# I'm gonna take the chance with marineland LED



## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

I'm gonna try the new Marineland Aquatic Plant LED Lighting System and see how it works and if it doesn't the site does have a 60-day guarantee so I should be able to return it.
and if it does I'll replace my 20 gal long tank's light too once it's current lightstrip burns out and hopefully by then the Marineland Aquatic Plant LED Lighting System will have lowered in price.

But for now what size would be better suited for my 38 gallon tank 24" - 36"or the 36" - 48"?


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## doc bonsai (Nov 4, 2011)

I'd just go with the light that is as long as your tank. I have a Marineland reef capable light that works great (48" light for 48" tank)


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## youknowho (Mar 14, 2012)

Let us know how it works out for you.


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## zonamav (Feb 27, 2004)

The specs say 83 PAR at 24" high so if you don't want high light you might be able to go with the 24-36 and raise it higher to spread the light and reduce the PAR a bit.


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

doc bonsai said:


> I'd just go with the light that is as long as your tank. I have a Marineland reef capable light that works great (48" light for 48" tank)


That's what I thinking of getting.



youknowho said:


> Let us know how it works out for you.


I will.



zonamav said:


> The specs say 83 PAR at 24" high so if you don't want high light you might be able to go with the 24-36 and raise it higher to spread the light and reduce the PAR a bit.


 So it's a high light fixture?


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Yes, it's a high light fixture.

Marineland Double Bright could be a good option if you're not in the market for high-tech.


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## nvladik (Jan 12, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> Yes, it's a high light fixture.
> 
> Marineland Double Bright could be a good option if you're not in the market for high-tech.


Double bright has a different color temp methinks, so make sure.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Huh?

Many people (see my journals for reference or search the forum) use the Double Bright fixtures in planted tanks.



nvladik said:


> Double bright has a different color temp methinks, so make sure.


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## nvladik (Jan 12, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> Huh?
> 
> Many people (see my journals for reference or search the forum) use the Double Bright fixtures in planted tanks.



I am not saying you can't use it. But it's a very bright white color, similar to what you see in a reef setup. Me personally, not a fan. That's all.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Double Bright fixture produces a color temp, according to Marineland, of about 6K. Not bright white at all, really. You check all the photos in my journals for reference.

Reef Capable fixtures are about 10K and are extremely white. But that's not the Double Bright fixture - that's a fixture for Reef tanks.


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## nvladik (Jan 12, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> Double Bright fixture produces a color temp, according to Marineland, of about 6K. Not bright white at all, really. You check all the photos in my journals for reference.
> 
> Reef Capable fixtures are about 10K and are extremely white. But that's not the Double Bright fixture - that's a fixture for Reef tanks.


Not going to argue what is listed on Marineland's site, but in my first-hand experience at the local LFS, with a 24" double bright over a 20 gallon tank, the whole thing lit up bright white. I am waiting for them to get the aquatic in stock to compare, but over a 20 gallon I was not sold. Will probably look much better over a bigger tank.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Not basing anything on Marineland's website (packaging and included materials only) and definitely not trying to argue. This comes from experience with several fixtures. 

Here's a look at how yellow the 24" Double Bright fixture is on a 20L:










Equally yellow is the 36" fixture:


















Provides a bit of a yellow tinge to super-white CBS.

The surface shimmer will definitely appear more white than a standard fluorescent bulb, though, as the including blue "moonlights" tend to exacerbate things.


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## nvladik (Jan 12, 2012)

That actually looks pretty good. It is possible that my LFS mixed them up, I am going to take another trip over there in a few weeks and confirm. But looking at your examples, I think I might give them a shot for my 75g.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

It's likely that they're mixed up. The Reef Capable (they're not _really_ reef capable unless they're on a shallow tank, I think that's deceptive marketing/branding) lights are kind of gross-looking on freshwater tanks. At least in my opinion. They're almost painful to the eye and wash plants out in a manner that other 8-10K white LEDs do not.

These Double Bright fixtures look pretty nice on planted tanks, though. Even the Single Bright fixtures (and knock-offs) look okay on really short tanks.


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## josolanes (Feb 28, 2012)

I have the double bright fixture over a standard 10g and it grows low light plants pretty well actually so I'm happy with it for a low light tank


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

Have you considered the Finnex units? I am really pleased with mine.


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

TexasCichlid said:


> Have you considered the Finnex units? I am really pleased with mine.


 I checked those up and they seem to be a combination of LED and T5 bulbs.
But I really like the timer feature on the marineland.


