Lights...

[Brendanpat]

I do wonder about AquaEl lights.

We are told that plants need red and blue in the spectrum and that a K rating of 6500 has the right spectrum. But if you look at AquaEl's website, you read that the Sunny lights have a K rating of 65000 but no red in the spectrum while Plant lights have a K rating of 8000 and do have red in the spectrum. The quoted K rating and spectrum don't seem to match up.

I have AquaEl Plant lights and can confirm that they have red, blue and white individual LEDs so they do match the spectrum diagram on the website.
What colour are the individual LEDS with the Sunny version - are there any red LEDS there?

I'm at work now . I'll check later .so they would actually look red when switched off ? I have ordered a blue moon interpet led 2.4 watt for evening viewing. I wonder would it help any if I put it on aswell as the main light during the day ?

 

[Essjay]

I've just had another look at AquaEl's website and the photos of their lighting show Sunny with all white LEDs and Plant with red, white and blue LEDs.

If there's no red in the spectrum adding more blue during the day is not going to help I'm afraid. I'd keep that just for the moonlight period.

 

[Essjay]

Its probably a uk made tank

AquaEl is a Polish company

 

[Brendanpat]

I've just had another look at AquaEl's website and the photos of their lighting show Sunny with all white LEDs and Plant with red, white and blue LEDs.

If there's no red in the spectrum adding more blue during the day is not going to help I'm afraid. I'd keep that just for the moonlight period.

Thanks for looking it up . So I definitely need a new light then ?

 

[Essjay]

You could think about changing the light for the Plant version of what you have now. I have Plant AquaEl retrofit tubes over my 180 litre tank and a Plant Leddy Smart 2 clip on light on my shrimp tank. I know I have only slow growing plants and floating plants but they all seem to be growing well.

 

[Brendanpat]

You could think about changing the light for the Plant version of what you have now. I have Plant AquaEl retrofit tubes over my 180 litre tank and a Plant Leddy Smart 2 clip on light on my shrimp tank. I know I have only slow growing plants and floating plants but they all seem to be growing well.

Think I will .no point spending money on plants and them not growing. Does the the bulb work just like a daytime light ? Set it for so many hours?

 

[Essjay]

I would use it the same as your current light to start off. You can always tweak how long it's on for once you get used to it.

And you can still use the new Interpet light for moonlight.

 

[Brendanpat]

I would use it the same as your current light to start off. You can always tweak how long it's on for once you get used to it.

And you can still use the new Interpet light for moonlight.

Thank you for help . That sunny bulb I have must just be for a non planted tank . The elodea did grow a wee bit with it but no other plants grew at all with it

 

[Brendanpat]

Thank you for help . That sunny bulb I have must just be for a non planted tank . The elodea did grow a wee bit with it but no other plants grew at all with it

Sorry for annoying you again . Im trying to find the right light to order . My tank is 750mm long the tube is 700 . I'm confused about the dimensions its giving on the websites . It says product length 820-950 with brackets. But the dimensions is 70cm . So will that fit into mine with out the brackets? And do I need the sunny light aswell or is the plant one enough on it's own?

 

[Essjay]

I think the one in your image is the one you need. Because:

The retrofit tubes come with plastic sleeves that slot over the ends of the tube. These are for using when they LED replaces a fluorescent tube and the plastic sleeves have lugs on the end to fit into the fluorescent lap holders to hold the tube in place. These sleeves can be slid along the tube to get it to fit in the place where the fluorescent tube used to go. That's why they give a size range for each LED. And these plastic sleeves make the whole thing quite a bit longer than the actual tube. I was lucky that a local shop sold these tubes so I could see one out of the box and measure it before I bought them.

You don't need these plastic sleeves; looking at your photos there is a cup shaped thing attached to the lid and the tube slots in those. I don't need them either. My tank is custom built and the original T8 tubes were fit with clips attached to the lid with an external controller so I just fit the LEDs into those clips.

I am a hoarder and the boxes are in the attic so I've been and looked at them. My tubes are 18 watts and are ~1015 mm long. The box gives their length - with plastic sleeves - as 1135 to 1265 mm. So the sleeves add 120 to 250 mm to the length of the tube.

Your current tube is 700 mm long. Adding the sleeves would make it 820 to 950 mm. They make two 16 watt tubes and the lengths are 742 to 847 and 820 to 950 with sleeves.


The lid looks like it has two sets of those cups? If it does, I'd get one Plant tube and maybe use it with the Sunny tube you already have.
I have 2 tubes over my 180 litre, 107 cm long tank. But I also have floating plants which cover almost all the surface of the tank. These floating plants thrive and there is enough light reaching the low light plants underneath. If you don't have floating plants, two tubes may be too bright for the fish as well as plants. Try them and see, you don't have to use both if they are too bright together.



I have mine on separate timers. One comes on half an hour before the other and goes off half an hour before to give a sort of dawn and dusk feel.

 

[Brendanpat]

I think the one in your image is the one you need. Because:

The retrofit tubes come with plastic sleeves that slot over the ends of the tube. These are for using when they LED replaces a fluorescent tube and the plastic sleeves have lugs on the end to fit into the fluorescent lap holders to hold the tube in place. These sleeves can be slid along the tube to get it to fit in the place where the fluorescent tube used to go. That's why they give a size range for each LED. And these plastic sleeves make the whole thing quite a bit longer than the actual tube. I was lucky that a local shop sold these tubes so I could see one out of the box and measure it before I bought them.

You don't need these plastic sleeves; looking at your photos there is a cup shaped thing attached to the lid and the tube slots in those. I don't need them either. My tank is custom built and the original T8 tubes were fit with clips attached to the lid with an external controller so I just fit the LEDs into those clips.

I am a hoarder and the boxes are in the attic so I've been and looked at them. My tubes are 18 watts and are ~1015 mm long. The box gives their length - with plastic sleeves - as 1135 to 1265 mm. So the sleeves add 120 to 250 mm to the length of the tube.

Your current tube is 700 mm long. Adding the sleeves would make it 820 to 950 mm. They make two 16 watt tubes and the lengths are 742 to 847 and 820 to 950 with sleeves.


The lid looks like it has two sets of those cups? If it does, I'd get one Plant tube and maybe use it with the Sunny tube you already have.
I have 2 tubes over my 180 litre, 107 cm long tank. But I also have floating plants which cover almost all the surface of the tank. These floating plants thrive and there is enough light reaching the low light plants underneath. If you don't have floating plants, two tubes may be too bright for the fish as well as plants. Try them and see, you don't have to use both if they are too bright together.



I have mine on separate timers. One comes on half an hour before the other and goes off half an hour before to give a sort of dawn and dusk feel.

Now I get it . Sorry for all the trouble. Yes it has two slots . I have ordered some salvinia floating plant . So I'll get the plant bulb and see how it goes with it first and then I can rig up my old one again if needed . Thank you ..