LED lights vs Fluorescent Lights?

Question

I have a 20 gallon freshwater Aquarium. 24 Long x 12 Deep x 20 Tall. I was wondering if anyone has experience with LED lights instead of fluorescent lights that go on top of the tank? Is LED better or worse? I'm planning on putting live plants in the aquarium eventually.

Answer 1

Select the source

how to decide the source depends on the fish species reared in the tank. the coral cichlid fish and saltwater fish are generally more suitable for blue light, the light must be chosen to create the feeling of the deep blue sea; red dragon, the parrots and other fishes prefer to red light source, it is best to increase the color; vast majority of tropical fish like white light source that is similar to the daylight, so that the source is closest to nature, the light we choose should allow the tropical fish to demonstrate the natural color. So I recommend choosing white light for the ordinary fish.



Select View

If you are using the light to watch, then the color of the light should match the color of the fish . For some rare fishes，the lamps shall have a certain induced effect, how to choose light depend on what fish you raise, and general use is LED tube light T5 T8 with a dedicated light stand; the diving lights also can be used; the low pressure sets of plastic waterproof lights is a good choice. the color of the light selected makes that the overall is more beautiful! For some conventional tropical fish, use the white light, if you dislike that the light is too drab, you can try best to decorate the background paper of the tank, such as the type of waterweed background paper , which can highlight the colorful tropical fish. Background paper is cheap, you can replace anytime.



Select time

the lights need not always open, because the fish have its patterns of life, the lighting for a long time is bad for the growth of the fish, fish are not afraid of hungry, if not fed for a long time，it just slowly grow, keep the oxygen on, because the fish are most afraid of missing oxygen， tank heating effect of light has little effect on the water temperature , even if nor the halogen lamp (a high temperature aquarium lights) generate a big fluctuations on the fish tank temperature， since the specific heat of water is a big , if the daylighting is good, you do not need to turn on the lights at home.

Also note!

（1） the filter must be enough and regularly change the water , once changing fifth of the water;



(2) under the premise of the strong filter , if the fish is not much, it is not necessary to open or less oxygen. Some of the fishes are very hard to accept the impact under the stream, but also very aesthetic impact.



Of course, I also raise fish , I am used to the LED tube T8 , fortunately, my friend Alan is a lighting engineer , with his recommendation, I chose a Chinese manufacturer , their warm service and reasonable but absolutely guaranteed quality is very popular , I first compared through their website http://www.lead-lighting.com and http://www.ledclan.com to understand the related products , the humane and clean and comfortable layout let me quickly found the products I need , and I thought the so professional website that their product must not be bad, actually , LED tube installed in my aquarium has not been replaced one year later , seeing those fishes merrily swimming under the comfortable light , beautiful and vibrant tank is embellishing my living room, i’m so proud that my friends are full of praise the dinner！

Answer 2

Led Vs Fluorescent Aquarium

Answer 3

Technically LEDs are better, longer life and less power use.



BUT, they still cost more for the same light output.



There are cheap LED fittings available, but they are really only for show, and wont provide enough light for good plant growth. If you want the high power units, you will have to pay.



I'm sure LEDs will get cheaper in the future, and they they will certainly be the way to go, but right now you pay a premium for the new technology.



Also, make sure you understand about the spectrum of the lamps, and how many Lumens they produce. This is what you need to choose, not just the type of technology that's making the light. You can buy both LED and Fluoro lights that are useless for plant growth.



Ian

Answer 4

Compared to fluorescents, LED lights use much less electricity and produce much less heat for the same amount of light, and LEDs last years longer than fluorescents. The downside of LED lights is that they are more expensive to buy initially (although the price has come down in the past few years).



So I'd say that unless you're really short of money at the moment, you're better off getting the LED lights.

Answer 5

LED vs Fluoro is pretty much a wash as far as light output goes. Fluoro is cheaper, but LED will last longer. Cheap LEDs will not produce enough light for good plant growth. The light output is very similar, but you still need ~50w of lighting. Cheap enough with flouro, but a bit expensive with LEDs. LEDs may get cheaper in the near future, but right now, buy the fluoros. Ian

Answer 6

LED light last up to five times longer then fluorescent lights however they cost a lot more. Another problem is when a fluorescent light goes out you can just buy a new bulb when and LED light goes out you need to buy an all new light fixture.

Answer 7

Hello,

I do have LED lights in my tank. It’s actually better than a regular light. It has a beautiful touch to the scenery as well. It doesn’t hurt the fish, unless it’s a light sensitive fish. Otherwise, I do sometimes turn off the LED light to give them a break, and I use natural outdoor light through the window. Hope this helped, and good luck.

-korrafish

Answer 8

I prefer high output t5's to led, and you can buy systems with moonlight led's built in. You won't go wrong either way, really depends on what you are trying to grow and what look you are going for. Led's will add the ripple effect to the tank that a lot of people like. I find ho t5's more reliable in my experience.

Answer 9

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