Zoo Med Aquasun Led Ho Aquarium Fixture

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Isn't that more of a marine system rather than plants? Plants don't really benefit whatsoever from the blue LEDs but Corals love it.
 
They have a planted module with 'red' lights which I can switch over to, should I wish to.
 
 
Personally, I don't see why the plants wouldn't respond to 'blue', since chlorophyll is green, and can absorb both red and blue light.  And I would think that red plants would do better with a blue tint.
 
 
But, I guess that depends on what the light produced by the LEDs really are and what the plants like.
 
 
But, I was thinking more along the lines of the whites helping the plants and then using the blue for a 'moonlight' appearance.   The blues are only 0.5W, whereas the whites are 1W.
 
I use this
 
aquael-leddy-tube-xl.jpg

 
I guess you may be right about the blue spectrum, Am having a derp moment.
 
That little guy makes my hairgrass grow every 3 days, It's the best LED I've bought to date. They do many different versions of it but for a large tank am sure you'd be better off with that set you have. 
 
Red is crucial to plant photosynthesis.  Photosynthesis in aquatic plants is primarily driven by red and blue, so any plant lighting must be high in both.  I'm attaching a graph of the wavelengths necessary for photosynthesis.  As will be obvious, the red is not so prominent as the blue, but is still essential.
 
At this point I will mention green, which used to be thought rather useless because it is not a primary driver of photosynthesis, but studies have proven that when green is added to the red and blue, plant response is stronger.  Diana Walstad has surmised that this may be more as a result of the additional intensity of the light rather than the green wavelength itself, and there is merit in that thinking.  This is why the "daylight" tubes having a Kelvin between 5000K and 7000K work so well; they are high in red, blue and green.  This mix also provides a truer rendition of colours of fish and plants.
 
JD, I am following this thread with interest because my one foray into LED was a disaster; and that was a so-called planted tank LED from Fluval.  It was way too blue (it only had white and blue LEDs).  One of these days the fixture over my 33g is going to go, as it is my oldest T8 (was actually T12) from 1995, and I'd like to try a decent LED, so I will be interested in feedback on the unit you linked.  ZooMed produce some very good lighting in T8 and T5, so presumably their LED should be decent.  But you will definitely want the red; the plant modules should be the main ones, with possibly one of the white (this has white and a blue) if you like a cooler white.  From the 6000K of the white modules, this should be sufficient blue.
 
Last comment on the red plants...these need even more red and green light or they will not remain red (or may die).  They appear red because they reflect this wavelength, and as it is also necessary for photosynthesis, there has to be more of it.  The yellow/green light does seem to supply this in mixes of red/blue/green, like the "daylight" in fluorescent (T8 and T5) lighting, and while I assume it would be present in LED with similar wavelengths the intensity might be the issue.
 
Byron.
 

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An interesting finding in the green area...  The classic experiment involves algae, aerobic bacteria and a red, green and blue filter.  The bacteria are only found in the range of the blue and red, and in basically similar numbers...  But, the idea that the green could somehow act as a catalyst is intriguing to me.
 
 
 
The white LEDs for this are 6000K.   There are white LEDs, red LEDs and blue LEDs that can be added...  with different modules.  I was really curious as to what the whites by themselves might do on their own, and use the blue as a moonlight setting.   The one thing I like about it is that each LED is easily replaceable... which makes the whole thing a bit customizable. ;)
 
 
Sounds very interesting... just gotta run it by the boss.
 
Another issue with too much blue may be increasing algae.  This is because blue light makes iron in the water column more freely available to algae than higher plants.  Iron in oxygenated water is usually bound with dissolved organic carbons [this is one detriment to plants from an excess of oxygen]; plants can take up iron from the substrate and the water, but algae requires free iron in the water.  The bound iron is made transiently available by photoreduction, and once released the iron is readily taken up by algae.  UV and blue light induce the highest amount of photoreduction, which may explain why algae problems frequently occur with very blue light.
 
I used to prefer the cooler white light, and over my dual-tube tanks I had opportunity to experiment a bit.  For about three years I used one 6700K tube (the Hagen Life-Glo as it happened) and one much higher blue; one tank had an 11,000K and another a 10,000K.  It just happened that the local sources for both ended, so I had to look at other tubes.  I went with two 6500K for about two years, and did notice a lessening of problem algae.  I have more recently gone back to the mix I used with success during the 1990's, namely one 6500K and one 5000K for a bit more warmth.  Now that I am used to this blend once again, I can see why it was so successful; the colour rendition is better, and algae is still in the shadows, so to speak.
 
Byron.
 
Now that is interesting!  I hadn't thought of the link to iron.  :good:
 
Like I said, this would be a fully customizable system though.... which might be a REALLY good thing. :D  I could try with blue, or with red, or just all white.

Was hoping someone would have experience with this, but I guess not... I might be the first here.
 
