Led Lighting

[sswm]

Hey

Im looking for a new light fixture for my 20 long. I want to have some vals, maybe a sword plant and some anubias.

Would this LED fixture provied enough light for these plants?
My linkhttp/www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Lighting_LED-Lighting_LED-Double-Bright-Light_8394241_102.html?tc=fish
It would be the 24-36" fixture with 8-1W LED lamps

Or would I just be safer going with a double T5 fixture?

 

[term_22000]

Hey

Im looking for a new light fixture for my 20 long. I want to have some vals, maybe a sword plant and some anubias.

Would this LED fixture provied enough light for these plants?
My linkhttp/www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Lighting_LED-Lighting_LED-Double-Bright-Light_8394241_102.html?tc=fish
It would be the 24-36" fixture with 8-1W LED lamps

Or would I just be safer going with a double T5 fixture?

I would go with the T5 if it were me. That light looks more like a light for show but not as good for your plants. At least in my opinion

 

[SuperColey1]

I would go with the T5 if it were me. That light looks more like a light for show but not as good for your plants. At least in my opinion

Not for show at all. high power LEDs are far superior to fluorescent and MH in every aspec. Output, efficiency, longevity. You can basically say that an 1WPG = 2-3 WPG of Fluorescent and 3-4WPG of MH.

However that unit is not one of them. Apart from the fact that it is made for Marine and not Planted (so will give off the wrong colour for plants to use) their statement here astonishes me:

these fixtures boast an impressive 17,000 hour lifetime, and never require bulb replacement!

A few problems with that statement:
-17000 hours is pitiful. high power LEDs units should have a 'lifetime' of circa 50000 hours, f;uorescents will have a 'lifetime' of 30,000+ hours

-Never need replacing? Yes they do, after 17,000 hours at the most going by there statement.

-Lifetime is not useful information in this hobby. That just tells you when it will probably stop working if it reaches that mark. However we need to replace lights when they are not giving sufficient light no when they are crawling along on their last legs.

-I would suggest LEDs should be replaced every 6-7 years and Fluorescents on electronic ballasts (and not magnetic ballasts) should be replaced every 2-3 years.

Summary - If that marketing blurb is accurate then you should buy T8 or T5 linear (not T5HO) as that will be better than the unit you link to. It shouldn't be though an LED unit should be much better and last for much longer before the LEDs need replacing

AC