[SomeCanuck]

So I'm going to be upgrading to a 15 or 20 gallon soon and I'm thinking of moving to LED lighting. I'm not going to be running CO2 and the plants are mostly medium to low light, so I was wondering what would be the better fit for my tank. Sizes will be either (WxDxH) 20x12x14 (15g) or 24x14x14 inches (20g).

Panorama Module Freshwater LED Kit
or
Finnex FugeRay Ultra Slim LED Fixture
or
Finnex Ray II Ultra Slim LED DS - Dual 7000k

Opinions would be very much appreciated, thanks!

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

So I'm going to be upgrading to a 15 or 20 gallon soon and I'm thinking of moving to LED lighting. I'm not going to be running CO2 and the plants are mostly medium to low light, so I was wondering what would be the better fit for my tank. Sizes will be either (WxDxH) 20x12x14 (15g) or 24x14x14 inches (20g).

Panorama Module Freshwater LED Kit
or
Finnex FugeRay Ultra Slim LED Fixture
or
Finnex Ray II Ultra Slim LED DS - Dual 7000k

Opinions would be very much appreciated, thanks!

Hi SomeCanuck,

If you are looking at a kit, I suggest checking out the new AH Supply LED lamp arrays. They are easy to install with good par values and no need for a separate 'power supply' (driver).

 

[SomeCanuck]

Wow, those certainly seem like interesting possibilities. I don't really know anything about building my own stuff, but if I understand correctly, I'd only need to buy the lamp and socket at the most basic, which would then fit inside whatever reflector/canopy I could find to house it? Certainly sounds pretty cool, assuming they ship these things to Canada.

For the record, the reason I was asking about the 3 possibilities I posted is because I can get all 3 of them in Canada for less than 100$ with shipping. Sidebar: God I hate shipping rates in Canada D:

Hi SomeCanuck,

If you are looking at a kit, I suggest checking out the new AH Supply LED lamp arrays. They are easy to install with good par values and no need for a separate 'power supply' (driver).

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Wow, those certainly seem like interesting possibilities. I don't really know anything about building my own stuff, but if I understand correctly, I'd only need to buy the lamp and socket at the most basic, which would then fit inside whatever reflector/canopy I could find to house it? Certainly sounds pretty cool, assuming they ship these things to Canada.

For the record, the reason I was asking about the 3 possibilities I posted is because I can get all 3 of them in Canada for less than 100$ with shipping. Sidebar: God I hate shipping rates in Canada D:

Hi SomeCanuck,

You summarized correctly; the LED lamp arrays use no driver, no ballast, no transformer, in fact because the LED light is "directed" downward you don't need reflectors. You need an AC cord, 2G11 socket, and the LED lamp array - a switch is optional.

 

[jmhart]

I just purchased a Finnex 24" Fugeray for my 60-P (~17 gallons). It's been on there a week, and I'm really pleased with it. As far as how well it'll grow plants, I'll have to wait and see (but others have had great success, that's why I picked it).

I chose the Fugeray over the Ray II because I wanted lower lighting. Being honest with myself, I knew that I wouldn't be able to truly take care of a high light tank, so I went with something that, if I were to run out of CO2 for a few days or few weeks, it wouldn't make my tank into an algae oasis. It seemed to me that the 24" Ray II over a 14" tall tank would have been a high maintenance, very high light tank.

As far as the AH Supply lights...they look awesome and it's a great concept and being able to retrofit is an exciting proposition. However, I'd probably rather spend just a few more bucks an get a Finnex fixture because of the sleek design. 20W 22" AH Supply retro is $84. Finnex 20W 24" is $95. That $11 is really worth it. The sleek nature of the finnex really did wonders for my 60-P. I'm very happy to be rid of the (comparably) HUGE Coralife Aqualight that was on there before.

 

[SomeCanuck]

Ahhh, I see. That makes a lot of sense. And makes it sound like I should probably go with the Fugeray over the Ray II for similar reasons, if I choose to go that route.

Yeah, I'm also working around what I can get in Canada without having to add an extra 50$ in shipping, so the AHS light might not even be a possibility anyways.

 

[micheljq]

Salut SomeCanuck you are in Montreal, check this for cheap led light bulbs if you are interested : www.montrealimport.com

I live in Quebec I ordered 2 of these : http://www.montrealimport.com/~mimport/product.php?id_product=211

Michel.

 

[SomeCanuck]

Oh, that looks awesome! Unfortunately my soon-to-be tank will be too small for the light you got. And I'd like something a bit sleeker than the LED "bulbs" to replace regular ones. But I've definitely saved the link for future reference when I one day get myself a big tank. Un gros merci, Michel!