Byron said:
I used to prefer the cooler white light, and over my dual-tube tanks I had opportunity to experiment a bit.  For about three years I used one 6700K tube (the Hagen Life-Glo as it happened) and one much higher blue; one tank had an 11,000K and another a 10,000K.  It just happened that the local sources for both ended, so I had to look at other tubes.  I went with two 6500K for about two years, and did notice a lessening of problem algae.  I have more recently gone back to the mix I used with success during the 1990's, namely one 6500K and one 5000K for a bit more warmth.  Now that I am used to this blend once again, I can see why it was so successful; the colour rendition is better, and algae is still in the shadows, so to speak.
 
Byron.
 
Hey byron,
what size tank are you using the 6500 and 5000? i have one of the 6500.. it was good for the algae bloom i had, but now, i dont feel its enough. (i added several plants since then) they seem to yellow. and some are leaves are clear. a couple have holes. 
shout.gif
Im not sure what will fix that. its got to be excess or lack of something? i did a water change. should i do them more often then? i do have some diatoms still.
 
the creeping jenny i think its called. is yellowing. the cardamine is dropping leaves has holes. and the wallichii looks.. singed..
 
 
It could be a nutrient deficiency too.   And likely is.
 
http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/articles/197
 

Symptoms Exhibited                                                   Likely Cause
 
Leaves turning yellow or red                                         Nitrogen deficiency
 
Leaves turning brown/black, plants dying                    Excess phosphate
 
Old leaves developing yellow spots, new
leaves yellow on edges                                                 Potassium deficiency
 
Old leaves developing yellow spots,
veins staying green                                                       Magnesium deficiency
 
Yellow spots developing on veins, margins,
and tips of leaves                                                          Zinc deficiency
 
Plants failing to grow properly, 
white deposits on new growth                                      Carbon dioxide deficiency
 
Leaves yellowing from the tip then
become transparent                                                    Iron deficiency
 
thanks! i did consider that. should i add flourish more often? i just have sand substrate... 
noexpression.gif
 
Well, when you increase the plants in your tank, you increase the load on the nutrients, so if you (let's say) doubled the plant mass, without doubling the nutrients available, that could certainly be a cause for it.
 
Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 250 L (60 gallons) once or twice a week. For smaller doses, please note that each cap thread is approximately 1 mL. Refrigeration after opening is recommended but not required.[/size]
 
I don't know how much you are dosing, nor how frequently, so its hard to say.   Also, remember that Flourish is primarily for MICRO-NUTRIENTS.  Its not really a nitrogen source, nor phosphate or potassium.  And nitrogen or potassium deficiency can also be responsible for yellowing leaves, as can light deficiency.  BUT, if the light was sufficient in the tank before for those same plants, it isn't likely to be insufficient now - unless your bulbs are old....
 
So, there are a few likely culprits for this:
 
1 - light isn't intense enough
2 - iron deficiency
3 - nitrogen deficiency
4 - potassium deficiency
5 - some combination of the above.
 
 
The simplest test to start with would be to increase your Flourish dose.  As it seems to be a new development and linked to the introduction of new plants, I lean away from Number 1.  And adding more flourish will add more iron (check #2), more nitrogen (check 3), more potassium (check 4)  (which checks most of number 5).  It is also possible to be an excess of phosphates, but that doesn't fit with the introduction of MORE plants.  So, I'll pass on that option for now.
 
Hey byron,
what size tank are you using the 6500 and 5000? i have one of the 6500.. it was good for the algae bloom i had, but now, i dont feel its enough. (i added several plants since then) they seem to yellow. and some are leaves are clear. a couple have holes. 
shout.gif
 Im not sure what will fix that. its got to be excess or lack of something? i did a water change. should i do them more often then? i do have some diatoms still.
 
the creeping jenny i think its called. is yellowing. the cardamine is dropping leaves has holes. and the wallichii looks.. singed..
 
 
I concur with what JD has posted in the interim.  To directly answer your question, these are the 48-inch tubes over 70g, 90g (4-foot tanks) and 115g (5 foot tank).  The 48-inch tubes over these tanks provides good light, but the smaller tubes over single tube tanks are a bit different.
 
You will need to give us the tank size (volume and dimensions) and the data on your present light.  From this we should be able to determine the light situation.  As I said previously, or in another thread, nuisance algae is caused by an imbalance between light (intensity and duration) and nutrients.  One needs to assess all the relevant data (lighting, fish and plants, fertilizers) to offer a viable solution.  Fiddling with this or that can make things even worse.
 
Byron.
 
Thanks a lot guys. always good clear info here. love it. I google most things of course, but i wanted more straight info... nothing better than real experience. and this all makes perfect sense. Ive just been worried to dose more of that stuff. I do it once a week. (and i dose 1ml. to the first thread) what would you recommend? start dosing twice a week? or even more often?

Its the same tank as before Byron
the 18-20 gal cube. with the one 6500k tube. cf 36w
 
Well, you are 'underdosing' according to the directions of Flourish... They recommend 1 ml per 12 gallons.  So, you would want to dose 1.5-1.8 ml per 18-20 gallons.  I'd suggest that you invest in a 'medicine syringe' = available at your local pharmacy for just a dollar or two.  And then up your dose to 1.5 ml for your tank once a week.   OR, 0.75 ml each dose twice a week if you wanted to keep your levels more consistent.  But, personally, I think that doing a single weekly dose is easier to remember.
 

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