Thank you Alex!! ~ When I first started keeping fish, LEDs had not yet been invented!! (yes, Im That old,Lol!!) Its Fascinating how far this has come, and Im sure this benefits the fish,~considerably!! Namste,./\,. Andrea and Critters. ....XxX....
Haha I remember those days too. I mean honestly LEDs are only 15 or 20 years old in the hobby. I remember the big ballast hoods with 3 or 4 c2 or t2 tube's haha
I've been using a Hyper Tough 4 foot 5000k LED light from Walmart that I got for $18. It's been growing anubias, crypts, swords, a tiger lotus, and mosses just fine.
I use the same lights plus two of these style shop lights in the Video. I bought them for temporary use 6 years ago. They've never given me a reason to change them.
Great find. I've been using LED flood blubs in the cheapo clamp on reflectors. Bright enough to give my mystery snails a black (beard) photosynthetic fur coat.
Great topic. I’m glad you mentioned the longevity of the TwinStar. Lights can get banged around in a busy fish room. I have heard some speculation that CREE lights like the Amazon Kessil style lights are essentially ones that do not meet a certain QC standard and they have had issues with them lasting long term. With that being said at a fraction of the price it’s kind of like well who cares since they cost so little to replace.
Right. You May very well be correct about cree selling off cheaper/defective or even refurbished diodes. It's hard to ever know when the components are rarely ever traceable within a brand
I am fairly new and have a current light and a hugger light. I have to say I LOVE the current, my fish and rocks look amazing, but no plants in that one. My hygger is just ok, but plants grow fairly well. I'm about to set up a 29 and this one I want to try my hand at a really nice scape with plants and CO2. I'm completely clueless as to what light for that one. So, I would love to see an updated lighting video! I will go back and watch your others right now though 😊
Thanks! Though I just got a Chihiros WRGB II Slim because it has an app similar to the fluval plant 3, and yeah. Huge upgrade from a nobrand Amazon light. I don't think most people would want to care about fine tuning colors and temperature, but maybe dimming at most. You pay for the nerdiness, though even people like KGB says "I just want to hit on and it should be on and not care beyond that".
I get wanting to play with those settings and details. Just not all my tanks need it. But it IS kinda of fun tech once you understand the hobby and your plants/animals and ecology as someone keeping tanks for several years. Thanks for your input buddy!
I run finnex stingray 2 on my aquariums. But these spot lights will work well for my house plants during the winter when the sun is weak and not out for as long during the cold dark new england winters. I'll be sure to buy a 4 pack and use them for my house plants and experiment with one on my snail and shrimp tank to consider for new display tanks I have planned for next year.
I like the adjustability that Fluval 3.0 gives me. However, I have grown plants with a shop light. I like the co-op light too, but I want it to be adjustable like Fluval is. 😊
We got a little duckweed situation here. 😂😂😂 I know the feeling! Awesome info in this video. I run one of each of these brands except the CREE one. 😅Kinda curious to see what a basic light would look like on what I am doing.
Great Video!😊 Question: And trying to understand the concepts of this video, I had bought these floodlights so I had put three on it board. Would these parameters work? -> LED Flood Light Outdoor, 300W Equivalent 3000LM Smart RGB Landscape Lighting with APP Control, DIY Scenes - Timing - Warm White 2700K -
So the 2700k is probably a bit too cool for optimal plant growth ..... low light and medium light plants may do fine if it looks bright enough to your eye. But I try and get 6000-7000k Kelvin. Anything over a few thousand lumens as 6 to 12 inches will also be plenty strong if you have 3. The watts don't really tell us too much due to the vast range of efficiency and hardware out... At the end of the day if you just want to see the fish and keep a few plants, anything should work according to your personal taste, it may just be a little more algae prone or likely to flower than vegetatively grow bushy plants. But anything is better than the kits you get at the big box bet stores as stock lights
Great timing, I had two lights bite the dust yesterday (completely coincidentally, one was a cord malfunction on an already half busted one, one just 🤷🏻)- I'm thinking of doing my 12g bookshelf as a marine aquarium, do you have specific thoughts on reef lighting, as long as I'm shopping? Thanks for this video!
Thanks for staying so focused on this one, Alex. I would like to see updated lighting videos, and I would like them not to be live streams, because when the live part is over, all those greetings kind of just get in the way of getting to the actual information, making it kind of a disjointed and rambling experience. This was excellent information, I knew that diodes come in different quality levels, but I didn’t know what to look for. Are Cree the most powerful diodes? Or just the most powerful that you’ll find in floodlights?