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## nvladik (Jan 12, 2012)

somewhatshocked said:


> It's likely that they're mixed up. The Reef Capable (they're not _really_ reef capable unless they're on a shallow tank, I think that's deceptive marketing/branding) lights are kind of gross-looking on freshwater tanks. At least in my opinion. They're almost painful to the eye and wash plants out in a manner that other 8-10K white LEDs do not.
> 
> These Double Bright fixtures look pretty nice on planted tanks, though. Even the Single Bright fixtures (and knock-offs) look okay on really short tanks.


What would you suggest from experience for a standard 75G? Single 48"?


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

ShadowBeast said:


> I checked those up and they seem to be a combination of LED and T5 bulbs.
> But I really like the timer feature on the marineland.


My Finnex Ray II is definitely all LED, and is enough light to grow pretty much anything you want. The standard Ray would be lower light and, again, is all LED. Right now they have a max length of 24" in the Ray II and 12" in the FugeRay.


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> Yes, it's a high light fixture.
> 
> Marineland Double Bright could be a good option if you're not in the market for high-tech.


So I'll try the 24" - 36" then.



TexasCichlid said:


> My Finnex Ray II is definitely all LED, and is enough light to grow pretty much anything you want. The standard Ray would be lower light and, again, is all LED. Right now they have a max length of 24" in the Ray II and 12" in the FugeRay.


 unfortunately my tank 30" and 36" long


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

75gal tanks are rather deep, so I'm guessing the Double Bright would be low light. 

Anything smaller than the 36" fixture is just... not worth the price. I've got a 36" fixture raised just over a foot above the substrate and have low light. Not really a fan of the larger fixtures because of price. Could likely DIY your own for the same price and get a better fixture.



nvladik said:


> What would you suggest from experience for a standard 75G? Single 48"?


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

somewhatshocked said:


> 75gal tanks are rather deep, so I'm guessing the Double Bright would be low light.
> 
> Anything smaller than the 36" fixture is just... not worth the price. I've got a 36" fixture raised just over a foot above the substrate and have low light. Not really a fan of the larger fixtures because of price. Could likely DIY your own for the same price and get a better fixture.


 yeah but if it ends up being low light for my 38 gallon then I could use it for my 20 gallon long and get the next size larger.
I was thinking of DIY but it just seems like too much work and I wouldn't know if it would be low/med/high lighting.


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Finnex is working on a 36 inch version right now. Supposed to be out pretty soon. I also have the Finnex Ray 2. I would recommend it for sure.

I have the 24 inch Finnex over a 20 long. Fits it well actually.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

Some (not all) of the Finnex products are just re-brands. So it's likely they're waiting on the original manufacturer to produce a 36" fixture.


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## HammerJoe (Jul 15, 2005)

Is there a consensus yet of which fixture is better for plants and looks?
the Marineland double led or the finnex ray II?

I am looking at getting one of these for my 10gal tank (with plans to upgrade to a 20gal in the future) and Im not sure which one is a better investment as far growing plants is concerned and also how the water looks like.

I dont plan on using CO2 and Im not planning on having high light plants either.

Decisions decisions...


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## TexasCichlid (Jul 12, 2011)

From everything I have read on these forums, the Ray II completely outperforms the Marineland doublebrite in terms of PAR. If you want to grow anything aside from very low light plants, the Doublebrite is not really even an option.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

That's only in terms of fixtures the same length as the Ray II. And it's really dependent upon the height of a person's tank.



TexasCichlid said:


> From everything I have read on these forums, the Ray II completely outperforms the Marineland doublebrite in terms of PAR. If you want to grow anything aside from very low light plants, the Doublebrite is not really even an option.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

TexasCichlid said:


> From everything I have read on these forums, the Ray II completely outperforms the Marineland doublebrite in terms of PAR. If you want to grow anything aside from very low light plants, the Doublebrite is not really even an option.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


And this thread is about trying the new plant version of the fixtures, not the double bright.


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## HammerJoe (Jul 15, 2005)

Do you have a link for that model? And how does it compare to the Finnex?


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

HammerJoe said:


> Do you have a link for that model? And how does it compare to the Finnex?


No one knows yet, it's just being released, so thats why the OP is thinking of being one of the first on here to take the plunge and try it.

http://www.marineland.com/sites/marineland/products/detail.aspx?id=4653

1W white leds, a few 3W RGB led's to add some different color spectrums to the mix, blue led portion of the RGB led comes on for night mode, built in timer into the light fixture. Their par numbers are 172 par at 12, 85 par at 24".


