# What leds push enough PAR values to bottom of 22" deep tank for carpeting plants



## Boug (Dec 6, 2017)

I have a 150 gal 22" deep. I want to grow monte carlo or some other carpeting plants. My substrate is sand. I have the beamswork 6' rgb and white leds, .5 w. I need more lights that are capable of getting adequate PAR values to the bottom of the tank. Anyone know a brand or style to do that? Also should I be focusing on more red and blue leds as they that spectrum is more for growing, and then add a white led for aesthetics?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: What leds push enough PAR values to bottom of 22" deep tank for carpeting plants*

There isn't much data available for 6 foot long LED lights. Possibly 2 - 3 foot long ones would give the same light intensity. If so, 2 - 3 foot long Finnex Planted Plus, at each end of the tank, should give you around 60 PAR at the substrate, which should be enough for carpeting plants. I'm assuming this 150 gallon tank is about 18-20 inches front to back. I would put the two rows of light about 6 - 9 inches apart in the middle of the tank.


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

*Re: What leds push enough PAR values to bottom of 22" deep tank for carpeting plants*

I know this is a LED question but I'm just going to shove this idea out there...
This LED (https://aquaforestaquarium.com/coll...um-aquatic-plant-led-light?variant=7785890433) is a fantastic LED, with low amounts of ratings. I was originally going to get this for my 65 gallon (you can go check out the journal w/ current lighting) but I ended up accidentally purchasing a HO T5 system.

But I do have this light on my Christmas list (the one I'm talking about) https://aquaforestaquarium.com/coll...um-aquatic-plant-led-light?variant=7785890433

It is said, that it will give good HIGH par at a 24" depth. Now that was said about 1 year ago so idk if anything has changed.

My experience with T5's have been pretty/really good so far so I also suggest to you that option... a good brand to go with is agrobite designer T5's

Hope maybe this helped in SOME way.


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## Boug (Dec 6, 2017)

*Re: What leds push enough PAR values to bottom of 22" deep tank for carpeting plants*

Hoppy,

that's correct about the dimensions. Ive read about the finnex planted plus. Looks good. Will adding lights side by side increase the PAR at the bottom, as in just adding the finnex to the beamwork i have now? How important are upping the red and blue spectrum? Any knowledge you could drop on me would be appreciated. I was hoping for like 100 par at the bottom. Is that crazy and do you think adding this extra light would cause an algae bloom?

Dutch,

That first LED you recommended seems legit. I emailed the company about PAR values, waiting to see if they'll get back to me. I currently have the 6' Beamswork and if i got that but in a shorter size the beamswork are quite a bit cheaper. I'd literally spend the money for PAR ha.

Anyone got pics of their tanks?


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

*Re: What leds push enough PAR values to bottom of 22" deep tank for carpeting plants*

This is a pic of my tank (looks different now) with my agrobite on it. (T5)

I would like to add the old saying, that definitely applies to "this time in history." 
"Cheaper isn't always better, *spend your money once*"

beamswork (imo) is not close as good/well built as Archaea.

heres the pic:


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

*Re: What leds push enough PAR values to bottom of 22" deep tank for carpeting plants*



Boug said:


> Hoppy,
> 
> that's correct about the dimensions. Ive read about the finnex planted plus. Looks good. Will adding lights side by side increase the PAR at the bottom, as in just adding the finnex to the beamwork i have now? How important are upping the red and blue spectrum? Any knowledge you could drop on me would be appreciated. I was hoping for like 100 par at the bottom. Is that crazy and do you think adding this extra light would cause an algae bloom?


Finnex used to provide some very good graphs of the PAR output of their lights. They had a contractor testing the lights, with an Apogee Quantum PAR meter. Then, they began adding 660 nm LEDs to their lights, which the Apogee PAR meter isn't very sensitive to, leading to questions about how accurate their PAR data is. Soon the contractor quit doing those measurements for them, and they stopped providing PAR data. I had a Finnex Planted Plus light for a few years, so I used that, and the PAR data for similarly designed Finnex lights, to guess the PAR produced by various Planted Plus lights. Then, they went to the Planted Plus 24/7 light, and I had to give up trying to do those guesses.

Now I have my own Apogee Quantum PAR meter, the one I loan out, so I can do more light intensity measurements, but that meter is still not a great one when you add a significant amount of 660 nm LEDs.

I now use a DIY LED light, http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/.../136594-smd-led-tape-based-light-fixture.html which I am very pleased with, but it further removes me from being able to guess what Finnex lights produce.

I strongly recommend LED lights with the 660 nm LEDs, not for how the plants grow, but for how much better all colors in the plants and fish look. Based on that I think all of our lights should produce significant amount of light in that part of the spectrum.

I am not a "high light" hobbyist. My current light level is in the 45-55 PAR range, and even that much light has made it necessary to once again consciously try to prevent algae problems. I can't imagine myself ever recommending 100 PAR.


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## Boug (Dec 6, 2017)

Agreed thanks for the tips guys


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