Totally. So Samsung and or Sony are seen as better quality diodes usually, where as CREEN is reliable but still inexpensive compared... like a Toyota prius vs a tesla for instance
I use floodlights cuz Im poor. Big downside for me is the massive amount of heat they produce. Quite bad in already hot weather. But I'm getting aircon this autumn, so next summer it wont bother me too much :)
Hi Alex! Playing catch-up on your latest streams. (Other)Life events got in my way😆 I have all Hygger lighting on my tanks. Various types, sizes, but all have the auto ramp up, sunrise-low/high daylight, ramp down, sunset, moonlight modes. Cheap enuf for me, grow crazy plants, including red ones. Mostly tho I feel it helps the aquarium inhabitants with a more “natural-ish” photo period. Only been back into the hobby in earnest the past year and a half but in much earlier years I had fluorescent tube bulbs mounted in the metal style hood canopy. No in tank heater required, hahaha! You could cook a meal on those suckers if so inclined….not that I ever tried. Anyways, great info here and I’d love a review/deep dive on current lighting options/brands, etc. Take care, catch ya live sometime soon hopefully….life happens!😁☮❤🐠🦐🪴
I'm using grow lights. They were cheap. If it looks too purple the regular house light fixes it. Algae eaters and plants are happy. I swear it helps with ich. Can't prove it.. At all. But I'd say it..
Yeah there are, but it all depends on the specific light you buy , since some have different diameter mounts and such, but there are dozens of kits out there online... Ali baba or amazon
Good stuff. Lots of comments generated! In my experience after lots of experiments. For deeper tanks,100 watt 6/6,500 K floods work very well, but can bleach/scorch surface plants and overheat tanks, especially in the summer months. Suspended high enough, say a foot, they reduce plant elongation and don't generate so many problems and still punch light to the substrate. Lots of the functions on dedicated aquarium lights can be bothersome and pointless, certainly for the majority of us, blue light, spectrum alteration, ramp ups etc., and especially if a siesta is desired, built-in timers can be very restrictive. In terms of lumen and punch, mid-range aquarium brand lights can be very disappointing compared to 30 and 50 watt floods. I would be hard pressed to say expensive brands produce better plant growth proportionate to the cost - a cheap floodlight is sometimes more than five times cheaper than a top brand aquarium light and so long as rated with comparable wattage/lumen produces very similar plant growth. Personally, I have had I think less algae problems with warmer light, between 4 and 5,000 K. Some aquarium brands marketed for freshwater plant growth I have measured above 8,500 K.
So what would you recommend for a 75? I stupidly bought a aqueon strip style and it sucks ass. lol wish i would a got a hygger for half $$ 😂 i don’t mind to spend some more money on a light but don’t want to spend 1k either haha. I guess i would be growing low to mid range plants. But I’d want the ability to do a dwarf hair grass carpet or something of that nature. Right now i just have anubis, crypts, ferns, sag & Val.
@@Jhholderfield That's a reasonable sized tank, depth makes a big difference. Assuming no hood, four 50 watt outdoor floods (about $100) would do the trick. I have combined Nicrew 30+ watts, which is rich in blue and therefore compensates for the lack of Lumens, with a full spectrum of 70 watt Hygger on a four foot with success for medium light plants. But depending on the width of the tank you might need three aquarium designated strip lights, three or four domestic LED lights would do the job. The Australian young lad - Keeping fish Simple, uses one ordinary domestic white LED strip light on tanks to grow Hornwort and Crypts etc., and you could investigate hydroponic lamps (cannabis lamps to some) full spectrum lamps - relatively cheap but the fittings are not always attractive. Good luck. Good to know how you get on working on a budget.
Great video as usual. At 12.08 what are the little floaters? Looks like a little fern leaf. Don’t think I’ve seen them before. Looking healthy by the way, hope you’re feeling well ❤️🇦🇺
Oh boy, there was a lot there that wasn't quite right. Lights measured in kelvin aren't missing any parts of the spectrum compared to lights that include discrete RGB LEDs. For example the CurrentUSA light is not missing any spectrum that the Finnex has, and both of those have a specific kelvin value associated with them even if they are not advertised as such. So if you're not going with an adjustable light like the Fluval, you're locked into a fixed kelvin regardless of whether it has discrete RGB LEDs or not. Then the bit about only a couple of LED manufacturers is wrong. Yes, Cree and Samsung are the well known name brands, with others like Nichia and Luxeon/Lumiled also being quality name brands, albeit not as well known. Unfortunately there are generic knock-offs too that falsely peddle their products as being Cree/Samsung and you just don't know unless you measure the power consumption and light output (or have a known real product to compare to). Sadly, historically most of the flood lights are going to fall into that fake category. If you're lucky they might get factory seconds, or an undesirable bin, of real Cree/Samsung LEDs.
I agree with everything you are saying, but 1. People watching this mostly won't care and by the average watch time of 3 minutes...they got to the part where I said what light I used...then bye bye. I appreciate your accuracy, but im just trying to make it as simple (even if incorrect slightly) as possible... i didnt cover a whole lot, from how water depth matters, to kelvin actually representing a spectrum in tiny amounts of each light value all added up...or energy efficiency and a so many details that id tend to include in a half hour video. So while you are totally correct, this is really a video for people who don't want any details essentially:( and If you watch my 3 hours of in depth deep dive into light. .sure I get into that. But the point was to make a super beginner video here. I also misspoke and said warm was down the spectrum at one point, but no one has seemed to notice and I said the correct way ans had graphics 2 or 3 times, so I'm not removing the whole video for it But sure Kelvin, as pictured showed it is a section of the spectrum, not literally one temperature. But the strength of each, is very diminished without dedicated diodes closer in blues or Reds, or soft white vs warm white etc.
