Aquarium LED Lighting

[jonny-5]

Just wondering if anybody can help with LED lights?

I bought a 3ft 110L Tank a week or 2 ago & the lighting seems fairly poor.
It has 2 after market LED light bars in the hood around 18" Long, These have been staggered in the hood to achieve maximum lighting but my tank just does not seem bright enough in the corners
Personally I would of repaired the original tube fittings in the hood but these have been badly butchered so I have no chance

Thanks in advance

 

[Shiverz]

Well theres a few things to note.

Alot of fish don't like bright lights, they're like little gremlins and prefer much dimmer situations, so make sure your fish will be happy with your LED lights before adding any more.

If you still want to add some, with a bit of DIY, you could buy your own LED strips and have them run around the rim of your tank lid (naturally you'll want waterproof ones).

You could look at getting a replacement lid so you're able to use the original light fittings once again.

Check the model of the light bars, if they're a poor make they wont disperse ligth as well as some other brands.

 

[Metalhead88]

It's best to get one led light that is customizable and extends the entire e length of the tank.

 

[jonny-5]

Thanks for replies
The previous owner has installed some cheap Chinese SMD lights & it's a little dark in the corners but like you say, I suppose it suits some fish, Maybe I will wait for them to break

 

[Ch4rlie]

What brand of tank is this 3 foot tank?

Maybe you can get a replacement hood and light unit with your choice of T5 or T8 light tube fitting. Then go for retrofit LED light tubes that fits into those T5 or T8 light fittings.

Perhaps or go for your own aftermarket LED light unit, there are lots of different types online for all sorts of budgets and tank sizes.

Some are good and some not so good.

Do you just want a generic LED light for low demanding or fake plants sets up?

Or is the plan to go for more higher demanding planting scheme?

Don’t forget, bright lights are not good for livestock, bear in mind they do not have eyelids so cannot close their eyes if lights are too intense or bright so this stresses them out, and stressed fish are more susceptible to falling to diseases or illnesses.

Also if you have light coloured substrate, this can also reflect light back up so be aware of that.

 

[Metalhead88]

Led lights all the way. There is not a single thing where the old school ones are better.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Led lights all the way. There is not a single thing where the old school ones are better.

Well, old school ways can be pretty good as it’s a tried, tested and proven way to work as I can attest to as I’ve had T8 light units in the past and had pretty good plant growth and good colours on livestock etc, but I did do lots of research into what tubes works best and it can be complicated though working out what you need in terms of wattage, PAR and tank size etc when it comes to these T5 or T8 lights.

But nonetheless LED are indeed becoming the light unit of choice due to wide array of colour spectrum and energy consumption etc, hence my recommending retrofit led light tubes from reputable sources that can be fitted to T5 or T8 light fittings, this is a good and cost effective way of ensuring the OP has the choice of replacing the light unit and hood that properly fits his tank if he wishes to do so.

Cheap LED lights or cheap LED knock offs can really be detrimental to the tank and plants as these can be too intense and bright and can cause untold problems with algae issues.
I know this for certain because I bought one of these cheap LED lights, never again will I get cheap LEDs

So it’s always worth asking, researching and looking at reviews on what are good dependable LED lights for ones particular budget, tank and plans.

 

[jonny-5]

Thanks for the input, The tank is an Interpet Aqua something or other
I will keep the cheapo LEDs for now & just look for something else, At the moment I'm still cycling so can make adjustments after that.
Right now I'm trying to hatch my own BBS.... But that's another story

 

[jonny-5]

Think the Tank is an Aquaverse 110, However I've seen a few for sale on the bay & local groups, So maybe able to pick up a tank with working hood for the price of some LEDs

 

[Koglin]

No matter what ya choose, try and get something that is readily available on the market at all times, and set it up for easy replacement later on. Even expensive LED bars start losing their brilliance over a long period of time.

My 10 gallon tank I can't get replacement lights for - so eventually I'll have the headache of 'figuring something out' because of it.

Personally I prefer PAR rated LEDs that span the length of the tank because I love me some plant propogation, and I know I'm getting the full light spectrum out of it. Can be pricey though..

Think I saw someone mention the other day that they got straight up green house leds for their tank cause it was cheaper.