Well I have been looking around this site at what people have done with lighting and am utterly taken in by the idea of lunar lights. I would like to get a new light fixture (36") for a planted tank w/lunar lights and am looking for suggestions where/what to buy. So far I have looked thru Big Al's Online and it would seem that lights bright enough for a planted tank (that have lunar lights included) get hot enough to need a fan which makes me wonder just how loud and annoying is that going to get? Thanks for any help. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
Aquarium lighting with lunar lighting?
- Thread starter lilcavy2
- Start date
have you thought about just making your own lunar light?
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103075
personally think its best to get the right lighting you need for the tank and have the lunar lights 2nd.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103075
personally think its best to get the right lighting you need for the tank and have the lunar lights 2nd.
Making anything involving electricity is out of the question. I have zero experience with wiring. I am asking for suggestions of products so that I do get the "right lighting for the tank" with lunar lighting. Most of the products I have seen that include lunar lights are very high wattage. I am hoping there are options out there.
echoofformless
Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Beyond the fact that they may be higher wattage than what you want, usually such units have fixed lunar lights - often in dead center which in my opinion is not aesthetically pleasing. When it comes to lunar lighting I personally feel that each tank has certain sweeter spots than others, and having lights that you can place anywhere allows you to use your creativity through trial and error to place them in spots that bring out the most dramatic effects.
Try the Current USA Lunar Links. You can connect as many or as few as you like to a single AC adapter and place them wherever you wish. In fact I don't have them permanently in place on any of my tanks. I put them in all sorts of different spots depending on the look I want to enjoy at night. Lots of fun. Try them on the sides of the tank to create cool undulating shadows. Very dramatic and idiot proof.
Try the Current USA Lunar Links. You can connect as many or as few as you like to a single AC adapter and place them wherever you wish. In fact I don't have them permanently in place on any of my tanks. I put them in all sorts of different spots depending on the look I want to enjoy at night. Lots of fun. Try them on the sides of the tank to create cool undulating shadows. Very dramatic and idiot proof.
what light you buy depends on a lot of factors.
lights depend on
Kelvin (K) rating: around 6700K is ideal,
lumens - i dont know much about lumens at all, others can chime in about that
watts - watts depends on the type of light: T5HO can use less watts to achieve the Watts in a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL)
Tank Volume - tanks actual volume plays a critical role of how much light you will need on top of your tank.
i can go on and on.
so, what size is your tank? what type of plants do you want to grow? do you plan on going "high tech" or "low tech"? Do you plan on purchasing a pressurized co2 system?
If you end up just putting a lot of light over your tank because it comes with lunar lights....then y ou will most likely end up with an algae farm.
-chris
lights depend on
Kelvin (K) rating: around 6700K is ideal,
lumens - i dont know much about lumens at all, others can chime in about that
watts - watts depends on the type of light: T5HO can use less watts to achieve the Watts in a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL)
Tank Volume - tanks actual volume plays a critical role of how much light you will need on top of your tank.
i can go on and on.
so, what size is your tank? what type of plants do you want to grow? do you plan on going "high tech" or "low tech"? Do you plan on purchasing a pressurized co2 system?
If you end up just putting a lot of light over your tank because it comes with lunar lights....then y ou will most likely end up with an algae farm.
-chris
Fantastic, thanks! :clap: (...and idiot proof is exactly what I need) Looks like quite a few places sell them too. Hmm, I bet I can get some very cool shadows in my hexagonal tank.
I've got the sundial 36" running with a 5500k, 6700k, and 2 10,000k bulbs. It has a couple fans built in and they are no louder than the fx5 I have running under the tank. Also it has 4 lunar lights for your enjoyment. Comes with only 1 plug and built in timers as well were the main selling feature for me. Eliminates alot of extra junk underneath the tank.
Great places to buy lighting are:
hellolights.com
catalinaaquarium.com
fishneedit.com
All will offer lights with lunar LEDs. Typically, fixtures that come with LEDs will be high light, and require a setup suited for such. What is your current lighting?
As far as the fan noise, unless something is wrong, the fan shouldn't be very loud. I've had Coralife and JBJ fixtures, and the fans were never above a whisper. You had to be standing at the tank to hear them.
hellolights.com
catalinaaquarium.com
fishneedit.com
All will offer lights with lunar LEDs. Typically, fixtures that come with LEDs will be high light, and require a setup suited for such. What is your current lighting?
As far as the fan noise, unless something is wrong, the fan shouldn't be very loud. I've had Coralife and JBJ fixtures, and the fans were never above a whisper. You had to be standing at the tank to hear them.
Well, I have two tanks I'm going to plant but starting with the 29 gallon (it's a 30 inch length), I want to grow low-medium level light plants that tolerate hard water. Low tech and I would prefer not to have to do CO2. Since I can get the lunar lights separate, I am looking at the 30 inch SILVER SOLAR T5 HO AQUARIUM LIGHT FIXTURE, two 24 watt 6500K bulbs.