Am I Being Dumb?

[mitch70]

I am looking to upgrade my current lighting on my Fluval Roma 240l - currently has 2 x t8 bulbs which are approx 18 months old on for 8 hrs per day - life span is 5000hrs.
 
I know I will need to replace/upgrade soon and have been looking at the new fluval LED range - http/usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lighting/LED-Lighting/A3981
 
 
I did start a post asking for anyones opinions etc but got no replies 

 
I will probaly end up buying these but will they be TOO bright/strong for my set up - I have Java Fern , Java Moss , anubias barteri, Cryptocoryne legroi and Nomaphila stricta.
 
 
I have convinced my self that the LED will be too strong and I would need to use CO2 - I do dose tropica premium liquid fertiliser once a week.   Am I over complicating things? 
 
Will these LED'S or similar be ok or will I have too much light for the plants I have - I was looking just to be 1 unit approx £200 but at 8 hrs a day works out at about 17 years worth before changing!
 
Any help as always greatly appreciated. Thanks

  

 

[coolie]

Hi there mitch, I'm sure someone will come along and answer your questions more fully, but I did a poll on here recently and not many of the experienced fish keepers,
changed the bulbs until they were much older or even dead. I think you will find that early replacement is definitely not needed for Java Fern and Java Moss which live in low light conditions.

 

[ech0o]

Those certainly will not be too strong, they produce a lot of light, but its all divided between very low wattage LED bulbs, so there literally is no chance you could overlight your plants, and in fact that particular strip is probably pretty visually appealing as the light is diffused without beams.   Were you trying to get something you can still stick under the original lid? 

 

[Zante]

What are your intentions for upgrading?
 
I'm asking because the lights you have are more than enough for the plants you have, and you definitely don't need CO2 for them.
 
If you're thinking of adding some demanding plants, then there are several solutions you can look at.
I have upgraded the lighting in my Fluval Roma 90 twice, first for a high light FW environment, then for a mini reef.
 
Now it's back to the original stock lights as it has some anubias and some moss ball in.
 
As soon as I get rid of the fry that's in there I will put my pair of discus in there to attempt breeding and there will be no lighting, I will simply use the lights as a lid, as it will be a bare bottom tank

 

[levahe]

The light units look good but are expensive and don't have an option to add a controller. If there was a controller for these they would be perfect so if it was too bright you could dial it back a bit.

I would love to go led but I'm waiting for an affordable solution with controller appears on the market.

If the led is too strong you could always suspend the lighting higher with a suspension kit. That way you have control over the lighting but you have to install a way to suspend it.

 

[mitch70]

Thanks for all the very quick replies - I was looking to upgrade as keep reading with plants I should change the bulbs every 12month - and thought if i was going to change might as well get something long term that could perhaps handle more light demanding plants in the future.
 
I dont want to go down the C02 route though - I am the most impractical person there is, the wife does our DIY! I own a hammer and if I cant fix something with that I can't fix it!
 
I thought these LED would be something even I could fit and they would hopefully be compatible with my lid.
 
But if people think my lights have life left in them yet I will hold off for the time being.