Does this provide the right light for live plants (freshwater)?
263021
You should be able to use this hood but buy a different type of bulb that will offer the correct light. That is what we did for our 10 gallon and what we are planning to do with our 29 gallon, once it's set-up. I just talked with the guy at Petco who is also a huge fish tank keeper and he was VERY helpful with explaining the different types of lights and what we needed. What I'm trying to say is that you don't need to buy a special hood for fresh water plants, you just need to upgrade your bulbs.
263022
Light comes in different spectrums or colors. Live plants have different requirements for light for different plants. It can work for some types of plants but you would have to research the type of plant you want to use. There are some that you can use with this hood. This hood emits white light. (e.g. if your plant requires yellow, ultraviolet, or other light, this hood may not work well). I have this hood and have live plants in my 55 gallon tank. I have had the best luck using low light plants and bamboo. Also there as a Q&A area on the Marineland.com website where you can ask any question you like. I used it prior to purchase and got a response within 3 days. Here is direct link: http://www.marineland.com/Products/aquarium-lighting/LED-Aquarium-Lighting/led-aquarium-hoods.aspx Just copy and paste it. Hope this helps.
263023
i believe that you would be better getting a light with 3 watt rgb led,s ,this light i believe only has 1 watt led,s. hope you find what your looking for, Randall
263024
I have only been running my tank with this hood for a month or so. I have a mix of live and artificial plants. Some of the plants died off, but other (species) are doing all right. I don't know if it was the light that made the others die, or other factors.
263025
it will work for some plants but all you would need to do is get a plant light to put into the hood. which would work better. you should be able to replace the bulb with the right light for plants. so to your question the light is not suitable for plants but a easy fix.
724155
Actually, it would probably work. It's a red/blue LED light and suggested light requirements for chlorella vulgaris are between 400 and 700 nm. I don't know what the rest of the proposed setup is like but this should be a cost-efficient means of satisfying the artificial light requirement.
1967382
Its an excellent light it should fill all your needs . You can purchase a light for your plants but its not necessary. I love it!
866491
Probably not. Plants need good light and this is not the one. Don't know of any that are better, these small tanks are probably better with artificial plants.
1279384
Definitely not. These LEDS in these hoods have a pretty low lumen count and are pretty much strictly for illumination, not plant growth. You could grow some low light freshwater plants, but that's about all.
44525
Dena...this led light is sufficient for a ten gallon tank used for planted aquariums...so if you are using this for a 29 gallon sump then it wouldn't be bright enough for cirals or plants...However, 12 gallon refugium should be fine but I would recommend two units for ultra bright...please let me know if you have any questions
1919318
I think you would be more happy with the "Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Light for Aquarium, 48 to 60-Inch". I ended up ordering one of those. You can dim it, select different color spectrums, etc. it has a remote control, and it is more energy efficient.
195099
It might but the light output isn't optimised for plant growth. The best source is the "gro-lux" or similar lamps used in aquaria. These have a pinkish light that I haven' seen in an LED yet. If you are worried about power consumption then they are usually a fluorescent type of lamp so are quite low compared to an incandescent lamp.
1209856
I use this for my salt water tank and it gives plenty of bright light. Might need to research more if you are going to do plants but for fish and many types of salt water corals it is great.
1256498
I have a couple low-light plants in it and they do ok- I get some light from a window a little ways away, but not a lot. I wouldn't get anything that requires a decent amount of light unless you have good lighting coming from a window etc as well. I also don't have algae problems, but I have some small snails too.My light actually still works, I've had it like a year and use the light every day. I did change the filter and am much happier with a different filter.
41707
Hi Tim ~We have mostly regular plants and herbs, which seem to love this light, but my husband says he doesn't really think this is the right light for flowering plants. He thinks Dan's recommendation is the correct one. Good luck!
1299699
Its enough to light up a 10 gallon but not enough light if you have live plants
855597
No, I would say it's definitely not bright enough for corals/live inverts or anything that requires high intensity lighting.
1665236
The 6500k spectrum is correct for plant growth, but the light level will be insufficient unless your tank is extremely short. You would be better off getting either the marineland double bright, the marineland plant light, or the finnex fugue ray 2.
1450397
I don't have any living plants, so I don't know the answer. I love my Marineland single bright light lamp. It fits my needs. Read some other reviews about this light if you want more info regarding living plants with this particular light.
1351412
If you want the light to work, yes. Filtration would also be a good option in a tank this small, if its possible.
1260083
No. The casing and style may be identical, but these LEDs are specifically chosen for freshwater plant growth only.