@@TropiscapeAquatics I spent ages researching light options the other day and this was basically everything in one place I hope this video takes off because it's super handy
@@IndoorEcosystem I know how you feel. I'll probably still do the research and spend months trying to decide, despite making this video lmao I also hope this video takes off 😂
No it’s not. He used an incorrect unit of measure. Kelvins measure TEMPERATURE and not light output. Now the hotter the star, the more luminous it is, but again, it’s stupid to use Kelvins for aquarium lighting.
That just made my day! I don't have much presence on other platforms as that's too much work for me, so my reach is a little limited... Best thing you can do to help is the generic "like, comment, subscribe, and share" stuff
@@TropiscapeAquatics you probably work/study and keep yourself busy with some other stuff, but maybe little posts in other platforms would help a lot! And probably don't have to spend that much time for them. Maybo posting something like just the beginning of this video where you explain the topic and leaving the link so people can come to see the entire video, and maybe some photos of your aquarium or whatever. Keeping it as simple as you can but still making presence in other platforms to still reach more people! Hopefully you manage to start doi that and this channel starts growing because you honestly deserve it
I tried that in the beginning when I first started my journey and got overwhelmed and burnt out very fast... I'll probably do more things in the future, but for now, I'm sticking to UA-cam and Discord. I do have an Insta, but that platform is also a whole different beast to tackle. Plus, I'm aware of the dangers of social media, so I generally try not to get too attached to platforms.
@@TropiscapeAquatics fair enough brother, sounds sensible to me. Good luck on your journey and hope the best for you, I'll still be waiting for the content wherever you post it 😂
Again great video and i took a few months to buy a light for my high tech tank . I did so many research and i asked so many people . If you upload this video few months before i didn't waste few months on research😅
Yeah lighting is extremely important, people need to research their plants to make sure they can meet the plants light requirements, I didn't do it when I started growing aquarium plants and I killed a bunch of plants. 🙃
You should be interested in Skylight lamps and their latest Hyperbar model. Currently, these are probably the best lamps for reasonable money with the most extensive application.
What are those "side skirts" on the chihiros light at 0:45 ? did you make that yourself to direct the light? Ive been using towels to cover my lights and ive been looking for a more escentric option.
It's this: www.chihirosaquaticstudio.com/products/chihiros-wrgb-ii-and-wrgb-ii-slim-shades-with-mirror Mind you, my version doesn't have the mirrors on mine.
I have a hood on my aquarium so what do you think about a submersible LED light? It's from Seaqura And it's seven watts. It has a timer and adjustable brightness. It has three color settings... White green red and blue, white, red and green or just blue. I do have low light plants and they list the ones that I have. It has suction cups so I can supposedly attach it underneath my hood also. What are your thoughts?
That is what I did with my Fluval Flex, but with a different submersible light ( video here: ua-cam.com/video/mKH9NPCjfps/v-deo.html ). Considering that you are only growing low-light plants, it should be fine to use as long as every plant gets enough light. Make sure to have a drip loop in the cable, as there is a more likely chance that water can drip down the cable due to any water splashes and evaporation. I can't say how well that light can perform as I've never had my hands on it before, so make sure you have a look at any reviews before purchasing, especially any reviews that pertain to plant growth/health.
This is amazing!! I have a 15 in tank but the chihiro light that I got is 10 in because the next size is 16 inches…. is that enough? I want to have a planted tank THANK U
That should be fine! If possible and if needed, you can raise the height of the light a bit higher and increase the intensity a bit to get a wider range, if that makes sense.
Blue light can slow plant stretching. Great video! Thank you. I would like to try again at a planted tank and am doing a lot of research before I start. I actually have a SpotOn PAR meter for my garden, but I'm not sure how I would use it with the water... :/ Is there a place that has a database for each individual plant's DLI?
