tank lighting failure...

[jaylach]

From my limited knowledge, The blue is required to get the Kelvin output desired, 6500k is what is believed to be best for fresh water plants... I think from 5000k upward is good, the strip I have turns yellowish if I turn off the Blue Leds and it's not good. If your Light is over 6500k, you might want to cut back a little on the blue. But as for the green and red, I left them at the same level as the white and full spectrum. My light is rated at 6500k so I left also the Blue at the same level. And turned off moonlight completely, it's an active algae promoter.

Thanks a lot for the info.

The new light is 6500K. At full intensity it is really bright so I'll probably be running at 60-70 %. I have to admit that I don't really know what the 'k' value means. Is this a constant value of the light or does it vary with the intensity level? I may be totally off base but I think that the 'k' value is the 'width' of the spectrum and has nothing to do with the intensity setting.

The light does not seem at all yellowish with the blue off but the thing hasn't even been mounted yet.

What really got me wondering about the best combination was the fact that the white, red and green are all under one control but the blue is separate. Just made me wonder about blue usage...

I MAY get a surprise with the suction cup mounting. The cups are just not like others I've used since setting up this tank such as the heater mounting. For instance the heater cups were kind of on the stiff side. The ones on the new lights are real soft and even look like they have been polished. Right now I have the thing stuck on my dinette table that has a very smooth surface. If still solidly stuck I may try them in the tank.

 

[Alice B]

I cut plexiglass with an exacto knife, metal ruler, masking tape to secure the edge so it doesn't chip and a couple of pair of pliers

 

[jaylach]

Once again I'm adding to my previous post.

I decided to actually look at the instruction booklet and was a bit surprised by a feature I didn't know. While not really like nature it is better than just a sudden on/off. Once the run time is set it will take 15 minutes to go to the full settings intensity slowly building up. The same at the end of the run time in reverse.

 

[MaloK]

Thanks a lot for the info.

The new light is 6500K. At full intensity it is really bright so I'll probably be running at 60-70 %. I have to admit that I don't really know what the 'k' value means. Is this a constant value of the light or does it vary with the intensity level? I may be totally off base but I think that the 'k' value is the 'width' of the spectrum and has nothing to do with the intensity setting.

The light does not seem at all yellowish with the blue off but the thing hasn't even been mounted yet.

What really got me wondering about the best combination was the fact that the white, red and green are all under one control but the blue is separate. Just made me wonder about blue usage...

I MAY get a surprise with the suction cup mounting. The cups are just not like others I've used since setting up this tank such as the heater mounting. For instance the heater cups were kind of on the stiff side. The ones on the new lights are real soft and even look like they have been polished. Right now I have the thing stuck on my dinette table that has a very smooth surface. If still solidly stuck I may try them in the tank.

The Kelvin scale is to rate the "temperature" of the light and is not linked to it's intensity.

 

[TNG]

Thanks a lot for the info.

The new light is 6500K. At full intensity it is really bright so I'll probably be running at 60-70 %. I have to admit that I don't really know what the 'k' value means. Is this a constant value of the light or does it vary with the intensity level? I may be totally off base but I think that the 'k' value is the 'width' of the spectrum and has nothing to do with the intensity setting.

The light does not seem at all yellowish with the blue off but the thing hasn't even been mounted yet.

What really got me wondering about the best combination was the fact that the white, red and green are all under one control but the blue is separate. Just made me wonder about blue usage...

I MAY get a surprise with the suction cup mounting. The cups are just not like others I've used since setting up this tank such as the heater mounting. For instance the heater cups were kind of on the stiff side. The ones on the new lights are real soft and even look like they have been polished. Right now I have the thing stuck on my dinette table that has a very smooth surface. If still solidly stuck I may try them in the tank.

From your description, your light switch has 3 positions, Off, On with blue light only, and On with blue + white + red.

The blue only is considered by some as Moonlight. But the moon doesn't emit blue light, and the real moonlight is never bright enough to see fish in the water anyway, so it's not good for the fish if left on all night as the fish never stop moving when it's on.

The white + red + blue is the daylight. The 100% is for plants which require very bright light - think of terrestrial plants that need direct sunlight. Switch it to between 40% - 60% for low light plants - think of shade loving terrestrial plants.

There're some lights with another switch that only switches on the white light (with red and blue off). That will then emits yellowish light which does not simulate sunlight, and I'm not sure of its purpose.

 

[jaylach]

The Kelvin scale is to rate the "temperature" of the light and is not linked to it's intensity.

Thanks for the info!

From your description, your light switch has 3 positions, Off, On with blue light only, and On with blue + white + red.

The blue only is considered by some as Moonlight. But the moon doesn't emit blue light, and the real moonlight is never bright enough to see fish in the water anyway, so it's not good for the fish if left on all night as the fish never stop moving when it's on.

The white + red + blue is the daylight. The 100% is for plants which require very bright light - think of terrestrial plants that need direct sunlight. Switch it to between 40% - 60% for low light plants - think of shade loving terrestrial plants.

