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Lighting for a 6x2x2 tank

Mattant1984

Member
Joined
13 Jun 2022
Messages
417
Location
Canterbury Kent
Hi all,

So my tank is 6x2x2 and I currently use 3 nicrew LED lights (1x4 foot and 2x3 foot units) these lights do the job but are using a lot of electricity (about 45w each) and take up a lot of space in the aquarium hood.

I would love to have just one lighting unit however it's very difficult to find any 6 foot led lights.

I am running low tech with fairly easy plants so it doesn't need to be anything high end or extravagant so any ideas would be welcomed.

I'd even be open to the idea of a DIY light.
 
I would say that 130w is pretty good for a massive tank like yours!
One popular method for big tanks seems to be LED flood lights, cheap to buy but I think you would still need at least three 30w units and probably four would be better.
 
@foxfish funny you should say that I've just been looking at the 30w floodlights on Amazon and they are 6500k at 2400 lumens. I need to see if that would be enough as my tank is 2 foot deep 🤔
 
@foxfish funny you should say that I've just been looking at the 30w floodlights on Amazon and they are 6500k at 2400 lumens. I need to see if that would be enough as my tank is 2 foot deep 🤔
Makes sure you consider the CRI rating on the lights if you don't want your tank to look washed out and bland. You want at least 80CRI but, shoot for 90+CRI for more accuracy and vibrant colours. Low quality flood lights can also have a strong tint to them(often green) as they are often made with the lowest quality bins of LEDs that no other industry wants(often with output far off of the black body locus). So, I would recommend trying them before buying if possible.

Commercial Grow lighting is another genre of lighting I would investigate. There are some pretty high quality lights for not much money these days. They will often have better quality LED's that are specifically picked for growing plants. I am using one on my plant propagation tank and it is working and looking great.
 
Hi all,
Commercial Grow lighting is another genre of lighting I would investigate. There are some pretty high quality lights for not much money these days. They will often have better quality LED's that are specifically picked for growing plants. I am using one on my plant propagation tank and it is working and looking great.
Definitely an option for a big tank.

cheers Darrel
 
@FISHnLAB I will also take a look at commercial grow lighting, sounds interesting.

Do you have any recommendations??
Well, there are a lot of options and I am far from an expert. I have only tried a few so far. This is the current light I am using on my plant/shrimp propagation tank and am happy with it so far...


It is a Deruikeer 100watt that uses Samsung LM301B emitters. It has a mix of 6500K, 3000K, 730nm Red, & 660nm Infrared emitters. No idea on the CRI rating(not listed on commercial grow lights) but, it is definitely tolerable imo. Tint wise, it is nice. Just a slightly creamy glow. I think the choice of 6500K helps over the more common 5000K options. It grows plants like stink.

DERUIKEER 1000W Led Grow Light 3x3ft Full Spectrum LED Growing Lights for Indoor Plants Greenhouse Veg Bloom Light Hydroponic Growing Lamps Actual Power 150Watt https://a.co/d/7sDUhE5

It goes on sale frequently. I think I paid about 2/3rds what it is currently listed for on sale.

There are many options but, I hope this is helpful to you👍.
 
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Thanks so much for your help there @FISHnLAB it's definitely something I will have a look into. Seems like a fairly cheap option
No problem at all, glad I could help👍.

Yes, decent value for sure. That is a 62L tank that is over and as you can see I am only running the light on less then 1/3rd power(low tech tank) and it is over 12" from the waters surface. I can throw the Killawatt on it later if you want to know how much it is drawing...
 
@FISHnLAB The issue I have is my tank has a hood and lid so I can't suspend a light from the ceiling
This one I have is in an aluminum reflector but, many models are available with just the emitters mounted to a flat aluminum heat sink. They also use self contained power supplies that can be mounted remotely(outside of your hood). So, if you can find one that will fit the dimensions of your setup I would think it could be modified to work. Here is an example of what I am describing...

Uoiuxc 1000 watt Led Grow Light with Samsung Chip & Mean Well Driver, Grow Lights for Indoor Plants Full Spectrum 110W Sunlike for Veg Flower Indoor Plants https://a.co/d/3XlGfeI
 
I've been looking at led batten lights for my garage and have been thinking about trying them over a tank.
They're pretty cheap, come in various lengths and a few of them allow you to change colour temperature. Lumen and cri values look good too.
Not recommending these but just as an example.
 
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Hi all,

So my tank is 6x2x2 and I currently use 3 nicrew LED lights (1x4 foot and 2x3 foot units) these lights do the job but are using a lot of electricity (about 45w each) and take up a lot of space in the aquarium hood.

I would love to have just one lighting unit however it's very difficult to find any 6 foot led lights.

I am running low tech with fairly easy plants so it doesn't need to be anything high end or extravagant so any ideas would be welcomed.

I'd even be open to the idea of a DIY light.
DIY is fairly easy but can be a long conversation.

As to 72" lights there are a few.
What you can get where you are can be an issue.
Beamswork, led21usa, and the new AI Blade lights come to mind.

As mentioned above there are some " full spectrum" horticulture lights though most might be a bit err " warm" for many.
Not to use an old metric but 1 watt/ gallon is a good starting point for a planted tank.
 
My hooded tank is a little smaller being 5ft, and I currently use 2 x 1200mm T5 LED Original Tropical Pro 1200mm - 19w and 2 x Aquarium Systems T5 LED Freshwater Pro 8000K 1200mm 19w. To control the tubes, I have a iQuatics Aqualumi T5 Controller 4 x 54w T5.

I also use a NICREW ClassicLED Plus HO Planted Aquarium Light, Full Spectrum LED Fish Tank Light for Freshwater Plants 120-150 cm for the front of the tank. rela
I am pleased with the results but the reliability of the bulbs is a bit sketchy with a few bulbs failing within the 2 year guarantee period but all replaced quickly by Swell, who I purchased them from.

I am thinking to go along the lines of a Fluval Aquasky 14556 in the future because of the failure rate of the LEDs
 
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