By stretching, do you mean the distance between nodes/"leggy" plants? If so, I believe low light intensity is the main cause for this and not blue light. This is purely anecdotal, as I never have an issue with plant stretching unless the light is not intense enough. I also set my Blue LEDs on my Chihiros WRGB 2 to 40%. It's not quite high compared to other lights. Aquatic plants might be different when it comes to terrestrial plants as well. As for the PAR meter, that one looks like it won't survive the moment water touches it. Unless you can make it completely waterproof, there's not much you can do. Even if you do get it to be waterproof, it might hinder the readings depending on your waterproof method. As far as I know, I don't think there is a database for DLI for aquatic plants.
@TropiscapeAquatics wow! Thanks for the reply. I was thinking there was probably some math you could use to factor in the water. Seedling lights often use more blue light in them. This makes for more compact growth. More red during propagation will result in a leggier plant.
@@everennui1 There could be math involved, but I feel like there's too many variables for water to account for (waves, clarity, algae, depth, etc.). I'm not a botanist, so I have no knowledge on this. I've noticed the seedling light thing when it comes to grow light companies and their marketing. I don't take note of them as they're not as important when it comes to aquatic plants as you don't buy seeds for them nor do they bear "fruit". It's a different kind of realm compared to terrestrial plants, but I do think there's some cross-over to some extent that requires further scientific research!
Technically, you can use any light to grow plants. Where it matters is the species and strain of the plants you're growing, as well as PAR values. I haven't watched MD in quite some time, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he uses plants that are on the more "easy" side and don't require as much focus on lighting.
These same spectrums are in us as well... Everything made of atoms... That's why we use rings, color stones in astrology etc Anyways the main base of creation is the apung vibrantions called Aaauuummmmmmmm
Oh cool you from Canada as well I just started looking around for a light for my three 10gal shrimp tank setup.. I'm going to turn the tanks and set it up long next to each other so I got roughly 30" wide to find a light to cover all 3 ... too brands, too confusing lol.. plus seen reviews on Amazon saying light like hygger or nicrew crapped out within a year ... I check out Barrina t5 led as well Most likely just gonna do moss and maybe a couple low light.. would be cool to get red rotala but probably need a higher quality of life
The Barrina T5 will do fine if you're not planning on growing any high demanding plants or red plants. Also, you technically don't need a high-quality light to get plants to be more red. Although, it definitely would help given the quality of the LEDs. I go over how to get plants to become redder in this video: ua-cam.com/video/EWMOE2VFGwQ/v-deo.html Alternatively, if you want an easy red plant, check out Ludwigia 'Super Red'.
Yes and no... For red plants, you mainly want to get a light that has a lot of red in its light spectrum graph. Having the ability to control the RGB channels separately gives you the power to strengthen the reds while lowering the others, if that makes sense. Some T5 bulbs may already give off a lot of red, which is why it's important to look at the spectrum graph when deciding to purchase a light. However, there are some controllable RBG lights (mainly cheap brands) that use weak red LED diodes. These lights may not produce enough red despite lowering the other colours. However, there are some plants that are red without the need of high reds in the spectrum graph, such as Ludwigia 'Super Red'. Of course, having a light with strings reds in its spectrum will be beneficial. These are some of the points I go over in the video that I linked in my previous comment.
@TropiscapeAquatics yeah I understand on the ability to adjust rgb I don't see barrina on amazon showing their spectrum graph.. don't know how much red they got
My personal shopping preference is if they don't provide a spectrum graph, I don't buy it, even if there's a lot of nice features. I'm not saying that they're bad. They will work to some extent, but there's a risk when trying to grow certain plants, such as red plants
you didn't say the most important thing: the best light which is sunlight. there are such excellent LEDs on the market that meet the requirements of D50 D65 and are 99% compatible with daylight. with an excellent color rendering index, our fish, plants and the entire decor. They do not need any additional color channels that only spoil their spectrum. Yes, we have to build such a lamp ourselves, but the construction costs do not exceed the purchase of these most expensive factory models, and they leave them behind by years great.