Hey question what about just cheap LED strip lighting it's flexible it sticks on to whatever surface you want to put it on and you can change the colours usually from your phone I picked up a rule of LED strip lighting at the dollar store for $4 a little while ago that it can control by Bluetooth from my phone but I don't know enough about the spectrums that it would put out but it does have red lighting green lighting basically whatever you want I don't know if the same thing do you have any ideas?
So you need red and blue...or strong white spectrums, for plants. The main issue with those lights is the intensity being far too low unfortunately. They work for seeing the fish, but don't really grow much other than maybe Java fern, bolbitus and algae
Just be aware that there are counterfeit (fake) CREE lights and also lights and stuff with fake specs out there on the internet. If you see a single AA battery flashlight that says it does 2,000,000 lumens and runs for 90 hours on 1 battery, know that it is fake. I have a Kill-O-Watt which lets me check if the power consumption is what it claims.
Yes. It's called " the lasagna method" there Is a 15 minute edit and a 40 minute in depth science behind the setup version as well! I hope that helps 🙏
I use "single color - high wattage (nominal 50W but I think it only takes around 20-30W from the outlet) cheap flood light from Aliexpress - and with a father fish setup (deep dirted substrate) I have success with almost any plant I have tried. And stuff like Limnofolia heterophylla, pearl weed, hygrofila and even the supposedly more difficult eleocharis pusila (the small one - that you shouldn't need to cut) etc. grows like therer is no tomorrow! I think they are less than 5$ including postage to Europe. I don't know how it works for you US'ers. You don't have "issues" with algae. Algae are good for so many things. But sure, for a few aquariums I don't want it at all. But you, more than most, know that you can avoid that -- even with a ton of light. Btw you can buy them with 6500K but mine has 3000K (blue-ish). I like that better. Looks more clean.
Yeah it's a matter of preference on the Kelvin. Plants will grow in their green vegetative state, great under these style cheap lights, it's rotala Florida or limnophilia hippodroites that you really see a coloration difference in, as they reach the end of seasonal cycles and put on the carotinoid color hues. Also... I agree algae is not a "problem" at all for me....if I want it, I'll let it develop, If not- then I'll prevent it lol
This is what people need to know. The facts with pictures and visual examples in a nutshell. Thanks again Alex. P.S. You are looking like you are feeling better.
I've grown anubias and buce with them, it makes fish look terrible, but it can theoretically speed up grow times on plants...as can over fertilizing ... at the expense of fish
Probably not too good for plant growth... low density and also low energy usually... if you can get em really bright and close together, by folding or twisting the strip, then they may work for simple illumination of the tank at least
@@Fishtory what i mean is that i want to use together the shop light maybe of +7000 lm to grow plants with the rgbic flood lights to make the color of fish and plants pop more? the rgbic flood light are like 500 lm at least for the govee brand, is that not enough to make color pop? they have a pack of 4 rgbic flood light that lets you choose the color you want on each flood light
Hello Alex LED Floodlight Outdoor,100W 13000LM Flood Lights with 1.5M Plug,6500K Cold White LED Security Light,IP66 Waterproof LED Work Light,Outdoor Floodlight for Backyard Garden Patio WarehouseThese specifications are good for a 75 cm tank. ?
Speaking from experience.. i do NOT recommend Aqueon led lighting. Ive had my tank for less then 2 years and the 2 sets of Aqueon led light/hood has broken. Which is why im researching lighting right now.
My 75 gallon has 3 60W 6500k at 6200 lumens it rubs for 8 hours no algae. Dont need a heatwr tho😅 keeps the tank at 79-80 in house kept at 70° saves me on a 200w heater when i got a heater and light in one😂
This is the comment I’ve been looking for!! Haha I’ve got a cheap strip light on my 75 and have been wanting to upgrade. What all plants can you grow with them? And how high are they above the tank?
Ohhhh yes - i am laughing when people use 200-300 dollars or even more on lightning 😅 And I know that not everyone has the skills to research or understand the specs. I always ask people "how you make white light" 😂
@@Fishtory And sure, if you want to embrace the colours of your fish colour nuance will make them pop better as well :) Also, most light should have an angle so the light reflects better. No lights are made like that. Ofc. you can argue that the plants will grow towards the light 😅
Some do. And in other videos, I clarify that. Because there's also "false" Kelvin ratings based on light coming through a plastic diffuser that isn't truly as intense in each of its pieces of the visible light spectrum... but the end result looks about the same even if plants can tell the difference during flowering.
