DivZero
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2014
- Messages
- 90
I'm in the process of building my first Iwagumi (see my journal) and it was pointed out my current light (that came with the tank) just wouldn't cut it. This was something I expected when I bought my tank and am now looking for a light that suits my needs:
At the lowest point in my tank the light would need to penetrate about 15" of water and would like to grow a nice carpet of Eleocharis acicularis 'mini'/dwarf hairgrass. I have been reading up a lot on lighting and have come to the conclusion a "true" high-tech Iwagumi is probably out of my reach for the time being as I'm not able/willing to spend over ~200 pounds to get PAR levels at the bottom of over 50. My budget would lie more around 75 pound. I also read a couple of times I'm probably better off getting the flow just right and investing in a decent pressurised CO2 setup instead of high lighting which would - quoting ceg4048 - result in a 15 gallon algae farm.
So far I've found a couple of lights that I think/hope would suit my needs:
Finnex Fugeray Planted+ 16": alot of people seem to be using there in the USA. I like the looks of it, it comes with moonlighting (to bad they can't be controlled independently). I think is has great value for the money. I can get on in The Netherlands from Amazon including shipping and import taxes for 75 euro's (~60 pound).
Arcadia Stretch LED: beautiful light that will cost around ~53 pound. If it turns out it isn't enough I could also get a second one to complement the first. This would mean going over budget though.
TMC Aquaray Mini LED 400: I've seen this light around a lot and I think this light should be more than plenty for my tank. However it's 65 pounds for the light plus I would need (or build) a mount. And most people stronly recommend to get te controller to make it dimmable, which would cost an extra 80 quid. So it's a beautiful light, but I think to expensive right now.
Daytime 40.2 eco: a beautiful light which would cost around 78 pound. I couldn't find much information about it. But it is possible add a 3th row of LEDs for more emission but this would obviously also make it more expensive.
I hope there is someone that can shine some light on my situation (pun intended) and help me make a decision. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
At the lowest point in my tank the light would need to penetrate about 15" of water and would like to grow a nice carpet of Eleocharis acicularis 'mini'/dwarf hairgrass. I have been reading up a lot on lighting and have come to the conclusion a "true" high-tech Iwagumi is probably out of my reach for the time being as I'm not able/willing to spend over ~200 pounds to get PAR levels at the bottom of over 50. My budget would lie more around 75 pound. I also read a couple of times I'm probably better off getting the flow just right and investing in a decent pressurised CO2 setup instead of high lighting which would - quoting ceg4048 - result in a 15 gallon algae farm.
So far I've found a couple of lights that I think/hope would suit my needs:
Finnex Fugeray Planted+ 16": alot of people seem to be using there in the USA. I like the looks of it, it comes with moonlighting (to bad they can't be controlled independently). I think is has great value for the money. I can get on in The Netherlands from Amazon including shipping and import taxes for 75 euro's (~60 pound).
Arcadia Stretch LED: beautiful light that will cost around ~53 pound. If it turns out it isn't enough I could also get a second one to complement the first. This would mean going over budget though.
TMC Aquaray Mini LED 400: I've seen this light around a lot and I think this light should be more than plenty for my tank. However it's 65 pounds for the light plus I would need (or build) a mount. And most people stronly recommend to get te controller to make it dimmable, which would cost an extra 80 quid. So it's a beautiful light, but I think to expensive right now.
Daytime 40.2 eco: a beautiful light which would cost around 78 pound. I couldn't find much information about it. But it is possible add a 3th row of LEDs for more emission but this would obviously also make it more expensive.
I hope there is someone that can shine some light on my situation (pun intended) and help me make a decision. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