While I agree that natural sunlight is the best kind of light, this video is more about LED lighting and what to look out for when shopping for LED lights. Plus, not everyone has a place that gets natural sunlight, especially when it comes to their location, weather, and seasonal changes. However, I'm going to kindly disagree with what you said when it comes to CRI. You can have a light that has a low CRI rating, but is able to still grow plants well. There are fluorescent lights out there that have a low CRI rating, yet they are able to grow difficult plants. Personally, CRI is something for us and not for plants. As in, we can choose a light that renders tank in a way that we personally like. Plants care more about spectrum and PAR values rather than CRI and D50/D65 variables. This link here goes a bit more in-depth on CRI and planted aquariums: www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/light-3pillars/what-about-cri
this was an amazing speedrun on lights and specs. like WOAH. you kept a fast pace and barely took a breath. all great stuff for anyone to know!!
All in the powers of editing 😉
I usually try to make sure that things are decently fast and sound connected when it comes to voiceovers.
The best video on UA-cam about aquarium lighting! Hands down! 🤩
Yo! That means a lot! ❤️
@@TropiscapeAquatics I spent ages researching light options the other day and this was basically everything in one place I hope this video takes off because it's super handy
@@IndoorEcosystem I know how you feel. I'll probably still do the research and spend months trying to decide, despite making this video lmao
I also hope this video takes off 😂
No it’s not. He used an incorrect unit of measure. Kelvins measure TEMPERATURE and not light output. Now the hotter the star, the more luminous it is, but again, it’s stupid to use Kelvins for aquarium lighting.
Top tier format and editing as always
Yo! Thanks! It means a lot from someone of your calibre!
Oh hey hello there!
Nice work and editing, the information is just deep enough for me and easy to understand.
Thank you very much 😊
I just bought 3 t8 led lights with different spectrum. Shotgun effect. Works great so far
Nice! That's actually quite common for those using fluorescent lights
Damn how this channel so good yet so underground yet. Bro can't keep being this underrated
That just made my day! I don't have much presence on other platforms as that's too much work for me, so my reach is a little limited...
Best thing you can do to help is the generic "like, comment, subscribe, and share" stuff
@@TropiscapeAquatics you probably work/study and keep yourself busy with some other stuff, but maybe little posts in other platforms would help a lot! And probably don't have to spend that much time for them. Maybo posting something like just the beginning of this video where you explain the topic and leaving the link so people can come to see the entire video, and maybe some photos of your aquarium or whatever. Keeping it as simple as you can but still making presence in other platforms to still reach more people! Hopefully you manage to start doi that and this channel starts growing because you honestly deserve it
I tried that in the beginning when I first started my journey and got overwhelmed and burnt out very fast... I'll probably do more things in the future, but for now, I'm sticking to UA-cam and Discord. I do have an Insta, but that platform is also a whole different beast to tackle. Plus, I'm aware of the dangers of social media, so I generally try not to get too attached to platforms.
@@TropiscapeAquatics fair enough brother, sounds sensible to me. Good luck on your journey and hope the best for you, I'll still be waiting for the content wherever you post it 😂
honestly, shocked. based on this one vid, this channel should be blowing up!
4K Solitaire! hahaha - what a great and comprehensive breakdown of aquarium lights. Definitely learned a lot from this one! Happy New Year~
Glad you enjoyed it!
Happy New Year to you as well!
Again great video and i took a few months to buy a light for my high tech tank . I did so many research and i asked so many people . If you upload this video few months before i didn't waste few months on research😅
I wish I had made this video a long time ago as well! Didn't expect it to be such a massive and complicated topic 😅
Dude went to RTX 4090 aquarium setup
Yeah lighting is extremely important, people need to research their plants to make sure they can meet the plants light requirements, I didn't do it when I started growing aquarium plants and I killed a bunch of plants. 🙃
Same. It was quite the life lesson
You should be interested in Skylight lamps and their latest Hyperbar model. Currently, these are probably the best lamps for reasonable money with the most extensive application.