You're looking a little... mirrored today. Maybe a lot mirrored. In fact your so mirrored that even the writing on your shirt is backwards. It doesn't seem to bugger your information though. It's as good as usual. It would be really cool to look at yourself in the mirror on days like that because then you could see yourself exactly as other people see you, which is really kind of irrelevant to anything, because how a person looks really isn't important. Well, at least not to me. To a lot of other people it seems like it's the be all and end all. Okay, now for the really important part. What does this have to do with fish keeping, lighting, and this video? Absolutely nothing. Null. Zero. Zip. It's 4:00 am. It will be a long time before my care aide comes to get me into my wheelchair, and I'm bored as hell. It's still dark so I can't see my aquariums or my turtle tank. So poor ol' Alex gets his channel bombed. Hopefully I'm not doing any damage in doing so. I love this channel, and the things it brings to people, and because it's usually one of the first ones to come up on my UA-cam feed, it unfortunately bares the brunt of my boredom. Functioning legs are so under rated. Without them, you get stuck in bed and are unable to do anything constructive without someone else's help. All you walkies should be glad you have functioning legs. I really feel sorry for fish that don't have functioning fins and swim bladders. For them, it's not just an inconvenience. It's death sure and certain. It might take a bit of suffering though, depending on the circumstances. This is turning dark, so perhaps I should stop this while I can. Fact is, you don't want dark in your aquarium unless you're trying to mimic a cave environment, in which case you still want lights. It's just that you want black lights so that you can still see the fishies in the murk. Having lights in your aquarium is pretty important if you want things to grow. I'm glad that Alex is addressing this, and showing people inexpensive ways to get into the hobby even if money is short. These videos are also important if you need to know what to do in a pinch, if for instance one of your tanks springs a leak and you don't have time to shop for the best thing out there. You need to know what works, and how to keep your fish alive in the short term so that you can take your time getting the best for them in the long term. Gotta keep your fish and plants in a bucket for a few days while you go looking for the lights you want and the replacement tank you want? These lights that he's showing you can be purchased at a local hardware store for not a lot of money, and without waiting forever for them to come. Alternatively, you could just steal them off your landlord's house will he's sleeping or away. That's not from experience by the way. It's kinda hard to get to the lights if you're in a wheelchair. Did I mention that functioning legs are, in my view, extremely under rated? Well, I've made a mash of Alex's channel enough for today. I guess I'll go over to Fish Shop Matt's channel and give him a little good natured grief for a bit. He comes to you from the west of England, where keeping fish is pretty much the same as here, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. My Westlands Brits, including MD, are also on my favourites list. Then there's Dan, but I dare not punk him too much sense I get all my fish from him, and I don't want to place an order with him and have him send me a dead skunk in revenge. I will say, Payback is fair play though, and if he did that, I'd know it was revenge before the fact. Nothing like a little payback for something that hasn't happened yet, but which you know will eventually happen. Bye for now Alex. Hope you have a really wonderful day!
Brightened my day up Alex. Thanks
Right on!
Definitely would love to see an updated deep dive into aquarium lighting from you. ☺️
Thanks. I'll work on one!
Me too
Alex you answered each of my lighting questions with this video. Thank you 🌿🍀☘️👍🙂
So Glad to hear it!
Thank you Alex!!
~ When I first started keeping fish, LEDs had not yet been invented!! (yes, Im That old,Lol!!)
Its Fascinating how far this has come, and Im sure this benefits the fish,~considerably!!
Namste,./\,.
Andrea and Critters. ....XxX....
Haha I remember those days too. I mean honestly LEDs are only 15 or 20 years old in the hobby. I remember the big ballast hoods with 3 or 4 c2 or t2 tube's haha
Wonderful to see you looking more like the Alexander I know 😊
Oh thank you!
The Week Aqua P series have become my favorite.I can set a much nicer natural look compared to my Chihiros lights.
I've been using a Hyper Tough 4 foot 5000k LED light from Walmart that I got for $18. It's been growing anubias, crypts, swords, a tiger lotus, and mosses just fine.
Very nice. At 5000k it's a bit cool for my personal taste, but I'm guessing it grows a lot of plants well in their vegetative phases
I use the same lights plus two of these style shop lights in the Video. I bought them for temporary use 6 years ago. They've never given me a reason to change them.
@@Fishtory We used to use those T12 GE Plant and Aquarium bulbs that were 3100k, and they were fine.
Thanks Alex, my nephew who 10. Is getting more into hobby. He is looking for cheap light!
Nice! These type should do well for a basic set up!
You’re the best Alex.
Great video and info. Yes, we need an updated deep dive on lights. Thank you!
Will do! Thank you kindly!
*Warm up comment just to get the algae growing*
Perfect
Now that's something I could cling to
Photosynthesis enabled
😂 👍
😂🤭💚
thanks, you must have know I need lights for most of my aquariums. I keep mine in windows but having a light is nice too
@@MedricMagann same.. but no runners yet😊
Love a deep dive in lighting topic .....
Great find. I've been using LED flood blubs in the cheapo clamp on reflectors. Bright enough to give my mystery snails a black (beard) photosynthetic fur coat.
Oh for sure! Nice
Yay I was just looking at new lighting!
Looking GOOD!
Feeling better
Great video on lights! Educational! Thanks bro
Thank you kindly. Cheers
Great topic. I’m glad you mentioned the longevity of the TwinStar. Lights can get banged around in a busy fish room.
I have heard some speculation that CREE lights like the Amazon Kessil style lights are essentially ones that do not meet a certain QC standard and they have had issues with them lasting long term. With that being said at a fraction of the price it’s kind of like well who cares since they cost so little to replace.
