# high par LED Lighting recommendation for 120 galon tall



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Dan,

Welcome to TPT!

I can only speak of my experience with a 24" tall tank; a 45 gallon tall (36.3" x 12.7" x 23.8"h); I believe your tank is 25.5" deep. To get good light down to the substrate level at that depth can be a real challenge. Of course you will have +/-3" of substrate so the depth becomes about 22.5" deep.

Hopefully you have read the 'sticky' at the beginning of the Lighting sub-forum; it contains a lot of good information about PAR and plant growth. I recently purchase a Fluval (Hagen) Fresh & Plant 2.0 36" fixture and tested it on my 45 gallon tank. It was able to supply [email protected] (yes, higher than factory specs; taken with a Apogee PAR meter) at my substrate level (20") which is "good" medium light and can grow most species of plants - especially if supplemented with pressurized CO2. However my tank is only 12.7" front to back and the 120 gallon is typically 24.5" front to back. Therefore I suspect it will take two fixtures to adequately light your tank and I would recommend the 48"-60" size. I believe that Ken's fish is still running a special on Fluval products; 15% off at check-out use coupon code: *fluval* They do ship to Canada.

The Fluval F&P 2.0has some pluses and minuses when it comes to features. On the plus side it is fully sealed so water affecting the LEDs or control boards is not an issue like it is on some other models (do some research). The LEDs have 120 degree lenses that give good front to back dispersion of the light. Also it comes with a three (3) year warranty compared to a six month warranty one of the more popular brands. And although the light is dimmable it uses a manual 'touch' button that I find difficult to use. Unlike some fixtures where the output spectrum is adjustable the spectrum of the Fluval Fresh and Plant 2.0 is fixed at the 7500K. The fixture does a good job of highlighting the reds and blues but the greens look a little washed out.

Here is a picture of my 45 gallon with the Fluval F&P 2.0 on it. Pardon the fact it was heavily re-scaped recently


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## jrygel (Jan 29, 2014)

You have some good options with that budget.

There aren't a lot of single fixtures that will cover a tank that wide. This looks like one good option:
https://www.aquaticlife.com/light-f...e-led-freshwater-aquarium-light-fixtures.html

This is another, although the link is for a reef spectrum. They will make a custom freshwater spectrum if you ask: 
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-48-v2/

My personal preference would be to use pendant style lights. In general, these are intended to light a 24"x24" area, so you would need two of each:
https://www.aquaticlife.com/light-f...alo-led-light-fixtures-and-mounting-arms.html

Kessil LED Lights

Radion XR15 Freshwater | EcoTech Marine

You can also go DIY if that is your style - probably won't save a lot of money, but it is fun and you can get EXACTLY what you want. I built an 85 watt LED fixture into this enclosure for around $400 for my 90P. Two could easily provide high light to a 120g and there would be a little economy of scale with the power supply and controller (maybe $700 total?). At 85 watts power consumption, I get 130 PAR at the substrate in the corner (off-axis from the light), much more efficient than I would get from an off the shelf fixture. Also, having built it myself, I am confident that I can fix it if any of the components or LEDs go out.

-Justin


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## Here_To_Learn (Jul 18, 2016)

Thank you very much for the replies. might read about DIY


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Here_To_Learn said:


> Thank you very much for the replies. might read about DIY


DIY or DSunY..


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## Here_To_Learn (Jul 18, 2016)

jeffkrol said:


> DIY or DSunY..


Dsuny looks very promising. which model is good for planted tank? I wanna have very dense plants and lush carpets


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

FP-C6-4
Wireless is optional but hardwired controller is not really.. 
BTW: the wireless is a plug-in module for the Turing so you can "opt in" later..

2 Fluval 2.0's and controller is still a good option.
There was a "new" Chinese brand that I will get you the link for..


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## Here_To_Learn (Jul 18, 2016)

I could not find FP-C6-4 online.

Fluval 2.0 seems well priced can I always do 3 of them if 2 does not provide enough par to the substrate?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Dan,

That's the way I would approach it, start with 2 fixtures and CO2 and see how the carpet plant does. Since the output of the two lights will overlap it is likely you will have well over [email protected] at the substrate level. I have seen dwarf baby tears (Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba') grown in substantially less light than that.

Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'


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