# Best Lighting for 20g Long?



## Kampo (Nov 3, 2015)

a planted+ should put you in pretty good shape. a cheaper option may be a 5 row beamswork fspec. both should put you pretty well into medium/high light on a 20L


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## Chocochip03 (Mar 15, 2016)

Kampo said:


> a planted+ should put you in pretty good shape. a cheaper option may be a 5 row beamswork fspec. both should put you pretty well into medium/high light on a 20L



Thanks! I'll definitely look into those!


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## Aqua99 (Jan 6, 2017)

I was in a similar situation when I started my 20L. I wanted to start out with a moderate amount of plants and moderate lighting while I worked on building another co2 setup for it. After it was functional I wanted to increase the number of plants and have the option to supply moderate-high to possibly high light output.

I struggled with some of the go-to suggestions because their output didn't exactly meet my needs, and also my reluctance to gamble with $80-100 (given some of the stories I read of failure/short lifespan). I ended up making my own based off the "MakersLed Heatsink Slim" and love it.

I probably ended up investing $150 in the end, but also have a fully customizable component based system that I can take with me to future tanks. I presently only power 4 of the 10 Cree XM-L2's and can set the dimmer around 75% before I feel like I'm blinding myself. I can bring individual lights online as I need them. Currently my led's only run on 700mA max, heatsink runs ice-cold with no fan, all connections are solderless push connections, I can place lights specifically over plants that I choose, and add colors till my heart is content (individual leds are $3-5). Since building that unit, I've built another for a 20L, a 30, and my nano.

Not trying to sound like a sales pitch for doing it yourself, just relaying my story with a similar tank. I learned a lot along the way and will gladly share any of my build info and best suppliers. Feel free to shoot me a message if you'd like to know more.


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## phopf (Dec 17, 2016)

I had a Finnex Ray 2 on a 20 long, which ended up being medium-high. Finnex is a good product, but I did find that the coverage front to back was a little narrow (with the attached feet/stand). 
I would also look into a Planted +, with the caveat that the tops of taller plants at the back may be a little dark.


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## Chocochip03 (Mar 15, 2016)

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions/information. I ended up going with the Finnex Fugeray Planted +. It has the white, red, and blue lighting. I was determined to get the one with red and blue because those colors promote leaf growth and propagation. It's not bad, but as @phopf said the coverage is kind of narrow. I angle it across the top of my tank because I don't want to buy a second one.
@Aqua99: That's awesome! That is something I would definitely enjoy building for a future tank. The customizability sounds wonderful. If/When the time comes that I get another tank, I will be sure to contact you about your process. Thank you!


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