Only issue is that I cannot find any for sale here in Canada. Unless I'm searching the wrong thing...
What are those "side skirts" on the chihiros light at 0:45 ? did you make that yourself to direct the light? Ive been using towels to cover my lights and ive been looking for a more escentric option.
It's this:
www.chihirosaquaticstudio.com/products/chihiros-wrgb-ii-and-wrgb-ii-slim-shades-with-mirror
Mind you, my version doesn't have the mirrors on mine.
@@TropiscapeAquatics Thanks!
I have a hood on my aquarium so what do you think about a submersible LED light? It's from Seaqura And it's seven watts. It has a timer and adjustable brightness. It has three color settings... White green red and blue, white, red and green or just blue. I do have low light plants and they list the ones that I have. It has suction cups so I can supposedly attach it underneath my hood also. What are your thoughts?
That is what I did with my Fluval Flex, but with a different submersible light ( video here: ua-cam.com/video/mKH9NPCjfps/v-deo.html ). Considering that you are only growing low-light plants, it should be fine to use as long as every plant gets enough light. Make sure to have a drip loop in the cable, as there is a more likely chance that water can drip down the cable due to any water splashes and evaporation. I can't say how well that light can perform as I've never had my hands on it before, so make sure you have a look at any reviews before purchasing, especially any reviews that pertain to plant growth/health.
This is amazing!! I have a 15 in tank but the chihiro light that I got is 10 in because the next size is 16 inches…. is that enough? I want to have a planted tank THANK U
That should be fine! If possible and if needed, you can raise the height of the light a bit higher and increase the intensity a bit to get a wider range, if that makes sense.
Blue light can slow plant stretching.
Great video! Thank you. I would like to try again at a planted tank and am doing a lot of research before I start.
I actually have a SpotOn PAR meter for my garden, but I'm not sure how I would use it with the water... :/
Is there a place that has a database for each individual plant's DLI?
By stretching, do you mean the distance between nodes/"leggy" plants? If so, I believe low light intensity is the main cause for this and not blue light. This is purely anecdotal, as I never have an issue with plant stretching unless the light is not intense enough. I also set my Blue LEDs on my Chihiros WRGB 2 to 40%. It's not quite high compared to other lights. Aquatic plants might be different when it comes to terrestrial plants as well.
As for the PAR meter, that one looks like it won't survive the moment water touches it. Unless you can make it completely waterproof, there's not much you can do. Even if you do get it to be waterproof, it might hinder the readings depending on your waterproof method.
As far as I know, I don't think there is a database for DLI for aquatic plants.
@TropiscapeAquatics wow! Thanks for the reply.
I was thinking there was probably some math you could use to factor in the water.
Seedling lights often use more blue light in them. This makes for more compact growth. More red during propagation will result in a leggier plant.
@@everennui1 There could be math involved, but I feel like there's too many variables for water to account for (waves, clarity, algae, depth, etc.). I'm not a botanist, so I have no knowledge on this.
I've noticed the seedling light thing when it comes to grow light companies and their marketing. I don't take note of them as they're not as important when it comes to aquatic plants as you don't buy seeds for them nor do they bear "fruit".
It's a different kind of realm compared to terrestrial plants, but I do think there's some cross-over to some extent that requires further scientific research!
My light is bigger by like 2-4 inches on each side and is what I got for my 35gal cube but I’m using it on my 10gal first time aquascape
It was growing algae pretty well. Lowered power to 20% will see how it goes in a. Couple weeks. May need to go even lower
Here's hoping lowering the intensity helps! 👍
Md fish tanks has used 20w 6500k floodlights. Was wondering what you thought about something like that
Technically, you can use any light to grow plants. Where it matters is the species and strain of the plants you're growing, as well as PAR values. I haven't watched MD in quite some time, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he uses plants that are on the more "easy" side and don't require as much focus on lighting.
