Nick9one1
New Member
I have quite a small aquarium 55l (14 US gal), 40cm (16 inches) wide. I'm still using the stock light that came with the tank but would like to upgrade.
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Best sub 100$ light for small tank!
- Thread starter Nick9one1
- Start date
Nick9one1
New Member
I tried a cheap Hygger 14w light from Amazon that was recommended to me, but it's garbage. And much less bright than the original. I think because it uses RGB led's, not white (like the original light). Which have a much lower output per watt.
So I've been doing some investigation into light spectrums and 'budget' lighting. Here and other places I have read that the 660nm red wavelength is quite important. as can be seen below;
Below are a couple of graphs for the weekaqua Z200 Series 70W light. they produce two versions.
RGB, which give full control over each colour, but misses the 660nm.
and WRGB, which gives a nice amount of 660nm, but has no individual colour control. Only brightness.
Another light I've looked at is the twinstar 4 300EA. It has an even better spoectrum than the weekaqua, but is only 21W (1050 Lumens). The weekaqua is 4550lm!
The chihiros WRGB is out of budget, and also doesn't cover the 660nm.
Any other suggestions?
So I've been doing some investigation into light spectrums and 'budget' lighting. Here and other places I have read that the 660nm red wavelength is quite important. as can be seen below;
Below are a couple of graphs for the weekaqua Z200 Series 70W light. they produce two versions.
RGB, which give full control over each colour, but misses the 660nm.
and WRGB, which gives a nice amount of 660nm, but has no individual colour control. Only brightness.
Another light I've looked at is the twinstar 4 300EA. It has an even better spoectrum than the weekaqua, but is only 21W (1050 Lumens). The weekaqua is 4550lm!
The chihiros WRGB is out of budget, and also doesn't cover the 660nm.
Have a look at Twinstar lights!
Its finding stock in the UK that is the issue.
www.aquasabi.com
Its finding stock in the UK that is the issue.
Buy Aquarium Top Lights at a great price | AQUASABI Shop
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Hi all,
Welcome to UKAPS,
Have a look at @MiZubov 's thread <"What prevents plants from absorbing all spectrum?">.
cheers Darrel
Welcome to UKAPS,
I wouldn't get too hung up on the exact spectrum, you need @oreo57 & @Andy Pierce , but my understanding is that plants are much more efficient at utilising more of the incoming PAR, rather than just that at the absorbance peaks of photosynthetic pigments.
Have a look at @MiZubov 's thread <"What prevents plants from absorbing all spectrum?">.
cheers Darrel
Twinstar B-Line II gets my vote. It's cheap, dimmable, and has a timer.
When it comes to spectrum the only thing that really concerns us as hobbyists is how attractive it makes our plants and critters look. And the B-Line II is RGB-W, so has good intensity and great overall colour rendition. Although, depending on the front to back dimension of your tank and the type of scape, you may need two for decent coverage.
The smaller sizes are often difficult to source in the UK, but I think the whole range can be found here. You'll also need one of these since it only comes with a european plug.
2x Twinstar 45B II over a ADA Cube Garden 45-P
When it comes to spectrum the only thing that really concerns us as hobbyists is how attractive it makes our plants and critters look. And the B-Line II is RGB-W, so has good intensity and great overall colour rendition. Although, depending on the front to back dimension of your tank and the type of scape, you may need two for decent coverage.
The smaller sizes are often difficult to source in the UK, but I think the whole range can be found here. You'll also need one of these since it only comes with a european plug.
2x Twinstar 45B II over a ADA Cube Garden 45-P
Superpuma1
Member
Agree on the TwinStar Version B ll, timer for 6, 8 or 10hrs and a 7 stage dimmer.
I actually had one mounted on my aquarium which is 57cm front to back, it grew easy and medium plants with no issue.
I actually had one mounted on my aquarium which is 57cm front to back, it grew easy and medium plants with no issue.
First..full dimensions please .
Depth and like cube vs rectangle matter
Second you can't compare human brightness to plant brightness.
How bright a RGB arrays appears does not exactly depend on how many photons they emit which leads to... it is difficult comparing RGB lumens vs rgbw or just w lumens.
PPFD, footcandle or Lux: What is the difference?
Both PPFD and Lux are units used to measure the intensity of light. Whereas Lux is universally used to measure and compare the brightness of visible light, PPFD is referring to the amount of light suitable for active photosynthesis of plants.
growlightmeter.com
Lux is lumens/ area
I'd put this Nucrew on your list..
Only 9w if you go w/ the one that fits
40.64cm tank..but cheap enough to get 2
Not sub-100 but a nice mix of LEDs .
LED aquarium light, LED lights, Nano reef aquarium, Reef Builders, Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog, Aqua mini, Aqua Pro, LED nano, micmol
LED aquarium light, LED lights, Nano reef aquarium, Reef Builders, Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog, Aqua mini, Aqua Pro, LED nano, micmol
LEDs Array
18pcs * Deep Red (660nm) CH A
8pcs * Royal Blue (440nm) CH B
6pcs * White (6500K) CH B
4pcs * Warm White (3500K) CH B
8pcs * Green (520nm) CH C
2pcs * UV (380nm) CH C
Bit of an odd channel selection...
