Switching to LED fixture question

[dereks]

I took my dinosaur to the fish store in hopes to switch from my old T5 fixture to the LEDs.

They wanted $100 for a 24" extendable for my 29 gallon freshwater.

I figure Online stores have to be able to beat that price but I don't know which one to get.

Any help I can get on which one to buy would be appreciated. For instance the rule of thumb used to be 1 watt per gallon I think?

Right now I have a 6700k with 36 watts over a 29 gallon. That's been great for 20 years.

Something equivalent to that?

Thanks!

 

[NoodleCats]

I took my dinosaur to the fish store in hopes to switch from my old T5 fixture to the LEDs.

They wanted $100 for a 24" extendable for my 29 gallon freshwater.

I figure Online stores have to be able to beat that price but I don't know which one to get.

Any help I can get on which one to buy would be appreciated. For instance the rule of thumb used to be 1 watt per gallon I think?

Right now I have a 6700k with 36 watts over a 29 gallon. That's been great for 20 years.

Something equivalent to that?

Thanks!

What country are you in?

JC&P full spectrum are great lights for good price.

So are Nicrew SkyLED+ lights

Could easily cost under $50 for a 29g light and still get good results

 

[FreshyFresh]

I've had great luck with Aquaneat fixtures from eBay, amazon, etc. In fact, I've got a 30" one somewhere that I used on my 29g that grew plants quite nicely. Under $50 for 30".

 

[dereks]

Thank you both. So basically I can look for the exact same thing only LED, meaning a 30" 6700k.

Thx. Wasn't sure if wattage was relevant.

Thanks!

 

[dereks]

What country are you in?

Also I'm in the US.

 

[dougall]

I would say it depends on what you want to do with it.

Mist anything will grow plants so long as it is bright enough

Spectrum will affect how things in the aquarium look

I would say to try to look at a specific fixture if you can,compare any plants you would like to grow.

Having something that is dimmable but brighter than you think you need will allow for future flexibility, say growing more needy plants or turning it down to affect leaf shapes (together with lengthening the photoperiod) or to lessen algae.

Personally on the budget side, I've had the best luck with nicrew.

 

[fishorama]

I got Nicrew Sky LEDplus on Noodle's recommendation. Fish color & plant growth seem "normal" on factory settings so that's all I've tried. We looked at the blue "moonlighting" but didn't like it.

 

[dereks]

Having something that is dimmable but brighter than you think you need will allow for future flexibility, say growing more needy plants or turning it down to affect leaf shapes (together with lengthening the photoperiod) or to lessen algae.

Personally on the budget side, I've had the best luck with nicrew.

Ah yes. All good points.

This is why I like to ask these questions here on AC. These are all things I never would have thought of.

Thank you and thx to everyone who replied.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You have a couple of options and money is the difference. I am one who likes things simple. So I have no interest in the LEDs which allow you to simulate sunrise and sunset. But, even the more basic Nicrew has red blue and white lights. You can adjust the blue and the white intensity. The white has several klevles and ecry time you press the button it gets lest bright and then circles back to full..

Unlike the fluors the LEDs should never get wet. Th fixtures can fit a couple of tank sizes as they get bigger. I am still using some T-8s and Power com[acts as well as T-5s. When I have a fixture go bad now I just get an inexpensive LED.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nicrew+l...refix=NiCrew,aps,88&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_6

 

[NoodleCats]

For what it's worth, this is my low tech 10 gallon using a JC&P full spectrum led. This is the "lower" tech bar light they have.
All 3 colours are adjustable on it and it has an in built timer which I find very convenient.



They do offer higher tech options if you need extremely strong light, but I don't have experience with those. I stick with "budget" lights.

Not a huge fan of the gimmicky types of features like the blue "night" lights, just asks for algae since algae will utilize blue light just happily. Sunrise and sunset features could be nice for the fact it eases the fish into day and night time, but a lot of those lights are silly expensive.

But yeah, definitely look into the lights that are adjustable. You want dimming and you want adjustable light colours as well. I like to lower the blue level on most of my tanks a few clicks below the red and white colours--mostly because it reduces the light algae will take advantage of easier.

I've tried a few Nicrew types, but the SkyLED Plus is the best of their budget series. I've got the Planted Plus and such and personally i find the SkyLED better.

I'm slowly switching over to using all JC&P when a light goes out on me, because the timer is a huge perk for me--I am ADHD so I forget what I was doing in like 5 minutes and get sidetracked a lot. Plus have a kid so schedule is all over the place. Sometimes lights aren't able to be on and off the same time every single day. And then I also have to consider trips and such.... in-built timers are a huge benefit for my lifestyle. So that's also something you should consider as well. If it's just 1 tank, you can also buy a separate timer too, but eh, I got multiple tank syndrome. Many timers to buy after the fact gets expensive.