LED lighting vs fluorescent lighting.

[Alice B]

This might plug into the system I have. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VB3NQVP/?tag=ff0d01-20 It won't This isn't plug and play. measuring the bulbs. I can price glass tomorrow otherwise. Need to even if I go back to fluorescent. I may order the little blue drop in bubble stone. It's cheap, it might help the color. Before I go spending $100 on glass. These are pretty solidly together and petsmart doesn't look like they sell replacement bulbs.

 

[jaylach]

One thing to keep in mind with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) is that there are many types. An important factor whith using for fish and/or birds is that they should be full spectrum which tries to mimic the light spectrum of sunlight. Think along the lines of a grow light for plants.

 

[Alice B]

Right now I have plain white. I'm not thinking full spectrum though, it does seem to be missing blue. pic is leds from inside current hood.

 

[jaylach]

Just because it is only white in appearance it could still be full spectrum. Colors are what we see and don't always relate to the actual spectrum of the lighting. This is probably going to be a terrible picture but here is my light layout. I know that the image looks like there is just white and red but the lighter white LEDs are actually blue. This light system allows for any combination of the 3 colors and overall intensity.

 

[Alice B]

mine all glow white, very white. Absolute white. but water change to get some of the tea water from my driftwood will probably help. I think I may have put my 48 inch lights on the porch to take to a shed and someone got them. I can't find them anywhere, and I don't know that I want to buy another 48 inch strip light, need to see how many bulbs I have first. At least not for this tank. My 40 long also took a 48 inch light, also missing and it is so shallow there is no way I would put bright led's on it, I think it would burn up plants and no fish would come out of their caves. for now the 40 is waiting on seals I don't have time to replace. so no rush there.

 

[Alice B]

I have frogbit on the left end and now have half a dozen plastic lids from quiktrip drinks and quart size yogurts floating on the surface of the right end, to reduce light.

 

[Stan510]

I can't find 40 watt fluorescent bulbs for fish anymore. So,are the HYGGERS color rendition as good as gro lights and their slight purplish accent? When my bulbs or fixture go down,I want to order the HYGGER that seems to be a good value. Or is it?

 

[Alice B]

I get my bulbs direct from PennPlax, small fish stores can probably order them for you, they still make them.

 

[Byron]

A 40w is presumably a 48 inch (120 cm) long tube. For the past 20 years I used the Phillips 6500K and 5500K tubes (the tanks had two T8 tubes) and they were very good light. Sylvania also make similar. Just get the 6500K and 5500K, these are high in the red, blue and green. These tubes are now made in 32w, but the intensity is the same (actually, a tad more than the older 40w). As long as they are 4-foot tubes, they are good; I tried smaller sizes on other tanks and the plants did not respond at all well, in fact in some they died from too little light intensity. I have been using the Life-Glo 6500K over these tanks, but no one is carrying these any longer as you said, everyone is going to LED.