Help Re: Lighting

Nilet699

I have been thinking of purchasing one of these for my puffer tank which is 24 x 12 x12 and will be well planted.

High Quality LED aquarium fish tank lighting tube, white, blue and UV UVGI | eBay

Would this suffice as the only light placed centrally?
And if so, what LED configuration would I want? All white/with blues/ ???

Nilet699

From there FAQ

Can you supply a tube with just white LEDs?
Yes, we can use white/white as a colour option. This results in over 200 LEDs per metre (about 240) and gives the highest density of light, but the loss of blue is noticable in the lighting effect.

Will the colour spectrum be OK for my plants?
The LED colour temperature is between 7000 and 7500K, and has a high UV content. Our feedback is that plants flourish!

Nilet699

Anyone

Geomancer

7000-7500K is a bit high, but not by much, it should work.

The inclusion of UV though would worry me, sounds more like it is meant for amphibians/reptiles rather than fish. Possibly marine, as corals might need UV (I know very little of salt water fishkeeping).

LEDs are still kind of an unknown, I looked at that listing, they give no specs at all other than mentioning the color temp. So without using it, I don't think there is anyone who could say its good or not.

Byron

That is indeed the stumbling block. All this LED light is relative new, and most of us have not the available cash to go out and buy these expensive units just to try them out. I will say that there is some good LED lighting available for planted tanks. But I do not know which they are, and have not yet tried any.

I don't understand the UV thing. UV sterilizers kill bacteria, but in that situation the water is passed through the unit, so the fish are not being exposed to it. I'd want to research this a lot before trying UV over the tank.

There is one LED unit that I am hoping to buy, the Marineland Double Bright. Here's a link to data from one of my local stores:
Marineland Double Bright LED Light Fixture (18-24 Inch)

I've not tried this yet, so am not saying yea or nay, but I'm having difficulty getting sufficient light over my 29g and 33g and have almost decided to go with one of these. They come in various lengths, and each is adjustable a bit, so I linked the smallest for you. I'm sure these are available in the UK, I think I've seen them in PFK.

Byron.

Nilet699

TBH, this one comes fairly cheap at around $50...comparatively to some......and by NO means do i have the money to waste......if it doesnt work, it'll be going on my ceiling pr something! I just put a lot of money away over the last 12 months for this hobby etc and so i can spare a lil here and there

I have looked up UV and read that it can sunburn fish!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
i mailed them and asked them to ensure my unit doesnt have the uv ones. if it does........i'll smash em!