# Is 400 lumens of LED enough for Rotala Wallichii?



## mef1975 (Jun 24, 2013)

Is 400 lumens of LED enough for Rotala Wallichii?

24" long LED light that's 400 lumens on top of a 30" long, 18" high, 29 gallon tank. There's also what I think is a 15 watt 2' fluorescent grow bulb. There's also Taiwan Moss, Red Cryptocoryne Wendtii, and Java Fern. 3 Blue Gouramis.


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## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

I'm no lighting expert but I do not believe your question can be answered with just knowing the lumens (I could be wrong) but rather PAR is what you're after. If there's a way you can find that out (how much PAR at the substrate where it will be planted. Also I believe this plant requires high light as well as CO2 or it'll die.

Do you have CO2 ?
Can you tell us what your specific LEDs are (brand model, length, distance from substrate?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

mef1975 said:


> Is 400 lumens of LED enough for Rotala Wallichii?
> 
> 24" long LED light that's 400 lumens on top of a 30" long, 18" high, 29 gallon tank. There's also what I think is a 15 watt 2' fluorescent grow bulb. There's also Taiwan Moss, Red Cryptocoryne Wendtii, and Java Fern. 3 Blue Gouramis.


 4W(estimate) is low for that size tank.....
Even using the ole Watts/gal will tell you something..
at best you have 19W (yes LED's if chosen right do not equate well w/ w/gal but I'm ballparking here..  )


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## Chronados (Jan 28, 2013)

400 lumens might work on a nano tank but I'd say you're way too low for a 29g. A 60w equivalent CFL screw in bulb puts out around 800 lumens, and that only uses 13w.


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

Lumens is what the human eye can perceive and not what plants use. But generally speaking, 400 lumens is low light, in fact very low for a 29g tank. Rotala Wallichii, from personal experience, perfers a min of med lighting.


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## mef1975 (Jun 24, 2013)

exv152 said:


> Lumens is what the human eye can perceive and not what plants use. But generally speaking, 400 lumens is low light, in fact very low for a 29g tank. Rotala Wallichii, from personal experience, perfers a min of med lighting.



I have heard of low, medium, and high light described in relation to lumens, as (100 - 250), (250 - 500), and (500 - 1000), or something like that, but um, if lumens is not the unit of measurement we should be using, then what is? The 60w equivalent CFL sound like a good idea?


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

mef1975 said:


> I have heard of low, medium, and high light described in relation to lumens, as (100 - 250), (250 - 500), and (500 - 1000), or something like that, but um, if lumens is not the unit of measurement we should be using, then what is? The 60w equivalent CFL sound like a good idea?


PAR works for me..  Or PUR

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=78632

to plants 400 lumens of green light is not the same as 400 lumens of 660-ish nm red light..


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## mef1975 (Jun 24, 2013)

Wow, so much to learn. So, I wonder, my having a 30" long, 18" high, 29 gallon tank, with 3 Blue Gourami, Rotala Wallichii, Taiwan Moss, Red Cryptocoryne Wendtii, and Java Fern, what light would be good? For instance, the 30" long LED light in the following link is around 3,000 lumens. Would such over kill be bad? Is that overkill?

http://www.aquariumplants.com/LumenBlaster_LED_worlds_most_accurate_LED_for_fre_p/lb02.htm


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

You can do a lot better for that money.
Search TPT for Finnex, Current USA, and buildmyled LED lights - less hype, more first hand experiences, and true data.

v2


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## exv152 (Jun 8, 2009)

The unit is not overkill, but the price is.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

OVT said:


> You can do a lot better for that money.
> Search TPT for Finnex, Current USA, and buildmyled LED lights - less hype, more first hand experiences, and true data.
> 
> v2


Even down to the 12" board and 10V dimmer.. looks like a branded buildmyled



> Product Features
> - 0-10V Dimming Compatible Driver (Apex Ready)
> - IP66 Waterproof Rating
> - CE Safety Certification & ROHS Compliant
> ...





exv152 said:


> The unit is not overkill, but the price is.


Err.. maybe.. by a $50 or so..


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## ipkiss (Aug 9, 2011)

Did I miss something? A 24" buildmyled for a planted tank is the exact same price.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

ipkiss said:


> Did I miss something? A 24" buildmyled for a planted tank is the exact same price.


Probably not. i kept thinking the BML were a tad cheaper but then I saw they included the "feet"..


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## digitaldajo (Jun 12, 2013)

From alot of research and experience over the last couple years. Common sensus is that 6 hours is the magic number. I have this light hanging over my 20g heavily planted puffer tank. 6 hours on. excel. No co2. 2 ottos. Works great!


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## jfynyson (Apr 15, 2013)

mef1975 said:


> Wow, so much to learn. So, I wonder, my having a 30" long, 18" high, 29 gallon tank, with 3 Blue Gourami, Rotala Wallichii, Taiwan Moss, Red Cryptocoryne Wendtii, and Java Fern, what light would be good? For instance, the 30" long LED light in the following link is around 3,000 lumens. Would such over kill be bad? Is that overkill?
> 
> http://www.aquariumplants.com/LumenBlaster_LED_worlds_most_accurate_LED_for_fre_p/lb02.htm


 
After seeing that you posted the lighting reference from AP then I'm 100% sure these LEDs were built by BuildmyLED.com. The link below is for their new website and has probably the most comprehensive data around LEDs, how they work in planted tanks, everything you want to know and more. The link includes PAR data for each type of fixture they have. They also do customer set ups. Nick, the founder of BML is also very responsive & customer service oriented. The lights on AP would fall under their 10,000K set up now whereas a month ago it would simply be referred to as their "Planted Tank Spectrum". So, depending on your tank dimensions, plant load, height/distance the lights are from the substrate, etc...will determine your PAR & thus tell you if you're at low, med or high lighting.

I'm using these light but I have a lot of them on my 135gal and thus puts me at the high light realm.

http://www.buildmyled.com/freshwater/


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