# Switching to LED for my low techs need help



## Gilly (Dec 18, 2010)

I have a 20H low tech/quasi Walstad tank and I want to switch it to LED. I have mixture of low light/med light plants, a HOB for water movement and I'm using Fluval Stratum bc I'm allergic to dirt soils. The fish are super happy and everything's mostly fine and dandy but the plants could grow a little better IMO. They grow wicked slow and aren't as green as I want.

I am interested in this Beamswork light:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beamswork-D...72-/291863338016?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275

The price is right and it seems like a lot of people like it too. It's 24 watts . . . is that enough for my tank? Maybe I should go higher? get two? Right now I have one Coralife light with 2 T5 6700k bulbs actually I just checked it's just one 6700k and one Colormax which i need to change out. Prob why my plants aren't taking off!

Also I would like to use an LED on a tank I'm just starting a 15 gallon that's 24" x 12" x "12 could I use the same light as on the 20 H?

Anyway would appreciate any advice!


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

I know there are hobbyists with more experience and knowledge about LEDs. However, I just got my first LED fixture and am thrilled with it. I bought a 36" (129 LEDs) to put over my two 10 gals strung end-to-end. Plants are growing and pearling like crazy. Link for what I bought is:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291651103215?rmvSB=true

Link shows a 24" version for only $22.95; it has 72 LEDs. I think a 24" would be plenty for a 20 high or a 15 gal.

As to encouraging better plant growth, those HOB filters can be a problem if you let the tank water level get too low. The bubbling generated by a steep waterfall can drive off precious CO2 and stunt plant growth. I would also turn the flow rate down to the bare minimum.


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## Gilly (Dec 18, 2010)

Will do slowing down the flow for the HOB! I must say I love that trickling sound, it helps me sleep. And I'll check out those LED links, thank you.

PS. Can I just fangirl out for a second and say that you changed my aquarium keeping life! It all started when I read your article in the Dec 2009 issue of Freshwater and Marine Aquarium "Planted Tanks for the Budget Conscious". Till that moment I had fish only aquariums my whole life and I just had no idea that a beautiful green planted tank could be easy and within my reach. I have tanks that I'm extremely happy and proud of and I owe that to you. Thank you again for your work!


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Gilly said:


> I have a 20H low tech/quasi Walstad tank and I want to switch it to LED....
> 
> I am interested in this Beamswork light:
> 
> ...


The 15 gallon tank is only 12 inches high vs the 16 inches high 20H tank. That means the light intensity for the light that is used on the 20H tank will go up by at least 40% if you use it on the 15 gallon tank. You could easily have much too much light with that light if you use it on the lower height tank, and algae would likely ruin your enjoyment of that tank. Since I don't know the PAR readings for that light I don't know if it is too low in intensity for the 20H tank, too high, or just about right. But, in any case it would be a lot higher in intensity on the 15 gallon tank.


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## Gilly (Dec 18, 2010)

Hmm that's true about the tank depths. As it is, I ordered only one light because I want to see how I like it first. The 15 doesn't have a light yet so I'll just put my old coralife florescent on there which is 48W per gallon and put the new LED on my 20H.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Gilly, thank you for your kind words. Much appreciated... BTW, the book is doing very well, especially eBook sales overseas.

Hoppy is right about tank height making a huge difference in light intensity. However, the beauty of plants is that they can compensate. We don't have to worry about high light intensity stimulating algae if we use the "aerial advantage." I devoted an entire chapter in my book to the wonderful attributes of any plant that grows above the water surface. Once an aquatic plant taps into air, it not only gets ready access to CO2 and the extra light, but it now changes (physiologically speaking) from a shade plant into a sun plant. It can compete with algae BIG TIME.

For example, I used FrogBit, a floating plant, in my new guppy tanks with window light and the new powerful LED lights. Tanks are only 12 inches high, but the strong light intensity doesn't matter. FrogBit with its big advantages over algae protects the submerged plants (Hornwort, Cryptocoryne, etc) from algae, so all plants are growing like crazy. 

This FrogBit is also releasing root oxygen into the water as shown in this second picture taken late in the afternoon. All the bubbles attached to the roots were not there in the morning. This is something I had never seen before, so this LED lighting is really hot stuff.


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## Gilly (Dec 18, 2010)

I got my new LED light, the Beamswork, and it is BRIGHT! 

Only thing is when I put it on my tank, my 20H the different colored lights make it look like I don't know, a disco? I miss that warm yellow/green glow from my fluorescent bulb- this LED gives the tank a weird bluish light in a way.

Is that how it should look or am I doing something wrong? Should I be turning off some of the light colors somehow?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

The tank should look good to your eyes. If you think it looks like a disco, and can adjust it to reduce/eliminate that, then do so. I suggest that you observe your fish awhile first, to see if they look better with the "disco" lighting. If the light spectrum you use has very little red in it, the reds that the fish can display will be much less visible. To see reflected red light you have to start with some red in the spectrum. The same is true of plants that have lots of red in their leaf colors.


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## dwalstad (Apr 14, 2006)

Although green/yellow is okay, plants do best with some red (660 nm) and blue light (450 nm). All things being equal, I chose this particular fixture, *because* it had some red LEDs. I also find the color rendition very pleasing. No disco fever...


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## lake_tuna (Mar 18, 2010)

I was looking at some Finnex ones to replace my T5HO ones.. what are the differences between Finnex vs. Beamswork?


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## will sullivan (Feb 15, 2008)

Hi guys!
Im interested in trying LED's for a large tank 30" deep, its 30" wide so im wondering would a few units across with the added lumens be enough for the plants at the bottom of the tank?


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

Well depends,
High tech setup?
Med. Tech Setup?
Low tech setup?
need more info on what your looking to grow for best answers.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

It isn't easy to determine how bright a LED light will be. Most of them are sold without any information about the PAR vs distance from the light. Finnex used to provide very good information, but quit doing so when the organization they used to test their products quit doing that. Now about the best you can do is to see what the closest similar Finnex light produces and correct it for the differences, which is almost guesswork.

The 30 inch height of the tank makes it difficult to get high light with LEDs unless you use multiple lights. The 36 inch Finnex Planted Plus produces about 35-40 PAR at about 24 inches, which means it would produce about 3/4 of that at 30 inches, or about 25-30 PAR. But, a 30 inch long Finnex light produces about 55% of the amount of light a 36 inch long light produces, so it is reasonable to expect a 30 inch Planted Plus light to produce about 15-20 PAR at 30 inches. If you used two of those close together, you should get around double the PAR of a single one, or about 30-40 PAR. But a 30 inch cube tank would need twice as many to cover the whole tank with that much light, with one pair towards the front of the tank and the other pair towards the back. As you can see, it costs a lot to light that size tank with LEDs.


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## DutchMuch (Apr 12, 2017)

just saw he said low tech, I feel like an idiot. Take hoppys advice lol sorry!


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