Right. You May very well be correct about cree selling off cheaper/defective or even refurbished diodes. It's hard to ever know when the components are rarely ever traceable within a brand
@@Fishtory And I meant to say diodes earlier. 🙃
I am fairly new and have a current light and a hugger light. I have to say I LOVE the current, my fish and rocks look amazing, but no plants in that one. My hygger is just ok, but plants grow fairly well. I'm about to set up a 29 and this one I want to try my hand at a really nice scape with plants and CO2. I'm completely clueless as to what light for that one. So, I would love to see an updated lighting video! I will go back and watch your others right now though 😊
Great to hear! I'll start working on maybe a rundown of my top 5 or 10 lights soon hopefully
Brilliant
Cheers
Another brilliant video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks! Though I just got a Chihiros WRGB II Slim because it has an app similar to the fluval plant 3, and yeah. Huge upgrade from a nobrand Amazon light. I don't think most people would want to care about fine tuning colors and temperature, but maybe dimming at most. You pay for the nerdiness, though even people like KGB says "I just want to hit on and it should be on and not care beyond that".
I get wanting to play with those settings and details. Just not all my tanks need it. But it IS kinda of fun tech once you understand the hobby and your plants/animals and ecology as someone keeping tanks for several years. Thanks for your input buddy!
Perfect timing! I was just thinking of putting a little light on my shrimp jar, since we won't have a ton of sun here in a bit.
Thatd light up their world lol 😆
Hey thanks for this dude. I need a light and this shows up just in time.
Oh good. Best of luck to you
Great video lots of information here.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I run finnex stingray 2 on my aquariums. But these spot lights will work well for my house plants during the winter when the sun is weak and not out for as long during the cold dark new england winters. I'll be sure to buy a 4 pack and use them for my house plants and experiment with one on my snail and shrimp tank to consider for new display tanks I have planned for next year.
They work well for that but you may want to make a rim/light shade kind of thing due to the wider cast :)
Dude (that's right, you just got duded). So good to see you so healthy!
I run these floodlights on my fish shelves
Nice!
great Vid welcome back!
Thank you very kindly
keep up the good work.
Thanks, will do!
Love your work!
Aww thank you so much !
Great Video! Thanks for the info!!!
You bet!
Just ordered a clip on extended reading light for my tank.
I like the adjustability that Fluval 3.0 gives me. However, I have grown plants with a shop light. I like the co-op light too, but I want it to be adjustable like Fluval is. 😊
Fair enough. I appreciate your opinion as well!
We got a little duckweed situation here. 😂😂😂 I know the feeling!
Awesome info in this video. I run one of each of these brands except the CREE one. 😅Kinda curious to see what a basic light would look like on what I am doing.
Well it's cheap to try out lol
when we talk about the cost picture. we also look at how much power the lamp uses... I have them from 10w very economical with a yield of 100w lamp
True
Great Video!😊 Question:
And trying to understand the concepts of this video, I had bought these floodlights so I had put three on it board. Would these parameters work?
-> LED Flood Light Outdoor, 300W Equivalent 3000LM Smart RGB Landscape Lighting with APP Control, DIY Scenes - Timing - Warm White 2700K -
So the 2700k is probably a bit too cool for optimal plant growth ..... low light and medium light plants may do fine if it looks bright enough to your eye. But I try and get 6000-7000k Kelvin. Anything over a few thousand lumens as 6 to 12 inches will also be plenty strong if you have 3. The watts don't really tell us too much due to the vast range of efficiency and hardware out...
At the end of the day if you just want to see the fish and keep a few plants, anything should work according to your personal taste, it may just be a little more algae prone or likely to flower than vegetatively grow bushy plants. But anything is better than the kits you get at the big box bet stores as stock lights
I used these lights, their price is very nice to me.
Glad to hear it
Great timing, I had two lights bite the dust yesterday (completely coincidentally, one was a cord malfunction on an already half busted one, one just 🤷🏻)- I'm thinking of doing my 12g bookshelf as a marine aquarium, do you have specific thoughts on reef lighting, as long as I'm shopping? Thanks for this video!
Thanks for staying so focused on this one, Alex. I would like to see updated lighting videos, and I would like them not to be live streams, because when the live part is over, all those greetings kind of just get in the way of getting to the actual information, making it kind of a disjointed and rambling experience. This was excellent information, I knew that diodes come in different quality levels, but I didn’t know what to look for. Are Cree the most powerful diodes? Or just the most powerful that you’ll find in floodlights?
Totally. So Samsung and or Sony are seen as better quality diodes usually, where as CREEN is reliable but still inexpensive compared... like a Toyota prius vs a tesla for instance
Just was wondering about updating my lighting for plants.
I miss the Ustellar flood lights. They were great quality and really cheap. Can't find anything comparable these days.
Oh yeah! I forgot about those
Really helpful mate. Aquarium lights are pretty much ripping us off.
Glad it helped... and yes, yes they are lol
I use floodlights cuz Im poor. Big downside for me is the massive amount of heat they produce. Quite bad in already hot weather. But I'm getting aircon this autumn, so next summer it wont bother me too much :)
I hear that... including only one small AC UNT for our whole house. Lol bummer
Hi Alex! Playing catch-up on your latest streams. (Other)Life events got in my way😆
I have all Hygger lighting on my tanks. Various types, sizes, but all have the auto ramp up, sunrise-low/high daylight, ramp down, sunset, moonlight modes. Cheap enuf for me, grow crazy plants, including red ones. Mostly tho I feel it helps the aquarium inhabitants with a more “natural-ish” photo period. Only been back into the hobby in earnest the past year and a half but in much earlier years I had fluorescent tube bulbs mounted in the metal style hood canopy. No in tank heater required, hahaha! You could cook a meal on those suckers if so inclined….not that I ever tried. Anyways, great info here and I’d love a review/deep dive on current lighting options/brands, etc.