Oh and is it rimless?
There are some interesting clip -ons.. Some that may work w/ rimmed tanks, some that probably don't unless one cuts part of the rim. Anyways..
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Nick9one1
New Member
Thank you. I'll take a look at those options.
The tank is;
Approximate Dimensions
H40 x W40 x D40cm
www.petsathome.com
The tank is;
Approximate Dimensions
H40 x W40 x D40cm
Aqua One Aqua Aspire Glass Aquarium 55 Litre | Pets At Home
<li>Suitable for coldwater, temperate and Tropical fish</li><li>Latest Led Lighting technology</li><li>Powerful internal filter</li><li>Rounded glass</li><li>Aquarium heater</li> is available to buy online at Pets at Home, the UK's largest pet shop with fast delivery and low prices
www.petsathome.com
Nick9one1
New Member
This one looks like it has a good spectrum, decent lm/power and in budget
riverwoodaquatics.co.uk
Twinstar Light iv 300EA
Optimise your aquascaping with Twinstar Light iv 300EA. Combining aesthetic beauty with practical functionality. Discover more today.
riverwoodaquatics.co.uk
Nick9one1
New Member
@oreo57 The MicMol you suggested looks like a really nice light. It has an excellent spectrum, and aesthetically it looks good.
I had a quick look on aliexpress to see if it was any cheaper. I found the Solo at £58 + VAT, but also the bigger G2 for £75 + vat. The only difference I can see is that they have an older controller. But the newer controller can be purchased separately if needed.
LED aquarium light, LED lights, Nano reef aquarium, Reef Builders, Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog, Aqua mini, Aqua Pro, LED nano, micmol
I've ordered one. -Should arrive within a week. I'll update this with my thoughts when it does.
I had a quick look on aliexpress to see if it was any cheaper. I found the Solo at £58 + VAT, but also the bigger G2 for £75 + vat. The only difference I can see is that they have an older controller. But the newer controller can be purchased separately if needed.
LED aquarium light, LED lights, Nano reef aquarium, Reef Builders, Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog, Aqua mini, Aqua Pro, LED nano, micmol
I've ordered one. -Should arrive within a week. I'll update this with my thoughts when it does.
Andy Pierce
Member
I'll be watching this with interest - looks like a good one. I like having some height above the top of the tank to allow for some emersed growth and to get out of the 'splash zone' of an airstone etc.
Nick9one1
New Member
I agree. I also think it gives a better spread of light when they sit higher. I'm new to Freshwater, but kept a very successful SPS & LPS marine tank for quite a few years. Back then I had a couple of radion XR30's that had to be mounted at least 8" from the water to get the correct light coverage.
Superpuma1
Member
That is a great light, l have the 60EA over my 75cm.This one looks like it has a good spectrum, decent lm/power and in budget
Twinstar Light iv 300EA
Optimise your aquascaping with Twinstar Light iv 300EA. Combining aesthetic beauty with practical functionality. Discover more today.
How can you trust what they are writing about the light given that they have provided a PAR distribution that is from a point or circular source and not rectangular as the light is?
richardcunliffe
Member
Go second hand!
Huh? Yea a bit of some artistic license but not circ or point light source.
Let's just say I took a bit of a leap of faith.
OK, just saw you were probably referring to the spec sheet..
LED aquarium light, LED lights, Nano reef aquarium, Reef Builders, Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog, Aqua mini, Aqua Pro, LED nano, micmol
LED aquarium light, LED lights, Nano reef aquarium, Reef Builders, Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog, Aqua mini, Aqua Pro, LED nano, micmol
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Nick9one1
New Member
I've recently been quite impressed by the speed of delivery on aliexpress. Everything I've ordered has arrived in less than 2 weeks.
This seems no different
This seems no different
Nick9one1
New Member
The MicMol arrived today, less than a week from China! I'm really pleased with it.
Out of the box the build quality feels lovely. Everything is anodised aluminium. the mount is nice and high so it gives a very good spread of light.
The setup was very easy (which surprised me). And the app seems feature rich. You can specify the power and timing of each of the four channels independently. Has a few extra features like lunar cycles, thunderstorms, cloud cover etc.
The red channel is very deep
I'm a novice when it comes to plants, so dont really know the names of any I have (surprisingly they are are doing quite well).
With the old lights I couldn't tell this plant had a pink/red tinge to it.
Out of the box the build quality feels lovely. Everything is anodised aluminium. the mount is nice and high so it gives a very good spread of light.
The setup was very easy (which surprised me). And the app seems feature rich. You can specify the power and timing of each of the four channels independently. Has a few extra features like lunar cycles, thunderstorms, cloud cover etc.
The red channel is very deep
I'm a novice when it comes to plants, so dont really know the names of any I have (surprisingly they are are doing quite well).
With the old lights I couldn't tell this plant had a pink/red tinge to it.
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