Marineland Plant LED

[fleuramore]

Hello Everyone...

I have a 75 gallon standard tank and currently have the oh so loud Current Nova Extreme fixture with 4 T5-HO bulbs - 2 6700K and 2 10,000K which seems to be working for me - plenty of pearling on my plants, but most-likely not enough light for some of the foreground species I would like to try.

So, I decided to take the plunge and purchase the new Marineland Plant LED (here is a link to the product page http://www.marineland.com/sites/mari...l.aspx?id=4653) because of the light spectrum and I wanted to try an LED. When it comes to lighting, etc. I'm just a little overwhelmed with the DIY stuff. I ordered two because they looked kind of dim on the pet solutions video.
However, they had a light on the tank that didn't go edge to edge as they were using the extension feature. I bought the 48"-60" light as my tank is 48" long and I wanted the full spread.

My lights arrived today and like a kid on Christmas morning, I excitedly opened the package and placed it on the aquarium immediately. The lights were light and slim and made NO noise... but, it just wasn't bright enough. I am sure two of them would be great on a tank with low light plants, but for my aspirations, I just don't think this is gonna cut it. To me, it seemed about as bright as my 2 bulb T5NO strip light I use for accent lighting. The shimmer effect was there though and it was beautiful. Ooo shiney!!! Anyway, since these are new on the market I thought I'd put in my two cents. While sleek, quiet and pretty - just not enough light for $459 (that's the price for the 48"-60" fixture at Pet Solutions but it's above $500 elsewhere).

[Gerryd]

I am not sure I would use your eyes to determine the amount of light. For all you spent on Lights, can you spare more for a PAR meter?

BTW, 4x54w in a 75 gal IMO is overkill.

but most-likely not enough light for some of the foreground species I would like to try.

Did you TRY any carpets before assuming you needed more/different light?

[fleuramore]

I suppose you're right about not trusting my eyes. The Marineland led may put out plenty of light. I don't mean to bash it unfairly. Perhaps I will get a PAR meter. I hadn't really considered it because I figured I wouldn't use it often enough. However, it may be useful to measure any degradation in output from time to time. The Marineland lights have been sent back already because I was too scared to risk an issue with potentially not getting a refund or something (I really don't think there would have been a problem with Petsolutions.com though - they were very helpful and have a 60 day return policy). I suppose I will have to wait and see if someone else posts their PAR results!

Thank you for yrour advice on my current lighting. I haven't tried carpet plants, but I may go ahead and do so.

[Gerryd]

Hi,

I hear you that the PAR meter is not used often....However, it is such a vital piece of information that it is totally worth the cost IMO.

If you plan on different species and aspects of gardening, you should know how much light you are providing to the plants.

There is enough guess work with c02 and ferts to have to worry about if the light 'seems enough.

What is usable to us and the plants are not always the same

I would for sure try some carpets NOW with the current setup and go from there. Is worth the experience and knowledge.

[Htomassini]

We spoke to the marineland reps regarding these lights at the pet expo show in orlando. They had two units on 50gal tanks. For med light tank. I am waiting for my distributor to get these lights as I have a standing order for them so that I can take par readings. Led lights can be deceptive in the amount of par they punch out due to their narrow beam of light. So the plants are seeing the light but the light isn't scattering outside of the intended path. Fluorescents scatter the light in all directions and required good polished reflectors to bounce the light downward to the tank. If you are in south florida we rent par meters.



Henry tomassini
www.theplantedaquariumstore.com
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[fleuramore]

Thanks Htomassimi. That sounds about right to me from what "eye" could see as far as output - 2 on a tank for medium output. I would definitely be interested in in your par readings once you get your lights. Wish I was in FL so I could rent a par meter from you... Just don't think I can shell out over $300 for one right now. I really want to get some new lights as the Current Nova Extreme I have is soooo noisy.

I keep reading about the dimmable ATI fixtures which sound amazing. However, my aquarium is in my living room and I am not too keen on hanging the lights above the tank because I'm afraid that it is going to be uncomfortable to look at while sitting on the couch I would really like to have something that can be mounted with legs. Kind of thinking about Aquaticlife or Tek. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Faith

[Gerryd]

Hi,

I am a new user to the ATI fixtures and they are great. They are noiseless and the glare from the fixtures is reduced (by my eye) approx 80%. The price for a 4x39w ATI is comparable to the price you quoted for the LED, and are MUCH better units IMO. I think the ATI offer flexibility builtin that is very attractive to plug and play folks like yourself. Is a reason I went that route

How good are your SO or friend(s) with DIY projects? Metal electrical conduit can be used to create mounts that can be then attached to the stand that will support the hanging hardware for the lights. I know if you search 'conduit' on this site, there are several threads with explicit instructions on how it was done, but is all over the net, really.

It really is a nice look and allows more FLEXIBILTY by increasing/decreasing PAR as needed or desired. Plus, the higher the fixture the better spread of light.

So, there are other benefits than just aesthetics. Note that I now use 35% of the ATI fixture and get MUCH more light than I had previously. Plus these units are wider than most and will provide more even PAR over the tank dimensions.

Hope this helps.

[Htomassini]

What size tank do you have?
At the store I am using current USA 8k led pros mounted on the tank and they great with a high tech tank.



Henry tomassini
www.theplantedaquariumstore.com
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[fleuramore]

Thanks y'all. I think you have convinced me, Gerryd. While I really want to try LED's one day, I'm going to get the dimmable ATI fixture 6x54. I know this is way too much light for my 75 gallon, but I am excited about trying out different bulb combinations and I can always reduce the lighting. To start out with, I am thinking 1 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus, 2 Giesemann aquafloras and 2 Geisemann middays. Any other thoughts on bulbs? I'm also gonna bite the bullet and buy an Apogee PAR meter... Unless anyone knows of another brand that is reliable and costs less

As for hanging, I was thinking about going with this Aquaticlife setup. See any reason it wouldn't work? I suppose I am going to need a different cable grip lock to attach it to these arms... Here is a link http://www.ocreef.com/aquaticlife_st...anger_1_hanger.

[Gerryd]

Hi,

Why not just 6x39w? The 54w is waaaay overkill now

How about a GE starcoat 6500k to replace an aquaflora?

I think the Apogee is the standard for the price range and quality/accuracy. Comparable per Tom to the more expensive Licor meters...

As long as the aquaticlife hardware can support the weight of the ATI without bending

If you go to my build thread, on post 1055 (page 106) iirc I posted 5 pics of the new ATI after installation. Pic 3 shows the aquaticlife hardware I used to replace the one that came with the ATI hardware that would mount to the ceiling. The AL hardware allowed me to loop the cable around the bar w/o drilling.

http://www.barrreport.com/showthread...Thread/page106

Take a look, you should see what I mean.

Good choice on the PAR meter to actually invest in one. You will go through periods when you may use it a lot and then not for months. But light is the driving force for plant growth so is greatly beneficial to you the gardener to know how much you are providing..

LEDs are nice IMO and growing in technology but T5 is a good proven technology as well, plenty of available tubes, sizes, etc. And the automatic dimming IS the bomb, I must say...

Keep us posted.