Suggestions for plant light for 8" opening

[WayneN]

Hi I have an acrylic bowl that's 16 gallons with an 8" opening. I'm using 2 general LED spotlights that are 12 watts each. They're not full spectrum or plant lights. All of the plants seem to be dying. I've got medium light plants like Hygro, Cardamine, Water Wristeria (what I could buy locally). I've had plant tanks twice before but only kept low light Java Ferns and Anubias Nana with Flourish Excel. They did great until both times I bought plants at lfs that brought in hair algae but no problems growing them. I'm bored with those plants so I tried medium light plants. I'm sure the lighting is the problem but I can't find anything that is 8" wide or less.

The LED grow lights on Amazon that screw into standard bases are really tall with the light bulb socket and are pink light, which is hard to view. I'd rather have white light. And the LEDs in panels are too big.

There's one other solution that I don't want to do. I could cut the opening larger to maybe 10" or 12" diameter with a jig saw. But I don't want to do that unless I have to. I doubt I could cut the round opening straight.

Could anyone recommend a plant light that would work for medium light plants that could fit the 8" opening?

Thanks!

 

[FreshyFresh]

The configuration of your tank sounds like it will make it difficult for light to get to the mid and bottom levels regardless of the type of light being used. I'd probably try one of those aluminum work light reflectors with a higher wattage CFL or LED screw-in bulb in the 6500K color/temp range.

 

[WayneN]

The configuration of your tank sounds like it will make it difficult for light to get to the mid and bottom levels regardless of the type of light being used. I'd probably try one of those aluminum work light reflectors with a higher wattage CFL or LED screw-in bulb in the 6500K color/temp range.

Hi thanks yes it looks like I'll have to return the CFL. I wanted LED because of the energy savings but it just isn't working out. Thanks!

 

[FreshyFresh]

You might not necessarily have to go CFL if you can find a relatively high wattage LED to fit a fixture appropriate for your application. FWIW, I've got a cheap little eBay Chinese "plant" LED floodlight like the one below over one side of my goldfish tank. It's an obnoxious red/pink/blue, but it makes the goldfish colors POP. Crazy bright for something rated at ~5watts energy consumption. It's been on for ~8hrs/day for 6-8months now. Maybe more.

 

[Rob Bredin]

Can't understand properly.

 

[WayneN]

Thanks for the replies. Right now I'm using two 12 watt LED 6000k lights. They're spotlights I got on Amazon. Each has twelve 1 watt LED. It's super bright, but I don't know why the plants are dying? I'm guessing it has to be the lighting?

The Hygro seems to be dying. The leaves are slowly turning brown.
The Water Wisteria I can't tell. The Amano Shrimp are eating it.
The Cardamine I can't tell. Amano Shrimp eating it.
The Ludwigia Repens seems to be growing.
The mystery plant from Petco seems to be growing. I got half off the $3.49 because it was rotting and dying.

Two plants I ordered from the Internet died.
Two separate bunches of Anacharis died. Funny but they were pearling til the day I threw them out. They were yellow with brown tips and the leaf edges were rotting off.

The Amano Shrimp are eating many of the plants. They're skeletonizing the leaves. They have to be getting enough to eat, because they have an all you can eat frozen brine shrimp buffet every night from 11pm until the food runs out about 7 or 8am. This much food is mainly for the kuhli loaches. It keeps them entertained all night.

So I'm assuming it's the lighting that's killing the plants. I'm doing weekly water changes and adding Flourish Excel and Flourish. Flourish Trace will be here tomorrow.

So I'm just seeing what grows and dies. I thought the lighting was very bright and could sustain medium light plants.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Galaxyhydro 12W Aquarium LED Light Optimized Spectrum Refugium Light for Coral,Alge & Fish https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01COKRU4C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0OAyzbJH04P6K

 

[fishorama]

What is the depth of you tank & overall size? I haven't tried LEDs, many in my plant club use Kessil spots but I don't know how it compares to your LEDs.

Anacharis is a cool water plant, I've never been able grow it well. L. repens should be easy as should many crypts, rotala "indica", baby tears (NOT dwarf; HM not HC). Cardimine, meh, should be "easy" but not for me. Dwarf sag, Italian val also good.

It "seems" like maybe too much light for the amount of ferts & co2... Do you dose Excel? You plants might be starving for ferts too. That's probably my biggest issue, learning to dose ferts correctly.

 

[WayneN]

Galaxyhydro 12W Aquarium LED Light Optimized Spectrum Refugium Light for Coral,Alge & Fish https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01COKRU4C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0OAyzbJH04P6K

Thanks for the suggestion. That light looks better than the pink hydroponics lights.

 

[WayneN]

What is the depth of you tank & overall size? I haven't tried LEDs, many in my plant club use Kessil spots but I don't know how it compares to your LEDs.

Anacharis is a cool water plant, I've never been able grow it well. L. repens should be easy as should many crypts, rotala "indica", baby tears (NOT dwarf; HM not HC). Cardimine, meh, should be "easy" but not for me. Dwarf sag, Italian val also good.

It "seems" like maybe too much light for the amount of ferts & co2... Do you dose Excel? You plants might be starving for ferts too. That's probably my biggest issue, learning to dose ferts correctly.

Hi thanks for your reply. It's a acrylic bowl 16 gallons and 19.7" in diameter. The two lights are 4" from the tops of the plants. They're generic LED spot lights 6000K for recess lighting. Each LED is 1 watt and there are 12 LEDs per light. It's super bright.



So I'm thinking you may be right and it may not be the lighting. Up until a few weeks ago I was using API Bio-Chem Zorb, because I'm using a Rena XP3 canister filter. It has very fine carbon and I'm thinking that removed the Seachem Flourish. Flourish is brown with an oily texture and that's what carbon removes. So maybe the plants starved?

I can't tell, if removing the Bio-Chem Zorb improved things? The Hygro and Water Wisteria were dying so I've already tossed them. But the other plants are looking good, except the Amano Shrimp are eating the Cardamine.

I can't add the recommend dose of Flourish Excel, because the fish scratch on the sand. Something is irritating them. This tank has zero nitrates with 3 bags of Purigen in the canister filter and big weekly water changes. So I'm using only half a dose of Excel twice a week along with Flourish and Flourish Trace only once a week.

So I think you may be right. It's not the lighting, but it's just the right combination of plants and fertilizers. I have to keep trying, until I get the right balance. Thanks!

 

[fishorama]

Wow, that looks nice! I like the "moody" lighting.

Is the anubius "crown" above the substrate (where leaves & roots meet)? Java fern too? Those stems seem like "easy" ones to me, good choices.

I have to say a Rena XP3 seems like extreme overkill for such a small tank, lol. What fish do you have? I've only used that size filter on 4ft tanks, I'm surprised your substrate isn't flying all over & your plants flattened.