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LED desk lamp for planted bowl?

Dr Mike Oxgreen

Dr Mike Oxgreen

Member
Joined
3 Jan 2016
Messages
383
Location
Woking, UK
I'm thinking of setting up a planted bowl, possibly using this bowl from Tesco for a fiver, which by my sums will be about 4 litres or thereabouts.

It'll be unfiltered, possibly with a soil base topped by sand or gravel. It'll also be unheated, and located in a room that probably varies between about 17-18°C up to a maximum of 22-23°C.

Eventually once the bowl has matured I might add a handful of shrimps, but until then I'll be content with one or two nerite snails or similar.

So: lighting. I want to spend as little as possible on this. Can anyone recommend a desk lamp, preferably LED and preferably dimmable? Lots of them seem to have touch-sensitive controls; are these compatible with time switches or do they require a human finger to switch them on? Also, do they remember their dimming setting? I would want something that'll come on at its preset brightness with a time switch.

Many thanks!
 
My concern with lights that have an electronic on/off switching mechanism is that it might always power-up in a default state - which could be 'off', thus requiring a touch of a finger to get it to light up. This wouldn't work with a time switch - it would always be 'off' when the power switches on.
 
I'm using a few spotlights above my latest tank, they are Dimmable 15 watt Epistar LED GU10 running on AC220 volt.. Dimming it with a simple variac dimmer which is on a timer switch again.. Since it's all analog with the turn of a button it wont change it's power setting it just switches on and of with the timer. You can use any regular AC 220 dimmer you like like the ones you install on the power cord where the flip switch used to be.

I choose for GU10 LED spots because they come in different color types Warm white 4500k / Daylight white 6500k / cold white 8000k. 15 watt is about the brightest the epistar leds version come. They come also in different fitting versions so actualy you could use any desktop light you'll find as long it has a regular lamp fitting (GU10 - E27 - E14 - E12 - MR16) Just make sure the LED lamp you put in there is labeled as dimmable. The best part is, if they burn out you can replace them, if the color doesn't wok out, you can choose another.:thumbup:

I'm using 5 of them in 3 different colors 1 daylight white - 1 warm white and 3 cool white, above a 110 liter tank and do a pretty good job.
:)
 
zozo said:
I'm using a few spotlights above my latest tank,

I'm using 5 of them in 3 different colors 1 daylight white - 1 warm white and 3 cool white, above a 110 liter tank and do a pretty good job.
:)
Click to expand...

Please post some pics or s video
 
dean said:
Please post some pics or s video
Click to expand...

It's in my journal :)
2nd - The Stove...

I first gave those full spectrum grow lights i try, you still see in these pics.. But it's to red colored for the living room, got people rinning my door asking stuppid questions. :lol:
No seriously i replaced them with normal daylight colored lights.
Here you see how the tank is lit by those 5 spots..
2nd - The Stove...
That's 5 x 15 watt according to manufacturer 650 lum per spot..

The project still is in development and want to change and improve some things construction whise, but with the lights i'm fairly pleased it performs well for this setup. :)
 
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