Hey all,
Welcome to step one of building "the planted tank member's choice aquarium", Lighting. This will be a planted aquariyum designed by popular vote of The Planted Tank forum members. The tank is a 65 gallon all glass with black pine stand. Tank dimensions are 36" L x 24" T x 18" W with a center brace. Tank has open top with no wooden canopy (I have a glass canopy if light calls for it).
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I hope you all take the time to participate. I really think the end result will be a fantastic hi tech planted aquarium that all of us can be proud of. Since its in my living room, I'll foot the bill, but I want all members who participate to feel like it is their aquarium too!
My goal is to have similar votes on co2 equipment, filtration, ferts, livestock, etc.as soon as this one ends. full disclosure, the tank currently has some rams (3), ottos (8), and shrimp in it, and is planted; but I will redo/remove whatever necessary to accommodate member's winning votes on various topics, including aquascaping.
I will purchase whichever fixture gets the most informed votes. I will weigh compelling arguments when making the decision, so that the final product is a well thought out system that functions cohesively.
Here are the criteria. The "musts" which any light has to meet, and my "wants" which are not necessary and can be voted out:
Must: provide "high light", be mountable on the tank (no hanging), no DIY, not overheat the tank (no chiller in budget), provide the proper spectrum (6,000k-8,000k), be no louder than a normal fan on like a nova extreme (no whining), be available in the united states
wants (not 100% necessary): allow easy access to the tank for feeding/cleaning, single fixture (except for leds like kessil or finnex), long bulb life, access to replacement parts, moonlights,
I have been considering the following lights, but these are by no means the only options. I will investigate all suggestions, speak to manufacturers if need be and report back all findings in this thread:
4x39w coralvue t5 with 7 1w blue leds $375
jbj trinity 4 x39w t5 with 4 1w leds $275
2 kessil amazon sun multichip led w gooseneck $500 approx.
finnex ray II x2 $300 (not thrilled with two fixtures but w/e)
finnex 4x39w t5 $300ish
maxspect razor (not available in US until end of Jan.) 160w 8,000k $500 (one of the light banks would sit right over the center brace though)
the 120w model only has two banks but from what I have heard from Jeremy at Premium aquatics that its a very tight beam that would not give great coverage if mounted on the top of the tank)
Ill keep the votes going for up to two weeks, unless there is a clear winnier sooner.
I know how much fun it is to set up a new tank, and I also know that most of us can only keep one or two; so here's your chance to do it without spending any money or taking up any of your space!
Since I started the thread, I'll vote first. Based on my research in to several different lights, I'm leaning towards two kessil a150 amazon suns w goosenecks. They seem powerful enough and they'll look cool when the system is done. I also like that the multichip led is fairly cutting edge which reflects what I would like the overall system to be (but its not up to me!).
Welcome to step one of building "the planted tank member's choice aquarium", Lighting. This will be a planted aquariyum designed by popular vote of The Planted Tank forum members. The tank is a 65 gallon all glass with black pine stand. Tank dimensions are 36" L x 24" T x 18" W with a center brace. Tank has open top with no wooden canopy (I have a glass canopy if light calls for it).
I hope you all take the time to participate. I really think the end result will be a fantastic hi tech planted aquarium that all of us can be proud of. Since its in my living room, I'll foot the bill, but I want all members who participate to feel like it is their aquarium too!
My goal is to have similar votes on co2 equipment, filtration, ferts, livestock, etc.as soon as this one ends. full disclosure, the tank currently has some rams (3), ottos (8), and shrimp in it, and is planted; but I will redo/remove whatever necessary to accommodate member's winning votes on various topics, including aquascaping.
I will purchase whichever fixture gets the most informed votes. I will weigh compelling arguments when making the decision, so that the final product is a well thought out system that functions cohesively.
Here are the criteria. The "musts" which any light has to meet, and my "wants" which are not necessary and can be voted out:
Must: provide "high light", be mountable on the tank (no hanging), no DIY, not overheat the tank (no chiller in budget), provide the proper spectrum (6,000k-8,000k), be no louder than a normal fan on like a nova extreme (no whining), be available in the united states
wants (not 100% necessary): allow easy access to the tank for feeding/cleaning, single fixture (except for leds like kessil or finnex), long bulb life, access to replacement parts, moonlights,
I have been considering the following lights, but these are by no means the only options. I will investigate all suggestions, speak to manufacturers if need be and report back all findings in this thread:
4x39w coralvue t5 with 7 1w blue leds $375
jbj trinity 4 x39w t5 with 4 1w leds $275
2 kessil amazon sun multichip led w gooseneck $500 approx.
finnex ray II x2 $300 (not thrilled with two fixtures but w/e)
finnex 4x39w t5 $300ish
maxspect razor (not available in US until end of Jan.) 160w 8,000k $500 (one of the light banks would sit right over the center brace though)
the 120w model only has two banks but from what I have heard from Jeremy at Premium aquatics that its a very tight beam that would not give great coverage if mounted on the top of the tank)
Ill keep the votes going for up to two weeks, unless there is a clear winnier sooner.
I know how much fun it is to set up a new tank, and I also know that most of us can only keep one or two; so here's your chance to do it without spending any money or taking up any of your space!
Since I started the thread, I'll vote first. Based on my research in to several different lights, I'm leaning towards two kessil a150 amazon suns w goosenecks. They seem powerful enough and they'll look cool when the system is done. I also like that the multichip led is fairly cutting edge which reflects what I would like the overall system to be (but its not up to me!).
