Flood lights for planted tank

I have a 29 gallon aquarium and am planning on using two 50 watt led floodlights on it. Would they be enough for growing carpeting plants like pearl weed and dwarf hairgrass? Thanks.

 

Meh maybe; maybe not. I wouldn’t expect magazine picture results I’d be interested to hear how it works out for you though.

 

Meh maybe; maybe not. I wouldn’t expect magazine picture results I’d be interested to hear how it works out for you though.

I might use 2 clamp on work lights with 75 watt led bulbs. Which do you think would work better for a planted aquarium. The par for the floodlights would be like 100 at the bottom of the substrate

 

Light spectrum factors into a bit as well as PAR so; what about doing two sides with similar plants as an experiment to see which is better?

 

Light spectrum factors into a bit as well as PAR so; what about doing two sides with similar plants as an experiment to see which is better?

I only want to buy 2 of the same so

 

Neither are going to be ideal so then it’s a matter of deciding on aesthetics how the light makes your tank look

 

Neither are going to be ideal so then it’s a matter of deciding on aesthetics how the light makes your tank look

What do you mean by ideal

 

I did the experiment about 2 years ago using LED flood lights was good at growing plants but bleached them as they got close to the surface the problem I found was that the lights burnt out after about 12-14 months. After making a few inquiries I found that the flood lights are designed to work very bright, outdoors (cooler environment) And for shorter periods so they aren’t built to stay cool and therefore create a lot of heat and the LEDs burn out faster.

 

I did the experiment about 2 years ago using LED flood lights was good at growing plants but bleached them as they got close to the surface the problem I found was that the lights burnt out after about 12-14 months. After making a few inquiries I found that the flood lights are designed to work very bright, outdoors (cooler environment) And for shorter periods so they aren’t built to stay cool and therefore create a lot of heat and the LEDs burn out faster.

Should I go with clamp work lights or floodlights for growing plants?

 

I used flood lights in my test, I think you would be best getting a cheap LED grow light will probably cost the same and you will get better results

 

I used flood lights in my test, I think you would be best getting a cheap LED grow light will probably cost the same and you will get better results

Like a nicrew led? I was going to but the watts were low and people said they are not very good at growing plants. It would be more expensive than the work light or floodlights

 

30-180cm FULL Spectrum Aquarium Fish Tank LED Light Fresh Marine Plant Lights | eBay
This is the light I got I’m in Australia but I’m sure you could get equivalent over there, this has no problems growing plants.

 

Thanks. I think I’m just going with work lights

 

Good luck

 

Good luck

Thanks

 

On YouTube lots of aquarists have amazing set ups and have “hardware store bought” flood lights (led) as a cost effective lighting option. This includes with fully planted tanks and larger tanks too.

On my 6 footer I have had a 72” light and two 36” inch lights. Okay but don’t look especially showstopping.

Setting up a new one, and I rather fancy the two flood lights high above the tank look. Will be minimally planted but will have plants on top of the aquarium so think this would look good and help with plant growth.

Issue is I have no idea what actually flood lights to get. I dont understand kelvin and watts and what not. Buying fish tank lights is easy - they’re made for purpose. Going to a hardware store I’m out of my element and not sure exactly what to look for.... would be great if anyone in Australia knew for example what to look for in a bunnings, say...

Flood lights on stands or clips that attach onto the aquarium that don’t require attachment to wall (renter) would be even better.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Cheers,

 

I have 2 x 50W ledvance floodlights over my large tank, which is 1.60m (about 63”) long and 60cm deep (nearly 24”). Each light gives 6,000 lumens, works out at over 20 lumens per litre which should be fine for plants with low to medium light requirements, my lights are 5,000k as that is what was available in this size, but 6,000 or 6500 should be fine as well. Plants are doing well and the tank looks good. As they are meant for exterior use they are waterproof. They do get quite warm, but that just helps to heat the tank.

They are something like the ones in this link, but 5000k https://www.ledvance.com/profession...Id=ZMP_3171720&classificationId=GPS01_3294855

 

Thanks Tclare. Do you have a photo of how you set them up on the tank?

I’m assuming I’ll have to build (I.e. pay someone else to build) some sort of a stand for them

 

Its actually quite difficult to take a photo that will clearly show this without dismantling everything, as our lights are attached inside the hood using two bolts through the handle of the light so they can still be angled as required. I am lucky because my husband and son are very practical and they made the whole set up from scratch. I'll attach some photos that will maybe give an idea how it is. The first photo is looking from the front of the tank with the hood flap open, the second is from above - the hood has removable tops which I took off for this photo. The third is the tank with the lights on, and the fourth shows the whole set up with the two separate hoods, lights are too bright to get everything exposed at once...




You can see in the last two photos that the lights do give two very bright patches, but this is obvious in the photos but really not visible when looking at the tank normally, and would be reduced if the lights were placed slightly higher.

 

That’s awesome. I wish I were handy at diy but I’m better in the kitchen than the tool shed I’m afraid.

This particular tank will have no hood and no glass - so i am hoping to put the lights a foot or more above the water line.

I did a visit to the hardware store this morning (have run out of packing boxes for the third time - moving is horrible) and saw a couple of lights. What do you think of these (capacity rather than appearance)?...

 

They should be fine, what is the volume of your tank in litres?

 

Just under 800. I was thinking two - but would three be better?

 

I think you will need three otherwise you will have dark partch in the middle, depending how high you put them. If you want to grow plants, three of those lights would be 12.75 lumens per litre which is supposed to be Ok for plants with low light requirements, 4 might be better for plants, depending how they fit and look.

I just have 2 but they are 6000 lumens each and my tank is shorter, its volume is about 570 litres.

 

Thank you for the heads up (and for all your help - I really appreciate it).
I will definitely look into three as I don’t want dark patches in tank.

im not too concerned about submerged plants (cichlids will shred them anyway) it’s more houseplants on the top so three may be the way to go.

thank you kindly!!

 

Thank you for the heads up (and for all your help - I really appreciate it).
I will definitely look into three as I don’t want dark patches in tank.

im not too concerned about submerged plants (cichlids will shred them anyway) it’s more houseplants on the top so three may be the way to go.

thank you kindly!!

Good luck and let us know how it goes. What kind of cichlids will you have?

 

Vieja, severum, blood parrots, silver dollars )

 

I am not keen on blood parrots but love the rest! Agree plants will be difficult...

 

These are the fish I already have. I’m moving so they’re going into a new tank. I originally went for BP as they were rare when I got them and wanted a splash of colour. Opinions on hybrids aside - I soon fell in love with their personalities .
3 x 36w - or do you think I could get away with 2x 50w (4400 lumens each)?