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## HammerJoe (Jul 15, 2005)

NICE! 
Im guessing this will be over $200.00 thou. 
Its looks pretty nice.


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> No one knows yet, it's just being released, so thats why the OP is thinking of being one of the first on here to take the plunge and try it.
> 
> http://www.marineland.com/sites/marineland/products/detail.aspx?id=4653
> 
> 1W white leds, a few 3W RGB led's to add some different color spectrums to the mix, blue led portion of the RGB led comes on for night mode, built in timer into the light fixture. Their par numbers are 172 par at 12, 85 par at 24".


 I really like the built in timer.


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## youknowho (Mar 14, 2012)

HammerJoe said:


> NICE!
> Im guessing this will be over $200.00 thou.
> Its looks pretty nice.


PetSolutions has this light listed and available for purchase:
Marineland Aquatic Plant LED light


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

I received the Marineland LED for plants today.













I got the 24" - 36" size one and so far it looks pretty good.


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## SJKel (Jun 15, 2012)

ShadowBeast said:


> I received the Marineland LED for plants today.
> 
> I got the 24" - 36" size one and so far it looks pretty good.


Could you measure the actual length of the light fixture? I would like to know whether it would fit my (60cm, roughly 23.6") tank. Thanks!


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

Love how the box has 4:20 on the timer. You can always tell the package designer/set designer on a movie, etc is a "smoker" when the time is set at 4:20.


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## WATduh (Feb 27, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> Love how the box has 4:20 on the timer. You can always tell the package designer/set designer on a movie, etc is a "smoker" when the time is set at 4:20.


Ha! It's going to be the new official grow light of home pot growers. Marketing at its best 

It's funny, I used to get my CO2 tank filled at this "back alley" kind of place. Finally, on my second or third refill, the guy there asked asked me how many plants I was growing. I told him him 30-40 and his jaw dropped. Then I told him the different species and he was like, "oh! You're one of those aquarium dudes. I thought you were growing bud!" lol. My guess is they use CO2 for marijuana hydroponics? 

Sorry to steal the thread, but it just made me think of that.


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## ShadowBeast (Jul 27, 2011)

SJKel said:


> Could you measure the actual length of the light fixture? I would like to know whether it would fit my (60cm, roughly 23.6") tank. Thanks!


minus the things that holds it it is 22 3/4 inches long


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## mannye (Jun 11, 2012)

WATduh said:


> Ha! It's going to be the new official grow light of home pot growers. Marketing at its best
> 
> It's funny, I used to get my CO2 tank filled at this "back alley" kind of place. Finally, on my second or third refill, the guy there asked asked me how many plants I was growing. I told him him 30-40 and his jaw dropped. Then I told him the different species and he was like, "oh! You're one of those aquarium dudes. I thought you were growing bud!" lol. My guess is they use CO2 for marijuana hydroponics?
> 
> Sorry to steal the thread, but it just made me think of that.


Hmmmm... aquatic hemp....


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## lexhere27 (Jul 12, 2012)

Is there any update on the Marineland planted LED, I'm trying to decide between that and the Finnex 36" for my 45gal


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## Chaoslord (Feb 12, 2011)

lexhere27 said:


> Is there any update on the Marineland planted LED, I'm trying to decide between that and the Finnex 36" for my 45gal


I don't know about the finnex to give you a comparison. 
I would get the marineland plant led again.
I've been using them for about a month now.
Look at the last couple of pages in my journal to see comparison pictures.


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## le0p (Mar 28, 2012)

Chaoslord said:


> I don't know about the finnex to give you a comparison.
> I would get the marineland plant led again.
> I've been using them for about a month now.
> Look at the last couple of pages in my journal to see comparison pictures.


Looks good! I have a Reef Capable and I've been happy with it. It's very white but I like it. I've had great plant growth with it, some algae issues, but my co2 reactor isn't ready yet so that's not helping algae growth. I was definitely considering getting a plant led for the 40B I have sitting here, but I'm not sure I want to pay for the 36" fixture.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

has anyone actually done their own PAR test with these light?

I also am looking to buy a 48" - 60" fixture for my 72 bowfront, which i want to be high light. The price is super expensive but being that i have 3 tanks (all high tech), it would be worth it in the long run and i'm trying to switch all my lights to LED's. 

I was thinking of getting a dual HOT5 and an LED light to carpet the bottom but this light looks like it will do just that!


