LED Lights (for a 1ft cube planted)

[Droicut]

Hi all,

Looking to restart a small planted tank and was wondering if the Aqualighter Nano light set will be enough? Intending to go high tech so lights are quite important. On GC's website, it states suitable up to 25L but not familiar with how to calculate power with LED since they only rate it 4.5W?

If not, I'm also looking at the VG lightsets on East Ocean catalogue as it looks damn sleek. I'm quite a sucker for visuals.

Read around that LED need minimum 3W per bulb to be effective, is it the same for 1ft tanks as well?

[Phillipians]

Hi Droicut,

I have both the VG 30cm series from East Ocean and the Aqualighter nano. IMO, the nano is definitely not sufficient. 4.5W is way short of the high tech high maintenance that you are looking at.

The VG on the other hand is probably decent enough. I just got mine 1 week + ago and my plants are bubbling and also the rotala species seem to be crawling. This to me indicates that the light is sufficient. Also, the aesthestics is the same as ADA lights and that to me is a no brainer for almost 5 times less of the ADA price. Go check out their website. Very very affordable. Comparable with the UP aqua lights but better aesthetics. The light set is however, not as well fitted as the ADA ones; the metal part has some gaps but you will find that it does not compromise the function. So far so good!

Aqualighter nano seems to be more for 25cm or 20cm cube. Same price as the VG series but 3 times less wattage. Aqualighter is 4.5W, VG is 15W.
However, aqualighter is so sleek! heh

[Shadow]

1ft cube is about 27 liters.

If you want high tech with dense stem plant and couple of red plant to spice up the color then you might need some thing brighter. For example my tank below is using 20W LED flood light mounted 15cm above water surface, the tank size is 40x20x20cm which is 16 liters. but to be honest I have not try lower wattage, maybe give same result

[skytan]

Wow..Shadow if you don't say this is 16l it is hard to guesstimate it by looking at the photo in a glance.
Awesome tank you have there,

[Shadow]

That the purpose make it look bigger that it should be. They key is to select plant with smaller leaf as well as small fauna .

[zhou yuande]

Wow!!! You have a very nicely scaped tank, bro Shadow. There is bolbitis in your scape. Do you mind advising me how to grow this plant well? I have problems keeping this plant alive as it always dies on me

[Phillipians]

Haha, good question. I also want to ask. Do you use chiller for your bolbitis? Trying to grow them without chiller in a 27degree celsius tank.

[Shadow]

Haha, good question. I also want to ask. Do you use chiller for your bolbitis? Trying to grow them without chiller in a 27degree celsius tank.

Wow!!! You have a very nicely scaped tank, bro Shadow. There is bolbitis in your scape. Do you mind advising me how to grow this plant well? I have problems keeping this plant alive as it always dies on me

I do not want to hijack other thread, so I reply you at bellow thread
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ghlight=bridge

[Droicut]

I see, the specs made me think the wattage rule of thumb don't work with LED

I'm actually only looking to grow glossos and hairgrass. What do you think then should I get?

[Shadow]

The rule temp was not work on little tank in the first place and LED make it worst. My rule of thumb is to get 70-75% the fluorescent light. For example, if I normally need 48W T5HO, I will get around 35W LED to replace it.

Glosso will need high light to get it creep. I suggest you use Monte carlo instead of glosso, it is much easier to grow. Hairgrass is very easy, anything that can grow glosso should not have problem to grow hairgrass

[zhou yuande]

Thank you bro Shadow

[Droicut]

The rule temp was not work on little tank in the first place and LED make it worst. My rule of thumb is to get 70-75% the fluorescent light. For example, if I normally need 48W T5HO, I will get around 35W LED to replace it. Glosso will need high light to get it creep. I suggest you use Monte carlo instead of glosso, it is much easier to grow. Hairgrass is very easy, anything that can grow glosso should not have problem to grow hairgrass

Thanks! I never heard of Monte Carlo before... will check it out instead of glosso if its easier. I think i'll go for the VG lightset, just afraid the nano don't have enough juice.

[Apistoinka]

May i know what is vg lightset

[Urban Aquaria]

May i know what is vg lightset

You can check out the East Ocean website for more info on it: http://www.eastoceansg.com/vg-zy301-...nt-p-1805.html

[Apistoinka]

Thank you boss.. was still thinking if up z series enough for my 30cm cube tank. With soil about 10cm thick. Please advice as foreground plants planning is mc or glosso.

[Urban Aquaria]

Thank you boss.. was still thinking if up z series enough for my 30cm cube tank. With soil about 10cm thick. Please advice as foreground plants planning is mc or glosso.

10cm thick soil in a 30cm cube tank is quite alot of soil, about 1/3 of the tank volume is soil... that means the plants are much closer to the lights.

I've used the Z-Series LED lights to grow MC and glosso in 30cm height tanks with less soil thickness, so it should be sufficient.

You do still need to make sure that Co2 and nutrients are also at optimal levels too, otherwise even with more light the plant growth will still be restricted.

If somehow your Co2 and nutrients are at ample levels and the plants are still not growing fast enough, then simply add another set of lights to boost the overall intensity.

[Apistoinka]

Thank you.. well i have pressurized co2 at 1bps. There is base fert and root monster. For dosing of ferts i am totally nuts. Need some advice on what to get and how much dosage.