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If you're into LED floodlights...

35K views 43 replies 23 participants last post by  mmfujiusn 
#1 ·
I love the look of point source lights on an aquarium. The drama, the ripple effect, shadows, it can't be just me. So I've been using only led floodlights for several years now on different planted tanks and I have recently had a success that I think would benefit those in search of similar lighting ideas.

I have a 75g tank that I ran 2x30w daylight led floods on 8hrs for a year or so. I wasn't happy with the growth, color, or algae in my tank. My crypts were laying flat and greenspot algae was covering any plant leaf that was few weeks old. Here's a pic of the tank with those floods.


I then installed 2x20w RGB led floods from amazon (brand Novostella) and removed the daylight floods without changing any other parameters. These lights are less intense, more full spectrum, and made a huge difference! Plant growth took off and the colors in plants and fish really stand out now. I'm very pleased with my tank now for the first time in a long time. Here's a recent pic...


Other tank info;
light CO2 injection
root tabs in mostly inert substrate with some flourite mixed in
K2SO4 and CSM+B on auto doser
9 congo tetras, 4 roseline barbs, 4 BN plecos
A. reinickii mini, H. Angustifolia, Red Flame swords, Windelov java fern, various crypts and anubias.

I hope this information helps someone!
 
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#6 ·
Are these the smart lights they sell? Can you provide a link to the exact lights your using?
Here you go. I wasn't 100% that these links were allowed...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X55HSGB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bump:
is this it?

https://www.amazon.com/Novostella-2...2oW+rgb+led+flood+light&qid=1597280042&sr=8-5

sorry, don't know if this link actually works or not, I typed in (on Amazon) Novostella 20W rgb led flood lights and only one thing came up, that was the brand name Novostella. Maybe the link will work for someone else...again, sorry...
Not the smart ones which are $60 per pair, but the dumb ones with a remote for $30 per pair.

Bump:
Those are the only ones I saw too. There adjustable so I wonder what the OP set them at.
With the remote I just picked "W" for white and left it at the brightest setting.
 
#5 ·
It is a neat idea. I have seen others posting on different forums about using flood lights. I haven't (until this, that is) seen any pics of anything, though... It is a neat concept, considering that the lights that I saw on Amazon were sixty bucks for two of them. That's pretty inexpensive lighting for a 75g tank!
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
Yes, I use these on a cheap outlet timer and the settings hold. I *think* the smart ones are much more programmable, but I was only willing to drop $30 on them in case they didn't work out so well.

He said that that they are the dumb ones, so, I am guessing that he bought a timer with them. It is a neat concept. 30 bucks to light a 75g tank and grow those beautiful red plants with them?!?!? That would be amazing. I kinda feel stupid for spending so much money on lighting now....
So, notice that I do have my A. reineckii and Red swords centered under the flood lights. Where aquarium designed and built lights provide a more even light distribution that allows for infinite aquascaping possibilities, these floods have a distribution similar to a kessil. So your aquascapes must have higher light plants toward the center and lower light plants toward the edges. All of my aquarium is not well lit. The upper corners of the tank are dark, so any fish that swim in those areas are difficult to see. But, when a male albino congo tetra swims into full spectrum lighting from the dark, it's pretty damn awesome!
 
#8 ·
If they are a "smart" light, ideally you should be able to schedule them and not need a timer.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
#9 ·
He said that that they are the dumb ones, so, I am guessing that he bought a timer with them. It is a neat concept. 30 bucks to light a 75g tank and grow those beautiful red plants with them?!?!? That would be amazing. I kinda feel stupid for spending so much money on lighting now....
 
#11 ·
Ah, I must have been thinking about the other link. I have ran the same kind of programmable LEDs (the tape ones) and the settings remained after a power cycle. I have thought about putting a couple of strips in my hood to tune the light.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
#12 ·
I just ordered a pair of the 20W lights for my 1000g tank. I want to see how they look as general lighting first and then maybe I'll order some of the higher wattage versions. I don't have any plants in this tank, so it's just for general lighting. I'd like to add some large plants and moss to a couple areas of the tank though and spotlights just might do the trick.
 
#15 ·
I've got one of these lights over the 1000g tank now and it looks pretty good for just general lighting. Keep in mind my tank is 8x4x4 so there's a lot of depth and surface area. Two of the 20's will light it up very nicely though. I may get a pair of the higher wattage lights so I can try growing some plants in a couple spots as well as some moss on my driftwood/log. I think some huge vals and java ferns along with moss would really look awesome in this tank.
 
#16 ·
Are you running these using white lights only? If so, why do you think they are working so much better than the other white lights you were using before? I know you had said they are "full spectrum" but if they are only running using white, and not any other colors wouldn't it produce similar results to a normal 6500k setup or am I misunderstanding the whole concept.