Take care, catch ya live sometime soon hopefully….life happens!😁☮❤🐠🦐🪴
Thanks. I'll have to put a top 5 or 6 new lights in the mid to affordable range- list together
Fuck yeaaaah I would love to see the remade deep dive on lighting!
Alrighty! Thanks
I'm using grow lights. They were cheap. If it looks too purple the regular house light fixes it. Algae eaters and plants are happy. I swear it helps with ich. Can't prove it.. At all. But I'd say it..
Wonderful stuff called fishkeeper. Highly recommend. Drastically reduced mortality
Wonderful video... I made it to the end so I guess I'll subscribe 😅
Lovely hahaha. Welcome my friend
Is there some sort of kit to hang those lights from the wall? I love the way that last tank looks with the 3 lights across!!!
Yeah there are, but it all depends on the specific light you buy , since some have different diameter mounts and such, but there are dozens of kits out there online... Ali baba or amazon
Good stuff. Lots of comments generated!
In my experience after lots of experiments.
For deeper tanks,100 watt 6/6,500 K floods work very well, but can bleach/scorch surface plants and overheat tanks, especially in the summer months. Suspended high enough, say a foot, they reduce plant elongation and don't generate so many problems and still punch light to the substrate.
Lots of the functions on dedicated aquarium lights can be bothersome and pointless, certainly for the majority of us, blue light, spectrum alteration, ramp ups etc., and especially if a siesta is desired, built-in timers can be very restrictive.
In terms of lumen and punch, mid-range aquarium brand lights can be very disappointing compared to 30 and 50 watt floods.
I would be hard pressed to say expensive brands produce better plant growth proportionate to the cost - a cheap floodlight is sometimes more than five times cheaper than a top brand aquarium light and so long as rated with comparable wattage/lumen produces very similar plant growth.
Personally, I have had I think less algae problems with warmer light, between 4 and 5,000 K. Some aquarium brands marketed for freshwater plant growth I have measured above 8,500 K.
Well stated. Thank you
So what would you recommend for a 75? I stupidly bought a aqueon strip style and it sucks ass. lol wish i would a got a hygger for half $$ 😂 i don’t mind to spend some more money on a light but don’t want to spend 1k either haha. I guess i would be growing low to mid range plants. But I’d want the ability to do a dwarf hair grass carpet or something of that nature. Right now i just have anubis, crypts, ferns, sag & Val.
@@Jhholderfield That's a reasonable sized tank, depth makes a big difference. Assuming no hood, four 50 watt outdoor floods (about $100) would do the trick. I have combined Nicrew 30+ watts, which is rich in blue and therefore compensates for the lack of Lumens, with a full spectrum of 70 watt Hygger on a four foot with success for medium light plants. But depending on the width of the tank you might need three aquarium designated strip lights, three or four domestic LED lights would do the job. The Australian young lad - Keeping fish Simple, uses one ordinary domestic white LED strip light on tanks to grow Hornwort and Crypts etc., and you could investigate hydroponic lamps (cannabis lamps to some) full spectrum lamps - relatively cheap but the fittings are not always attractive. Good luck. Good to know how you get on working on a budget.
@@Jhholderfield Strip light, sorry confusing term, I don't mean the tape lights, I mean the bar or tube lights.
Can you do a video for deep heavily planted tanks. It's been very hard to find a light that will reach deep enough to feed my 55 tall.
I really like the idea of using the 110v stuff, but it's risky if it falls into the water
Truth
Great video as usual. At 12.08 what are the little floaters? Looks like a little fern leaf. Don’t think I’ve seen them before. Looking healthy by the way, hope you’re feeling well ❤️🇦🇺
They are called Ricciocarpos Natans or "riccia" a north American variety actually. A native plant to my area
Oh boy, there was a lot there that wasn't quite right. Lights measured in kelvin aren't missing any parts of the spectrum compared to lights that include discrete RGB LEDs. For example the CurrentUSA light is not missing any spectrum that the Finnex has, and both of those have a specific kelvin value associated with them even if they are not advertised as such. So if you're not going with an adjustable light like the Fluval, you're locked into a fixed kelvin regardless of whether it has discrete RGB LEDs or not.
Then the bit about only a couple of LED manufacturers is wrong. Yes, Cree and Samsung are the well known name brands, with others like Nichia and Luxeon/Lumiled also being quality name brands, albeit not as well known. Unfortunately there are generic knock-offs too that falsely peddle their products as being Cree/Samsung and you just don't know unless you measure the power consumption and light output (or have a known real product to compare to). Sadly, historically most of the flood lights are going to fall into that fake category. If you're lucky they might get factory seconds, or an undesirable bin, of real Cree/Samsung LEDs.