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

II Knucklez II said:


> has anyone actually done their own PAR test with these light?
> 
> I also am looking to buy a 48" - 60" fixture for my 72 bowfront, which i want to be high light. The price is super expensive but being that i have 3 tanks (all high tech), it would be worth it in the long run and i'm trying to switch all my lights to LED's.
> 
> I was thinking of getting a dual HOT5 and an LED light to carpet the bottom but this light looks like it will do just that!


 
Don't have numbers, but I switched from a 30" Nova Extreme T5HO (supplemented by a totally useless marineland single bright LED) to the 30" Marineland LED Aquatic on my 37g tall and, though it doesn't *look* like more light, my plants easily got a 30-50% increase in growth rate across the board. The only issues I have with it is the spread front to back and how hot the top of the bar gets. Would probably be fine with a smaller, lower tank but getting full light on the front robs the back and vice versa. Adding a 2nd unit would push my light levels too high, so my "solve" is to kinda' randomly alternate the position just front/back of center. As to the heat, it may not generate much directly downward, but the top of the bar radiates a huge amount of heat--and my tank is near a ceiling fan that I can't reverse the blades on, so I still get a 2-3 degree creep over the course of the day (morning 79, evening 81-82).


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Knotyoureality said:


> Don't have numbers, but I switched from a 30" Nova Extreme T5HO (supplemented by a totally useless marineland single bright LED) to the 30" Marineland LED Aquatic on my 37g tall and, though it doesn't *look* like more light, my plants easily got a 30-50% increase in growth rate across the board. The only issues I have with it is the spread front to back and how hot the top of the bar gets. Would probably be fine with a smaller, lower tank but getting full light on the front robs the back and vice versa. Adding a 2nd unit would push my light levels too high, so my "solve" is to kinda' randomly alternate the position just front/back of center. As to the heat, it may not generate much directly downward, but the top of the bar radiates a huge amount of heat--and my tank is near a ceiling fan that I can't reverse the blades on, so I still get a 2-3 degree creep over the course of the day (morning 79, evening 81-82).


awesome thanks for the info!!! I was also thinking about how the spread would be on my 72 bowfront. or just get another inexpensive reliable LED. your tank is 12" depth and 20" tall and you have a problem with the spread from front to back with 12"!!! looks like this will be a problem for me because of the dimensions of the 72 bowfront, I might have to get another inexpensive reliable LED light to fix that.  

http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Aquar...n&utm_term=47433006&utm_campaign=pricegrabber
that is the cheapest i have seen them any where if any one else has seen them cheaper please let me know.

btw how much did you get yours for?


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## Knotyoureality (Aug 3, 2012)

If I recall correctly, your 72 bowfront will have the same height as my 37 tall at 22-23", and an 18" depth, right? So height would be fine, but you'd need two units to get good coverage back to front. 

I honestly don't remember where I finally ordered mine, but it was right around $250.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Yes ur right. But I need the 48" - 60" and they are $380 each I can't see myself paying $800 for a lighting. When I Can get the set up I wanted to do before for under $350, i will just have to deal with the high cost of running a dual T5. Only if they were a lot cheaper!!!!

And u paid 250 each right?


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## Rob in (ca) (Aug 24, 2012)

I was going to also try this light, but my tank is 60 inch long & 24 inch deep so 2 x 36 inch or 1 x 48 inch and raise .........what would work better?


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## starquestMM (Aug 26, 2012)

so do I understand it right? Its got two modes:

1: Full bright (all leds lit: white, blue, red, and green)
2: Blue only


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

starquestMM said:


> so do I understand it right? Its got two modes:
> 
> 1: Full bright (all leds lit: white, blue, red, and green)
> 2: Blue only


I think that 2 of them will cover more since the light is only 48"

And yes it has a lunar setting


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## starquestMM (Aug 26, 2012)

What I was getting at is that is lacking a "partial brightness" mode. Pretty big ommision if thats the case.

If there is a limitation in the timer, I'd like to see them replace the blue mode with a "partial brightness" mode.


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## bucilini (Jun 28, 2012)

So far i've had good luck with my 48" double bright LED for my 55gal in conjunction with dosing ferts and Co2, Plants have been growing fast and doing well.


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## tobystanton (Jun 27, 2012)

Get the finnex feature 50% more par for 50% less price.


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

tobystanton said:


> Get the finnex feature 50% more par for 50% less price.


 50% more PAR? can you show me where you got that information?

if you look at the link you can see the PAR values 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=147159&page=6


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## II Knucklez II (Oct 31, 2011)

Its not double the PAR 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?p=2045144#post2045144

but it does have a better spread then the marineland and cheap. I believe i will be getting two of the Ray II's


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