starter BlazerBuddy
- Start date
I've no personal experience with this unit, but going from the data I would think it should be good. It is 6500K. I would not use the fancy red, blue, etc lighting, just the solid white light LEDs. Light has an impact on fish even more than plants, so these fancy effects can be more harm than good. But this is not expensive (for a decent light over a 24-inch long tank) and it seems you can ignore (not use) the fancy stuff.
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
Like I said...you get what you pay for.
Something less than $25 will be cheap and nasty...but it'll sell by the bucketloads, because it is cheap.
But consider this...with such a light, you won't have to keep buying replacement tubes or bulbs or starter units.
It uses less electricity AND is better for your plants and fish. (Remember, some fish definitely do NOT like bright lights shining down, so you need to find a compromise spectrum and these lights do that.
Or you could just spend more money on replacement plants.
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
I looked at this one and put it away from sight...the timer is crude and the 3 different light settings are the viewer of the fish tank and not for the benefit of plants. I did like the light intensity feature, though again, the more expensive light has a much more graded approach to intensity.
Another feature to consider is how it'll fit to your tank. So, for example, will it fit to the underside of a lid? Mine does, as well as to an open tank and it'll also fit in the traditional tube-light fittings, if you already have these in an old lid.
BlazerBuddy
Fish Fanatic
@Byron already said the light modes are unneeded. If I used the one linked and just didn't use the timer, would it be fine?
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
@Byron has his views on lighting, I have mine.
I won't disagree with his opinion and I will suggest you consider future-proofing your purchases. I'll grant you that some features of my Aquasky are quite gimmicky, such as being able to program in cloudy hours and storms*, but I appreciate being able to program the intensity of my lighting and the spectrums available, to the nth degree.
For example, some fish, such as golden pencilfish, actually change their markings as the light dims towards sunset, adopting a different 'camouflage' during the hours of darkness. With my lamp, I'll be able to witness this as it happens, rather than imply switching the lights on, once it's been dark for a while.
Using the blues and reds will allow me to wtch any nocturnal activities...again, without diturbing sleeping fishes.
*As a qualified naturalist, I can strongly suggest that some stimulation from an environment is beneficial to an animal's wellbeing, as opposed to a completely static one. This theory is now often reflected in the care of zoo animals, so putting a lightning storm into the fish's routine may actually be beneficial.
I won't disagree with his opinion and I will suggest you consider future-proofing your purchases. I'll grant you that some features of my Aquasky are quite gimmicky, such as being able to program in cloudy hours and storms*, but I appreciate being able to program the intensity of my lighting and the spectrums available, to the nth degree.
For example, some fish, such as golden pencilfish, actually change their markings as the light dims towards sunset, adopting a different 'camouflage' during the hours of darkness. With my lamp, I'll be able to witness this as it happens, rather than imply switching the lights on, once it's been dark for a while.
Using the blues and reds will allow me to wtch any nocturnal activities...again, without diturbing sleeping fishes.
*As a qualified naturalist, I can strongly suggest that some stimulation from an environment is beneficial to an animal's wellbeing, as opposed to a completely static one. This theory is now often reflected in the care of zoo animals, so putting a lightning storm into the fish's routine may actually be beneficial.
BlazerBuddy
Fish Fanatic
A few replies up you said the timer was crude. Does that mean its useless or just a cheap timer?
I also found this 28$ aquarium light that looks higher quality.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083ZDMMYH/?tag=ff0d01-20
Bruce Leyland-Jones
Fish Aficionado
Not useless...just a lot less increments/options. A more expensive piece of kit will have a timer that you can adjust totally, as opposed to 3, 6 or 12 hours.
For example, having paid the money, I can set mine to come on at a set time of day and set the period of 'sunrise' to anything I fancy. I can then set the time of 'sunset' and, again, decide on the duration of sunset. This also means that I can then decide on the amount of time there'll be total lights out.
The link to the $28 option is only a slight improvement, in terms of spectrum options.
That said, I note that the timer is available seperately and I would run far, far away from any electrical equipment that warns you against exposing it to moisture!
Having been severely criticized more than once by a few members who can't begin to understand this, or more accurately do not even want to, it is nice to see someone who agrees that the habitat conditions can actually impact the fish's well being and are thus important to understand.
The pencilfish example is instructive, and while you probably know what follows, others may not. The change to a nocturnal patterning (the horizontal lines are broken up into dashes) occurs in all species of Nannostomus (except N. espei). It is driven by light/dark and occurs even in blind fish. This is because the light sensitivity of fish via their cells is very high, and it is the inner circadian rhythm that drives it. This is why it is important to have the "day" for the same single continuous period each 24 hours, and the "dark" likewise. Dusk and dawn are not as critical, it is the same "x" hours of daylight (the most intense overhead light) and the same "x" hours of total darkness with no moon lights, ambient room lights, etc. The other thing is that fish instinctively "expect" light and dark within every 24-hour period, due to the circadian rhythm, so the light being on an identical schedule every day is very important in avoiding stress.
If anyone wants a fuller explanation, I detail this in an article on how light affects fish, which is available on @AbbeysDad 's blog here:
BlazerBuddy
Fish Fanatic
@Byron @Bruce Leyland-Jones My last question is if this light will be too close to my Amazon Frogbit and Salvinia. It claims the light height is 2.4 inches off the ground. Including that with my water level, the light would be 4.4 inches away from my Frogbit/Salvinia. Is that okay?
These 3 choices are what I have come down to for my fish tank light-
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C84SLRO/?tag=ff0d01-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X9T9PV6/?tag=ff0d01-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GPH5B56/?tag=ff0d01-20
Last edited:
In my view, the height is fine. I'd have to go downstairs to measure mine to be certain, but I think they are around 3-4 inches above the water surface. Make sure you have glass between the light diodes and the water surface. As these light units do not come with this, you need to have some sort of tank cover even if it is just a glass cover. I have this on my 40g and my 10g, they come in two panes of glass that fasten together with a plastic hinge so you can open the front portion to feed, and they have a plastic strip that goes along the back that can have opening cut for filters, heaters, etc. Photos below will illustrate; this glass cover sits down inside the frame on the lip that runs around the tank. The light unit then sits on top of the frame.
As for the linked units...the first does not give the Kelvin of the white so I would not get this unless I could find this out, and then if it was in the 5000K to 6500K range. The blue lights are useless as they can promote algae. The second is 6500K which is good, but it says it will not turn off but remain on the lowest light setting...this is no good, unless you are there to turn it off (assume you can). The third has same issues as the first...doesn't give the spectrum, and it has those blue diodes.
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BlazerBuddy
Fish Fanatic
Okay, so it sounds like I should get the second one.
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