Neon Tetra Aquarist Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hey guys! NTA here with a pretty good question. What is the best light (be specific pleeeeease) for a low tech 20 gallon tank. The tank doesnt come with a hood, filter, or light so I will get those, but what is a good light (with the proper spectrum/kelvin maybe) that I could use. If you could, links to the light would help me indefinitely! ;D See ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. F Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 LED lighting is the new standard. But what you get depends on a few things. Is your tank going to be planted? If not any LED will do, otherwise the proper spectrum is important. I use a 20" finnex planted plus on my 10g low tech planted and it's great. I have a 30" planted+ on my 20L which started as low tech and the light worked great. What you need for plant growth is red light at 640-680 nm. 650-660 nm gives highest vegetative growth. Some say a mixture of red-orange, 625 nm, and far red, ~730 nm, is as good if not better than 650 nm alone. For blue light wavelengths, between 430-450 nm. Royal blue, 450 nm, is a nice one and makes colors really pop. Then obviously there's white; a mixture of warm, neutral, and cool white light; 3500-4000K, ~6500K, and 8000-10000K, respectively, elicits a full sunlight spectrum. More warm white works better for me, but more cool will make the colors pop more. Similarly, more red light keeps my plants happier, but the blue really makes the colors brilliant. Other than that, some lights have green which help plants with hormonal signaling, but I have no green LEDs and my plants do well. There is also violet which makes colors pop, again, but isn't really necessary. JuanSan and Neon Tetra Aquarist 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Tetra Aquarist Posted July 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2016 Yes it will be planted and THANKS FOR ALL OF THE INFO!!!!!!!!!!! Mr. F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuanSan Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 On 7/12/2016 at 2:28 PM, Mr. F said: LED lighting is the new standard. But what you get depends on a few things. Is your tank going to be planted? If not any LED will do, otherwise the proper spectrum is important. I use a 20" finnex planted plus on my 10g low tech planted and it's great. I have a 30" planted+ on my 20L which started as low tech and the light worked great. What you need for plant growth is red light at 640-680 nm. 650-660 nm gives highest vegetative growth. Some say a mixture of red-orange, 625 nm, and far red, ~730 nm, is as good if not better than 650 nm alone. For blue light wavelengths, between 430-450 nm. Royal blue, 450 nm, is a nice one and makes colors really pop. Then obviously there's white; a mixture of warm, neutral, and cool white light; 3500-4000K, ~6500K, and 8000-10000K, respectively, elicits a full sunlight spectrum. More warm white works better for me, but more cool will make the colors pop more. Similarly, more red light keeps my plants happier, but the blue really makes the colors brilliant. Other than that, some lights have green which help plants with hormonal signaling, but I have no green LEDs and my plants do well. There is also violet which makes colors pop, again, but isn't really necessary. This is just about everything you need to look for in a light for a planted tank. i also have the planted plus but another good one from finnex is the Stingray. Also Current makes some great lights for low-tech setups (Satelite series). Since you wont have a cover, be aware of evaporation and leave an inch or two from the top so you don't have random shrimp suicides! Mr. F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 I have a 20 long low-tech planted tank. I started with one current usa satellite plus strip, but I eventually added a second one. It just wasn't nearly bright enough with just one. With these, you can change the color tone to exactly what you want. I also bought a ramp timer, so the lights gradually go on and off over 15 minutes so as not to startle my critters. If I were to start from scratch, I would probably go with the finnex. Mr. F and JuanSan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrand Posted August 23, 2016 Report Share Posted August 23, 2016 Heres another vote for finnex LED. I run the 30" finnex 24/7 model on my 20 gallon long tank. I would call it medium light level. It wont grow some of the higher demanding plants but most others will do fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aennedry Posted August 27, 2016 Report Share Posted August 27, 2016 I have a finnex singray on my ten, and am planning on getting one for my 20 gal long. My crypts grow like weeds under it. =^._.^= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted November 21, 2016 Report Share Posted November 21, 2016 +1 for the finnex planted+ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 6, 2017 Report Share Posted May 6, 2017 My Finnex 24/7 was cool with the simulated sunrise high sun sunset and moonlight you just set and forget. But it died at 6 mo 2 weeks just after tje warranty was up. My research led me to Aquaray waterproof LED's and a 5 year warranty ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted May 7, 2017 Report Share Posted May 7, 2017 17 hours ago, jessaweeshrimp said: My research led me to Aquaray waterproof LED's and a 5 year warranty ? I Havent seen these before. How much do they run? is your experience still good since you bought one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 7, 2017 Report Share Posted May 7, 2017 Yes!!! Haven't had an issue and they are about 100$ for an 18" unit . I put two of them on my 75 gallon shrimp tank and I have really good plant growth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddd_sss Posted May 7, 2017 Report Share Posted May 7, 2017 +1 for the finnex stingray, got a 36" for my 12 G Long, all my plants are growing steadily, super thin and sleek design, does not get hot at all. For the price, this would be my low tech light for sure. https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Stingray-Aquarium-Light-20-Inch/dp/B00NAFQ6FK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494189847&sr=8-1&keywords=finnex+stingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotKelly Posted May 8, 2017 Report Share Posted May 8, 2017 https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquarium-Light-Extendable-Brackets/dp/B01C84SLRO/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1494226104&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=led+aquarium+light&psc=1 I love this one because it's super cheap yet super bright and grows plants well. i could never buckle down and buy a light that was crazy expensive.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 8, 2017 Report Share Posted May 8, 2017 Well for me so far Finnex is batting .500 I have a Stingray that is still going after 6 months but mu more expensive 24/7 died after 6 1/2 months and the extra Red/Orange light at sunrise and sunset gave me an outbreak of Cyano. It finally went away after switching it to just on off on Full/High sun. I would rather pay double and get something that last 5 times longer ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted May 8, 2017 Report Share Posted May 8, 2017 I use a stingray on my 20g long and love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 I use a Stingray on my 20 planted, a T5 HO on my 12 gallon 36" long bookshelf, an Aquatic Life dual T5 on my 10 gallon, a Hood light style LED by Aqueon on my 30 long and the Aquaray's on my 75 gallon. The Stingray is a good light but the night/moon lightswitch becomes unusable if you put it on a timer. And the led's themselves are nothing special just off the shelf LED's. The Aquaray has the latest and greatest Cree LED 6500k that are cherry picked for their company. Fully encapsulated and still designed to move heat away with about 4 watts per LED it is pretty bright. It is plain with its use of white and none of the other gimmicky colored lights but it has the best warrany and NO other light on the market will grow plants any better. Kessils cost a lot more and don't perform any better. I slowly researched for 6 months or more and finally decided to pull the pin one day and I am pretty happy that I did!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy6107 Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 4 hours ago, jessaweeshrimp said: The Aquaray has the latest and greatest Cree LED 6500k that are cherry picked for their company. Fully encapsulated and still designed to move heat away with about 4 watts per LED it is pretty bright. Since this light is so strong, do you use ferts & co2 ? On my shrimp tanks I do not want to have to do this so I try not to go overboard with my lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 I use liquid Seachem CO2 & ferts once a week tops and I underfertilize to protect my shrimps ? but try to keep my subwasser and planted stuff healthy. Flourite black substrate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 I think having a great light is going to help the plants use up any available nutrients before the ugly stuff gets a chance to ? Just so you know the Strips only have 5 leds per 18" strip. I will try to post my fist SS pic tonight so you can get a better idea ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessaweeshrimp Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Here is a few pics with Aquaray illumination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMerwe Farms Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Hi. If you are into DIY you can check out my video? Maybe it can give you a good idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oem Posted May 14, 2017 Report Share Posted May 14, 2017 Very easily understood video catching all the basic information. Same with the graphics. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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