Roma 200L lighting advice

[Darren_76]

Hi
I have a Fluval Roma 200L aquarium which is the 'old style' T8 bulbs light hood.

Currently I run 1 Fluval Aquasky 2.0 (Bluetooth) as LED retro fit.
I have been getting in to live planting and aquascaping for the last few months. This has provided support for my anxiety and depression.
I would like to add a second retro fit LED as I don't feel the one unit is enough.

So far my options are:

Add another Fluval Aquasky 2.0

Add a Superfish retro LED either 'Bright', 'Color', or 'Combi' versions.

I would like the light to be beneficial for plant growth.
I don't like too bright a lights which have that blue tint.

Does anyone with knowledge of these lights have any suggestions or comments?

Thank you.

 

[Konsa]

Hi and welcome to the community.
Light choice is dependent on the goals you have for your tank.It matters if you plan on CO2 injection and what plant species you will be growing.
I am not using the above mentioned led lights but Im running my low tech 100l ( 40cm high) no CO2 tank with 2 T8 18w 6500k bulbs(£3-£4 each) and its doing sort of well .You don't really need fancy lights to grow plants but having functionality helps sometimes.
Pic of my tank in its current condition

Good luck with your setup
Regards Konstantin

 

[ian_m]

Aqualumi Universal – Gen 2 – iQuatics

Any of these fit a Roma ? I have a 4 tube on my Vision 180 and using 4 tubes one has to really careful not to convert your tank to an algae farm !!!!

 

[mort]

Hi, do you have a rough idea of the plants you want to keep? If there are general easy plants then more light might cause you more problems. I used to run twin t8 bulbs when they came with the tank and it was some of my least hassle, most enjoyable, time in the hobby. Plants might not grow as fast but they will grow if they are undemanding species, if you want to jump in the deep end with more difficult plants then lighting and co2 do become important. Leds are great because you can dim (well some) them and adjust them as the tank develops but old tech can be successful as well.

 

[Darren_76]

Thanks for the replies.

The aquarium is low tech and no plans to go high tech yet.

Gravel substrate with root tabs.

Currently the plants we have are:
Hygrophila Polysperma

Hygrophila Siamensis 53b

Nomaphila Stricta (Giant hygrophila)

Anubias 2 types on rocks

Vallisneria - jungle and spiralis varieties

Moss balls

Cryptocoryne Beckettii

Echinodorus Ozelot green

 

[Stu1407]

If your plants are currently doing well and they look really good from the picture. Why not just leave it as it is, particularly as you are running low tech. Too much light is often the cause of algae problems as many on here will tell you. "If it ain't broke don't fix it."

 

[Simon Cole]

I too get anxiety and depression. I actually moved from LED to fluorescent T5 and I have never looked back. Those Fluval T5 quad/dual units are so wonderful, I can't stop buying them. I would opt for the dual model and get one 2700k extra warm white (orange) bulb and one tropical (pink) bulb. The bulbs are seriously cheap, and are not custom or proprietary sizes, so they can cost as little as £4. You can swap them around and get different colours. They have a swivel and are solid and easy to clean. Sorry if this doesn't answer you question, as I know lots of people prefer LEDs. The benefit is that T5 is 40 to 50 % more powerful than T8, and you can get high output blubs that are even more powerful. So this is a good step-up without going to a 4 tube light fitting. I agree, if it aint broke don't fix it, but I also find LED light a bit annoying, and the vivid beauty of these tube combinations will really enhance your living space. Everything just becomes so much more vibrant.

 

[oreo57]

Hi
I have a Fluval Roma 200L aquarium which is the 'old style' T8 bulbs light hood.

Currently I run 1 Fluval Aquasky 2.0 (Bluetooth) as LED retro fit.
I have been getting in to live planting and aquascaping for the last few months. This has provided support for my anxiety and depression.
I would like to add a second retro fit LED as I don't feel the one unit is enough.

So far my options are:

Add another Fluval Aquasky 2.0

Add a Superfish retro LED either 'Bright', 'Color', or 'Combi' versions.

I would like the light to be beneficial for plant growth.
I don't like too bright a lights which have that blue tint.

Does anyone with knowledge of these lights have any suggestions or comments?

Thank you.

First the basics..
Aquarium measurements: 39″ L x 16″ W x 28″ H / 100 x 40 x 71.5 cm

53 US Gal / 200 L​

Soo deep, not too wide, and 39" odd inches long.
New ones come with Aquasky technology..at 21 watts..

Aquaskys are not known as par monsters to put it gently.

2 36" t8's are like 24W total..
Superfish retro at 90cm lists 30W each tube..

Superfish Retro LED Combi (T8 & JT5)

SuperFish Retro Fit LED Combi Lights are a revolutionary, low energy and cost-effective solution to lighting up your Aquarium.

www.aquacadabra.com

Soo first, is your t8 unit 2 tubes or 1?

If 1 none of these or even if you "upgraded" to a t5ho would be adequate light
The 2 Aquaskys @ 42W is much better..

Do you want to ditch the hood alltogether?