I agree with everything you are saying, but 1. People watching this mostly won't care and by the average watch time of 3 minutes...they got to the part where I said what light I used...then bye bye. I appreciate your accuracy, but im just trying to make it as simple (even if incorrect slightly) as possible... i didnt cover a whole lot, from how water depth matters, to kelvin actually representing a spectrum in tiny amounts of each light value all added up...or energy efficiency and a so many details that id tend to include in a half hour video. So while you are totally correct, this is really a video for people who don't want any details essentially:(
and If you watch my 3 hours of in depth deep dive into light. .sure I get into that. But the point was to make a super beginner video here. I also misspoke and said warm was down the spectrum at one point, but no one has seemed to notice and I said the correct way ans had graphics 2 or 3 times, so I'm not removing the whole video for it
But sure Kelvin, as pictured showed it is a section of the spectrum, not literally one temperature. But the strength of each, is very diminished without dedicated diodes closer in blues or Reds, or soft white vs warm white etc.
Could them lights b use for turtle bashing ?? Great video. Detroit 😊
Probably not quite red enough or warm enough, but I'm sure it'd be better than nothing
I've used these flood lights. Not perfect but incredibly cost effective. FYI, my flood lights get HOT.
Same!
which of these lights have a nice shimmer effects similar to the kessil
Hey question what about just cheap LED strip lighting it's flexible it sticks on to whatever surface you want to put it on and you can change the colours usually from your phone I picked up a rule of LED strip lighting at the dollar store for $4 a little while ago that it can control by Bluetooth from my phone but I don't know enough about the spectrums that it would put out but it does have red lighting green lighting basically whatever you want I don't know if the same thing do you have any ideas?
So you need red and blue...or strong white spectrums, for plants. The main issue with those lights is the intensity being far too low unfortunately. They work for seeing the fish, but don't really grow much other than maybe Java fern, bolbitus and algae
@@Fishtory thank you!!
Just be aware that there are counterfeit (fake) CREE lights and also lights and stuff with fake specs out there on the internet.
If you see a single AA battery flashlight that says it does 2,000,000 lumens and runs for 90 hours on 1 battery, know that it is fake.
I have a Kill-O-Watt which lets me check if the power consumption is what it claims.
100% very good points! Thank you.
There's a lot of crap out there. Even if it says " xyz!" On amazon, it may be false or a knock off.
Can you make a video of you setting up a new tank because I don’t understand using the pipes, caves, and stuff like that
Yes. It's called " the lasagna method" there Is a 15 minute edit and a 40 minute in depth science behind the setup version as well! I hope that helps 🙏
I use "single color - high wattage (nominal 50W but I think it only takes around 20-30W from the outlet) cheap flood light from Aliexpress - and with a father fish setup (deep dirted substrate) I have success with almost any plant I have tried. And stuff like Limnofolia heterophylla, pearl weed, hygrofila and even the supposedly more difficult eleocharis pusila (the small one - that you shouldn't need to cut) etc. grows like therer is no tomorrow! I think they are less than 5$ including postage to Europe. I don't know how it works for you US'ers.
You don't have "issues" with algae. Algae are good for so many things. But sure, for a few aquariums I don't want it at all. But you, more than most, know that you can avoid that -- even with a ton of light.
Btw you can buy them with 6500K but mine has 3000K (blue-ish). I like that better. Looks more clean.
Yeah it's a matter of preference on the Kelvin. Plants will grow in their green vegetative state, great under these style cheap lights, it's rotala Florida or limnophilia hippodroites that you really see a coloration difference in, as they reach the end of seasonal cycles and put on the carotinoid color hues.
Also... I agree algae is not a "problem" at all for me....if I want it, I'll let it develop, If not- then I'll prevent it lol
This is what people need to know. The facts with pictures and visual examples in a nutshell. Thanks again Alex.
P.S. You are looking like you are feeling better.
Glad you liked this style! Thank you. 😊
Do you think it’s possible to breed orange face lava snails. I’m doing a brackish setup and hoping I can get them breeding
I'm not sure about those in particular. I'll ask around though
Hygger H028 does have an app too and cheap
Yeah I haven't played with that one yet... I need to though
Has anyone had experience with growlights that indoor gardeners use to grow veggies? I wanna try it
I've grown anubias and buce with them, it makes fish look terrible, but it can theoretically speed up grow times on plants...as can over fertilizing ... at the expense of fish
I was wondering the same since I already have some grow lights. Thanks
My bro got a 10 gallon with a hood that used 2 bulbs any recommendations he wants to throw some plants in there
So those are old school lights, just make sure to get full spectrum T- series bulbs... i like 6500k or 6000kelvin personally
i want to use a shop light to grow plants and other light that can make the color of fish pop but im not sure if rgbic lights would be any good?
Probably not too good for plant growth... low density and also low energy usually... if you can get em really bright and close together, by folding or twisting the strip, then they may work for simple illumination of the tank at least
@@Fishtory what i mean is that i want to use together the shop light maybe of +7000 lm to grow plants with the rgbic flood lights to make the color of fish and plants pop more? the rgbic flood light are like 500 lm at least for the govee brand, is that not enough to make color pop? they have a pack of 4 rgbic flood light that lets you choose the color you want on each flood light
@monokendo ohhhh yeah that may look cool. It'll definitely give you more options to play with!