In any case, I picked up one to put over my fluval flex 9 gallon as I haven't been impressed with growth using stock lighting.
 
#17 ·
The floodlights I had before consisted of "daylight" leds only, i'm guessing 5,000K-6,500K. That means each diode was only white. White LEDs have a pretty poor distribution of colors throughout the spectrum, the main problem is getting both higher and lower wavelengths (red and blue) from the same diode. Generally, the higher kelvin, the more blue light at less red light. Lower kelvin means more red with less blue. White LED spectrum is the black line in the graph below.

With RBG LEDs, the visible white light that you see is produced by three individual diodes, one red, one blue, and one green. Hence "RGB". The spectrum has three peaks at the respective wavelengths. Ultimately, it boils down to ratios of wavelength input. RGB's emit a similar ratio of each wavelength, making a white light with more of the spectrum involved.

My goal was to see more of the red from my plants, while keeping the blue spectrum high for growth. The green spectrum is mostly reflected by the plants, so they appear very green and healthy. These lights are very similar to the LED fixtures that have multiple colors of diodes in adjustable strings, like the fluval 3.0, just less adapted to our hobby. Each color button on the remote control represents a different intensity setting for the individual color strings. I would definitely use the dim adjustment on a 9 gallon tank, one of the floods lights half of my 75.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Oh ok, that makes much more sense. I have some RGB lights around the house but they must not be full spectrum because when I set it at white, all the lights just turn white.

I am sure one of these is overkill for my tank but other lights at the same price are very weak wattage wise.

Light is out for delivery so I will update how it goes.

Edit. Ok lights came in and very good initial impression. Super bright and the colors on my fish and plants look a lot more vibrant. Taking some before and after plant growth pics to monitor progress with new light.
 
#20 ·
Oh ok, that makes much more sense. I have some RGB lights around the house but they must not be full spectrum because when I set it at white, all the lights just turn white.
Actually if "normal" the blending of RGB just looks white..
The other somewhat common design uses RGB and white diodes
They would in reality be more "full spectrum" than any RGB can achieve.

As usual marketing plays havoc on reality.
 
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#19 ·
I bought a pair of the 30-watt lights for my 90-gallon (340 liters), 24" (61 cm) tall tank a few months ago. A month later I opted for the 60-watt versions. They seem to work well in my tank, which has CO2 injection, ~30 ppm. But I'm wondering if I should go for the 100-watt lights. I suspect not, but I'm wondering what some of you might think. I have no idea what the PAR values are, and all my fish seem to thrive in the shade and in the open, so it's probably not too bright. Mainly my mild concern is that the plants are growin', but they ain't pearlin'.
 
#25 ·
I have a basic wooden diy canopy that holds these lights just off the surface of the tank. If you are going to hang them higher, then most definitely consider a higher wattage. Make sure to get a version with the dimming feature for fine tuning.
 
#33 ·
I will post pictures when the lights turn on but I used 4 of the 20w lights over my 75. I did not care for the white setting as it was much to blue for my liking I set mine to the white setting minus 4 clicks of blue. The settings on the novastella lights with the remote is 7 settings so a little more than half the blue. Currently debating on adding another type of lighting to bring brightness up and going more towards white light.
 
#36 ·
I love the look of point source lights on an aquarium. The drama, the ripple effect, shadows, it can't be just me. So I've been using only led floodlights for several years now on different planted tanks and I have recently had a success that I think would benefit those in search of similar lighting ideas.

I have a 75g tank that I ran 2x30w daylight led floods on 8hrs for a year or so. I wasn't happy with the growth, color, or algae in my tank. My crypts were laying flat and greenspot algae was covering any plant leaf that was few weeks old. Here's a pic of the tank with those floods.


I then installed 2x20w RGB led floods from amazon (brand Novostella) and removed the daylight floods without changing any other parameters. These lights are less intense, more full spectrum, and made a huge difference! Plant growth took off and the colors in plants and fish really stand out now. I'm very pleased with my tank now for the first time in a long time. Here's a recent pic...


Other tank info;
light CO2 injection
root tabs in mostly inert substrate with some flourite mixed in
K2SO4 and CSM+B on auto doser
9 congo tetras, 4 roseline barbs, 4 BN plecos
A. reinickii mini, H. Angustifolia, Red Flame swords, Windelov java fern, various crypts and anubias.

I hope this information helps someone!
How are you liking them now? I am trying to decide to get some of these for my 90 gallon. 24" height. Should I opt for the 60 watt or get these and maybe add 1 or 2? Thanks
 
#40 ·
I really want insane par on my 60 gal (don't ask why! hehe) What do you think about running these two 30w lights side by side with 2x 50w 6500 floodlights? I would think it would be insanely bright and insanely capable. That's 4 floodlights on top of a 60gal. and i'd imagine light distribution would be great as well, assuming I rise the lights up by 1 1/2".
 
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