These same spectrums are in us as well... Everything made of atoms... That's why we use rings, color stones in astrology etc
Anyways the main base of creation is the apung vibrantions called Aaauuummmmmmmm
Oh cool you from Canada as well
I just started looking around for a light for my three 10gal shrimp tank setup.. I'm going to turn the tanks and set it up long next to each other so I got roughly 30" wide to find a light to cover all 3 ... too brands, too confusing lol.. plus seen reviews on Amazon saying light like hygger or nicrew crapped out within a year ... I check out Barrina t5 led as well
Most likely just gonna do moss and maybe a couple low light.. would be cool to get red rotala but probably need a higher quality of life
The Barrina T5 will do fine if you're not planning on growing any high demanding plants or red plants.
Also, you technically don't need a high-quality light to get plants to be more red. Although, it definitely would help given the quality of the LEDs. I go over how to get plants to become redder in this video:
ua-cam.com/video/EWMOE2VFGwQ/v-deo.html
Alternatively, if you want an easy red plant, check out Ludwigia 'Super Red'.
@TropiscapeAquatics cool video..
if I want a easy red plant, I have to get a led that allow me to adjust the RBG and not get a simple t5 led?
Yes and no... For red plants, you mainly want to get a light that has a lot of red in its light spectrum graph. Having the ability to control the RGB channels separately gives you the power to strengthen the reds while lowering the others, if that makes sense. Some T5 bulbs may already give off a lot of red, which is why it's important to look at the spectrum graph when deciding to purchase a light. However, there are some controllable RBG lights (mainly cheap brands) that use weak red LED diodes. These lights may not produce enough red despite lowering the other colours.
However, there are some plants that are red without the need of high reds in the spectrum graph, such as Ludwigia 'Super Red'. Of course, having a light with strings reds in its spectrum will be beneficial.
These are some of the points I go over in the video that I linked in my previous comment.
@TropiscapeAquatics yeah I understand on the ability to adjust rgb
I don't see barrina on amazon showing their spectrum graph.. don't know how much red they got
My personal shopping preference is if they don't provide a spectrum graph, I don't buy it, even if there's a lot of nice features. I'm not saying that they're bad. They will work to some extent, but there's a risk when trying to grow certain plants, such as red plants
Needed info on light sizing to tank and couldn't find any. Ordered light. Video pops up. Now i have to return the light 🤦🤦
Lmao, it happens.
you didn't say the most important thing: the best light which is sunlight. there are such excellent LEDs on the market that meet the requirements of D50 D65 and are 99% compatible with daylight. with an excellent color rendering index, our fish, plants and the entire decor. They do not need any additional color channels that only spoil their spectrum. Yes, we have to build such a lamp ourselves, but the construction costs do not exceed the purchase of these most expensive factory models, and they leave them behind by years great.
While I agree that natural sunlight is the best kind of light, this video is more about LED lighting and what to look out for when shopping for LED lights. Plus, not everyone has a place that gets natural sunlight, especially when it comes to their location, weather, and seasonal changes. However, I'm going to kindly disagree with what you said when it comes to CRI. You can have a light that has a low CRI rating, but is able to still grow plants well. There are fluorescent lights out there that have a low CRI rating, yet they are able to grow difficult plants. Personally, CRI is something for us and not for plants. As in, we can choose a light that renders tank in a way that we personally like. Plants care more about spectrum and PAR values rather than CRI and D50/D65 variables.
This link here goes a bit more in-depth on CRI and planted aquariums:
www.2hraquarist.com/blogs/light-3pillars/what-about-cri
Great video…..I take it you do video editing for a living 😂
Nope! I'm in a completely different field entirely. I taught myself how to edit. Personally, I've still got a lot to learn when it comes to editing
Super surprised you didn’t mention Finnex.
To be honest, I haven't used a Finnex light before. I believe they're tough to get here in Canada without paying a lot of money
@@TropiscapeAquatics dang- they’re only 30-40 more than hygger and nicrew.
@@TropiscapeAquaticstruth. I took the extra step and got one but cannot stand the remote....
@@aaron1984a That's a bummer...