Updated lighting video vote
Hello Alex LED Floodlight Outdoor,100W 13000LM Flood Lights with 1.5M Plug,6500K Cold White LED Security Light,IP66 Waterproof LED Work Light,Outdoor Floodlight for Backyard Garden Patio WarehouseThese specifications are good for a 75 cm tank. ?
Speaking from experience.. i do NOT recommend Aqueon led lighting. Ive had my tank for less then 2 years and the 2 sets of Aqueon led light/hood has broken. Which is why im researching lighting right now.
Fluval lights are one of the worst now a days… try Weekaqua, or Chihiros…
Why do you say that? The price point or the overall product?
Aqeuon. The worst. Haha
My 75 gallon has 3 60W 6500k at 6200 lumens it rubs for 8 hours no algae. Dont need a heatwr tho😅 keeps the tank at 79-80 in house kept at 70° saves me on a 200w heater when i got a heater and light in one😂
Sounds lovely...and bright haha
This is the comment I’ve been looking for!! Haha I’ve got a cheap strip light on my 75 and have been wanting to upgrade. What all plants can you grow with them? And how high are they above the tank?
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Ohhhh yes - i am laughing when people use 200-300 dollars or even more on lightning 😅
And I know that not everyone has the skills to research or understand the specs.
I always ask people "how you make white light" 😂
Good point haha. Really, unless you need some specific botanical wave length for aquascaping, these light can do the trick for 99% of people
@@Fishtory And sure, if you want to embrace the colours of your fish colour nuance will make them pop better as well :)
Also, most light should have an angle so the light reflects better. No lights are made like that. Ofc. you can argue that the plants will grow towards the light 😅
4000-5000k will that work¿
You say you don't like the shop lights as they just grow algae, but why is that as they come with the same 6,500 k range as the floodlights
Some do. And in other videos, I clarify that. Because there's also "false" Kelvin ratings based on light coming through a plastic diffuser that isn't truly as intense in each of its pieces of the visible light spectrum... but the end result looks about the same even if plants can tell the difference during flowering.
You're looking a little... mirrored today. Maybe a lot mirrored. In fact your so mirrored that even the writing on your shirt is backwards. It doesn't seem to bugger your information though. It's as good as usual. It would be really cool to look at yourself in the mirror on days like that because then you could see yourself exactly as other people see you, which is really kind of irrelevant to anything, because how a person looks really isn't important. Well, at least not to me. To a lot of other people it seems like it's the be all and end all.
Okay, now for the really important part. What does this have to do with fish keeping, lighting, and this video? Absolutely nothing. Null. Zero. Zip. It's 4:00 am. It will be a long time before my care aide comes to get me into my wheelchair, and I'm bored as hell. It's still dark so I can't see my aquariums or my turtle tank. So poor ol' Alex gets his channel bombed. Hopefully I'm not doing any damage in doing so. I love this channel, and the things it brings to people, and because it's usually one of the first ones to come up on my UA-cam feed, it unfortunately bares the brunt of my boredom.
Functioning legs are so under rated. Without them, you get stuck in bed and are unable to do anything constructive without someone else's help. All you walkies should be glad you have functioning legs. I really feel sorry for fish that don't have functioning fins and swim bladders. For them, it's not just an inconvenience. It's death sure and certain. It might take a bit of suffering though, depending on the circumstances. This is turning dark, so perhaps I should stop this while I can. Fact is, you don't want dark in your aquarium unless you're trying to mimic a cave environment, in which case you still want lights. It's just that you want black lights so that you can still see the fishies in the murk. Having lights in your aquarium is pretty important if you want things to grow. I'm glad that Alex is addressing this, and showing people inexpensive ways to get into the hobby even if money is short. These videos are also important if you need to know what to do in a pinch, if for instance one of your tanks springs a leak and you don't have time to shop for the best thing out there. You need to know what works, and how to keep your fish alive in the short term so that you can take your time getting the best for them in the long term. Gotta keep your fish and plants in a bucket for a few days while you go looking for the lights you want and the replacement tank you want? These lights that he's showing you can be purchased at a local hardware store for not a lot of money, and without waiting forever for them to come. Alternatively, you could just steal them off your landlord's house will he's sleeping or away. That's not from experience by the way. It's kinda hard to get to the lights if you're in a wheelchair. Did I mention that functioning legs are, in my view, extremely under rated?
Well, I've made a mash of Alex's channel enough for today. I guess I'll go over to Fish Shop Matt's channel and give him a little good natured grief for a bit. He comes to you from the west of England, where keeping fish is pretty much the same as here, or anywhere else in the world for that matter. My Westlands Brits, including MD, are also on my favourites list. Then there's Dan, but I dare not punk him too much sense I get all my fish from him, and I don't want to place an order with him and have him send me a dead skunk in revenge. I will say, Payback is fair play though, and if he did that, I'd know it was revenge before the fact. Nothing like a little payback for something that hasn't happened yet, but which you know will eventually happen.
Bye for now Alex. Hope you have a really wonderful day!
Beautiful novel my friend haha! Cheers and thanks for such an indepth break down of the topic at hand. Cheers mate
IKEA grow lights go pretty good $/growth-wise… screw in to an E27 fitting and look 🤌🏽
Good to know. Thanks 😊