There're some lights with another switch that only switches on the white light (with red and blue off). That will then emits yellowish light which does not simulate sunlight, and I'm not sure of its purpose.

OK, Thanks. Soooo, Would you run just white, red and blue leaving out the green, white, red and green leaving out the blue or all four?

Oh, BTW, I have no intention of using the blue as 'moon light'. Lights go out at 8:00 PM.

 

[TNG]

Thanks for the info!


OK, Thanks. Soooo, Would you run just white, red and blue leaving out the green, white, red and green leaving out the blue or all four?

Oh, BTW, I have no intention of using the blue as 'moon light'. Lights go out at 8:00 PM.

If there's a switch position referred to by the instruction leaflet as daylight, I switch it to that position; otherwise all the four colours are on.

 

[jaylach]

If there's a switch position referred to by the instruction leaflet as daylight, I switch it to that position; otherwise all the four colours are on.

OK, Thanks.

Nothing specifically saying daylight so I'll just run all 4 colors.

Sorry for all the questions but this is the first tank with which I've ever used LED lighting.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Wow, sounds like fun. Stuff like this is why I tend not to like "kit" aquariums with built in filters, lights, and all that. I like things nice and modular so I can upgrade or replace parts as I see fit.

I've used thin plexi for aquarium lids before, and it warps like nobody's business after a month or two. I just buy untempered glass and either have the local shop cut it for me, or just cut it myself. You can get glass cutters for $5-10 on amazon, and even I can use them, so they can't be that hard.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

As for the light, yes, the K value is the color of the light, not the intensity. 6500k is generally considered ideal since that's what sunlight is. But I don't worry too much about it, and I don't think plants or fish care all that much, since in nature the K value can be changed by anything from cloud cover to overhanging trees. I tend to run all the colors 100%, but I find that if the color is pleasing to my eyes, it'll work fine for fish and plants. Same with brightness. Once you've been keeping fish for a while the TLAR method (That Looks About Right) works surprisingly well.

 

[jaylach]

Wow, sounds like fun. Stuff like this is why I tend not to like "kit" aquariums with built in filters, lights, and all that. I like things nice and modular so I can upgrade or replace parts as I see fit.

I've used thin plexi for aquarium lids before, and it warps like nobody's business after a month or two. I just buy untempered glass and either have the local shop cut it for me, or just cut it myself. You can get glass cutters for $5-10 on amazon, and even I can use them, so they can't be that hard.

To be honest I wish I had not bought a tank with integrated filter and lights. I got suckered in by a really good sale price of around 50% off. I mean the tank is fine and looks good but replacing things can be a pain. Wish I'd just got a plain tank and gone strictly with my under gravel filtration. I'm still using under gravel but almost have to also use the built in filtration or the chambers would likely stagnate. Even with that I could plug the inlet and outlet and not use the built in but why bother?

 

[WhistlingBadger]

To be honest I wish I had not bought a tank with integrated filter and lights. I got suckered in by a really good sale price of around 50% off. I mean the tank is fine and looks good but replacing things can be a pain. Wish I'd just got a plain tank and gone strictly with my under gravel filtration. I'm still using under gravel but almost have to also use the built in filtration or the chambers would likely stagnate. Even with that I could plug the inlet and outlet and not use the built in but why bother?

I actually did that on Mrs. Badger's 5 gallon--plugged the holes to the integrated filter and just put a sponge filter in the corner. Those integrated filters, in my limited experience, are poorly designed and a lot of work to keep clean. They sure do look pretty at the pet store, though. Especially when they're on sale.

 

[jaylach]

I actually did that on Mrs. Badger's 5 gallon--plugged the holes to the integrated filter and just put a sponge filter in the corner. Those integrated filters, in my limited experience, are poorly designed and a lot of work to keep clean. They sure do look pretty at the pet store, though. Especially when they're on sale.

What I'd really like to do, but won't, would be to cut out the divider between the main tank and chambers but I worry about the divider being structural.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

What I'd really like to do, but won't, would be to cut out the divider between the main tank and chambers but I worry about the divider being structural.

Yeah, or enlarge the holes somehow. But then I would see all my introvert fish less than I already do. ha ha

 

[jaylach]

I even see a potential case of extreme drama if I were to plug the holes on the divider. I mean the thing probably isn't even 1/8 inch thick. Even with just a 20 gallon cube there would be a lot of pressure on a thin divider. I just don't trust it so I keep it intact and running to move water. Actually the built in filter DOES give a nice water flow through the tank. LOL! I could always remove the sponges and fill with ceramics. Since there is already a ceramic chamber that would make for one heck of a bacteria bed. The sponges don't really do much of anything anyway. Every time I pull them out there is almost nothing to clean. Hmmm, that's actually something to think about. The under gravel is much more efficient than the built in sponge anyway... With the under gravel and doubling up on the ceramics I would have such a bacteria bed that ammonia and nitrites wouldn't have a chance although with all the plants I have I doubt there is a whole lot for bacteria to munch.