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Budget LED fixture for 75 Gal. Planted Tank

8K views 38 replies 11 participants last post by  Natalkirlin 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,
I have 75 Gal. Tank that is 19" tall 19" deep and 48" long. I am setting it up as a low tech, with sand substrate and wood and rock hardscape. The plants I plan to use:

Dwarf Hairgrass
Valisneria Nana
Anubias Nana
Java Moss
Amazon Sword

I am looking for an LED fixture that will not be too fancy but will provide light for my plants to thrive and not cost a fortune.
 
#2 ·
I have a Beamswork LED 1W 6500K HI Lumen Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant (DHL 48 6500K) 48 inch I used on my 75 . Not very expensive from Amazon , or TopDogSellers . I don't know if enough light for hairgrass , but it grew Swords,Anubias,Java Ferns , and some stem plants and others for me . Someone else may chime in with more knowledge .
 
#3 ·
#6 ·
Thank you guys for your input!

jefkroll,
The first light says it's for Coral/Reef, will it work fine for plants?

I was looking at Beamswork for a while and I know they are not very powerful so I will need two of them.

In this case, can a Fluval 3.0 replace two Beamswork? I am talking about the 48" Fluval 3.0

Yea I know but it has enough range to cover fw needs.. esp. since many prefer the cool white look over a more neutral/warm tone.
BUT it would def be cool white..Plants wouldn't care you might..
It's sort of a crapshoot atm.. I'm trying to get a channel breakdown..
https://www.amazon.com/Bozily-Aquar...3S9JGZGY2JR&psc=1&refRID=W0S75WYS53S9JGZGY2JR
best to ignore it for the moment.. ;)


5 row Beamsworks are plenty powerful.. 2 are recommended just to get better front/back coverage..
One Fluval won't replace 2 Beamsworks..
 
#9 ·
How about some DIY? If in the right spot, it can make for super cheap and super flexible and that is where I like to start on my lighting as it normally takes a bit of playing to find what works best for each tank.
I like to match the materials used for the fixture with some of the really cheap, easy stuff off the auction site. Depends on how much appearance matters on each tank but I find it easy to whip up a box to hold a few bulb holders and then screw some of the horizontal bulbs in until I find what works for the plants and what I want to look at for my pleasure. Plants really are not too fussy, so I do a search for this:

E27 G24 Horizontal Plug Light LED Corn Lamp
Cheap enough to buy several and swap them out until it looks right but I do start with "cool white". They work great for replacement bulbs in the old incandescent fixtures we find laying around. Just leave room for cooling to avoid melting the plastic!!!
 
#10 ·
PlantedRich,

I like the idea of DIY and I enjoy doing things my self, but I have no experience at all with planted tanks. It is very likely that as a beginner I am going to have problems with my plants so I need to be sure that if have problems it's not because of the light. I need a light that is guaranteed to do the job, so that I can worry about other things. 🙂
 
#16 ·
Mike16T,

Something around 100$

In my research on Amazon and reading reviews. I find that the LED fixtures with best reviews are Beamswork, NICREW, and Fluval 3.0

Beamswork - 60 Watt - 70$
NICREW - 36 Watt - 60$
Fluval 3.0 - 59 Watt - 186$

Out of these fixtures looks like Beamswork has best wattage per dollar.
Fluval 3.0 is way too overpriced...

Someone mentioned above that I will need two Beamswork. Two Beamswork will equal 120 watt of light, I think this much light will grow algae like there is no tomorrow.
How much light do I really need for my tank to be able to grow most of the plants out there. I am saying most because I don't know what I might want to grow in the future in my tank.
 
#22 ·
Are you trying to get a hairgrass carpet? My research (and personal attempt) shows that it won't carpet without co2. If you use co2 you will want more par. Also you may want to add other plants down the line.

If it's not in the budget then that's all there is to it. But if you can afford the extra light it's easier to set it up now. That way if you are at your LFS and see a really cool plant you can get it and have a reasonable expectation it will grow so long as it doesn't need co2.
 
#24 ·
40 par is closer to low light though these definitions are not set in stone. Some would say it's medium others would say it's definitely low. While it is easy to grow that doesn't mean it will carpet. It just means it won't die right away without co2 etc. There is surviving and thriving and the two are definitely not the same. If all you want is some roundish clumps then you don't need co2. If you want a carpet then you need co2.
 
#27 ·
Again there are not a lot of hard definitions. Some might say it's on the lower end of high light. Others would say medium light. If you have 80 par at substrate then a few inches up you will be over 100 which is good if you decide to change your plants around in the future. It allows for more flexibility and you can always dial it back if you find it's too much.
 
#29 ·
#30 ·
AFAICT..DHG just needs sufficient CO2..light intensity isn't the key really.
like anything some people can grow orchids in a desert..;)

https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/carpeting-plants.html
Suggests starting w/ 50PAR at the substrate..

Using stronger light highly increases the chances of success with carpeting plants in low tech tanks.
NOTE: Low tech (no CO2) tanks..
 
#33 · (Edited)
AFAICT..DHG just needs sufficient CO2..light intensity isn't the key really.
like anything some people can grow orchids in a desert..;)

https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/carpeting-plants.html
Suggests starting w/ 50PAR at the substrate..


NOTE: Low tech (no CO2) tanks..
To get 50 PAR at the substrate I will need two Beamswork then. I really like Fluval 3.0 but I would probably need two of them and that's way too expensive for me.
I hate that two Beamswork with controllers in price come close to the price of one Fluval 3.0 which makes it hard for me to decide if I should get one Fluval or two Beamswork...
 
#37 ·
I wanted to go Beamswork but ended up with a Nicrew Classic LED Plus since Im in Europe and Beamswork isn't easily available. I'm getting good growth with the Nicrew and you can check out my tank journal for pics, but I think even the Classic LED Plus is pretty low light. If you can get Beamswork for basically the same price I'd go that way if you absolutely want to try one of these cheaper lights. I will probably upgrade to a Chihiros as my plants a little be leggy.
 
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