# Budget LED fixture for 75 Gal. Planted Tank



## Leeatl (Aug 8, 2015)

I have a Beamswork LED 1W 6500K HI Lumen Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant (DHL 48 6500K) 48 inch I used on my 75 . Not very expensive from Amazon , or TopDogSellers . I don't know if enough light for hairgrass , but it grew Swords,Anubias,Java Ferns , and some stem plants and others for me . Someone else may chime in with more knowledge .


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Best of both worlds in a low track record light.. Would need 2
$200 total
It's "fancy" but relatively cheap..
https://www.amazon.com/Relassy-Cont...words=relassy&qid=1560803369&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Most would run blues way low...

2 Beamsworks would be $138.. and there is a "sanctioned "dimmer for them.. somewhere but extra of course..
https://www.amazon.com/Beamswork-FS...80&s=gateway&sprefix=beamswork,aps,188&sr=8-4


----------



## Leeatl (Aug 8, 2015)

I have the Nicrew controllers for all my Beamswork . About $12.00 a piece , but Amazon doesn't show them at the time . They can dim and have ramp up and down functions .


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

Thank you guys for your input!

jefkroll,
The first light says it's for Coral/Reef, will it work fine for plants?

I was looking at Beamswork for a while and I know they are not very powerful so I will need two of them.

In this case, can a Fluval 3.0 replace two Beamswork? I am talking about the 48" Fluval 3.0


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

[email protected] said:


> Thank you guys for your input!
> 
> jefkroll,
> The first light says it's for Coral/Reef, will it work fine for plants?
> ...



Yea I know but it has enough range to cover fw needs.. esp. since many prefer the cool white look over a more neutral/warm tone.
BUT it would def be cool white..Plants wouldn't care you might..
It's sort of a crapshoot atm.. I'm trying to get a channel breakdown..
https://www.amazon.com/Bozily-Aquar...3S9JGZGY2JR&psc=1&refRID=W0S75WYS53S9JGZGY2JR







best to ignore it for the moment.. 


5 row Beamsworks are plenty powerful.. 2 are recommended just to get better front/back coverage..
One Fluval won't replace 2 Beamsworks..


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Found a vid.. "white" channel looks better than I was expecting.. 
see specifically 1:40...


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

jefkroll,

I don't like that these lights have to be suspended 😞


----------



## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

How about some DIY? If in the right spot, it can make for super cheap and super flexible and that is where I like to start on my lighting as it normally takes a bit of playing to find what works best for each tank. 
I like to match the materials used for the fixture with some of the really cheap, easy stuff off the auction site. Depends on how much appearance matters on each tank but I find it easy to whip up a box to hold a few bulb holders and then screw some of the horizontal bulbs in until I find what works for the plants and what I want to look at for my pleasure. Plants really are not too fussy, so I do a search for this:

E27 G24 Horizontal Plug Light LED Corn Lamp 
Cheap enough to buy several and swap them out until it looks right but I do start with "cool white". They work great for replacement bulbs in the old incandescent fixtures we find laying around. Just leave room for cooling to avoid melting the plastic!!!


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

PlantedRich,

I like the idea of DIY and I enjoy doing things my self, but I have no experience at all with planted tanks. It is very likely that as a beginner I am going to have problems with my plants so I need to be sure that if have problems it's not because of the light. I need a light that is guaranteed to do the job, so that I can worry about other things. 🙂


----------



## Mike16T (Jun 13, 2016)

jeffkrol said:


> Yea I know but it has enough range to cover fw needs.. esp. since many prefer the cool white look over a more neutral/warm tone.
> BUT it would def be cool white..Plants wouldn't care you might..
> It's sort of a crapshoot atm.. I'm trying to get a channel breakdown..
> https://www.amazon.com/Bozily-Aquar...3S9JGZGY2JR&psc=1&refRID=W0S75WYS53S9JGZGY2JR
> ...



Used to have this fixture and replaced it because:
1. Way too much blue LED's. I did let the manufacturer know about it. 
2. App doesn't hold the previous settings and sometimes it won't recognize the the light. 
3. It's flimsy and made out of cheap plastic.
4. Really meant for saltwater setup more. It washes out the color of the plants and fish.


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Mike16T said:


> Used to have this fixture and replaced it because:
> 1. Way too much blue LED's. I did let the manufacturer know about it.
> 2. App doesn't hold the previous settings and sometimes it won't recognize the the light.
> 3. It's flimsy and made out of cheap plastic.
> 4. Really meant for saltwater setup more. It washes out the color of the plants and fish.



yea the aesthetics are a bit questionable.. but one point is.. How well did it grow plants?


----------



## Mike16T (Jun 13, 2016)

jeffkrol said:


> yea the aesthetics are a bit questionable.. but one point is.. How well did it grow plants?


I came from SBreef and used the light in conversation when I did transition my setup from Dutch to low maintenance setup. Off course I got a much better growth from sbreef but the Relapsy light has way too many blues and yes I did toned down the blue channels a lot but it's not too bright and as I mentioned that it washes the colors of the fish and plants. As for growth, no I did not see the same result and for me to compare sbreef and relapsy is like apple to orange. For a low tech setup, should be fine but there are other lights that is so much better than it. Chihiros even make better spectrum (for planted tanks) than Relapsy..


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

Any other options guys? 😕

How does NICREW stand against Beamswork? I see they have really good reviews.


----------



## Mike16T (Jun 13, 2016)

[email protected] said:


> Any other options guys? 😕
> 
> How does NICREW stand against Beamswork? I see they have really good reviews.


I think we can suggest/advise better if we know how much you are willing to spend.. =)


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

Mike16T,

Something around 100$

In my research on Amazon and reading reviews. I find that the LED fixtures with best reviews are Beamswork, NICREW, and Fluval 3.0

Beamswork - 60 Watt - 70$
NICREW - 36 Watt - 60$
Fluval 3.0 - 59 Watt - 186$

Out of these fixtures looks like Beamswork has best wattage per dollar.
Fluval 3.0 is way too overpriced...

Someone mentioned above that I will need two Beamswork. Two Beamswork will equal 120 watt of light, I think this much light will grow algae like there is no tomorrow.
How much light do I really need for my tank to be able to grow most of the plants out there. I am saying most because I don't know what I might want to grow in the future in my tank.


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

[email protected] said:


> How much light do I really need for my tank to be able to grow most of the plants out there.





Two Beamsworks.............


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

jeffkrol said:


> Two Beamsworks.............


After some more research online and based on what you guys said in this thread, I decided to go with Beamswork.
I will get one in the beginning, this should be enough for the plants I am starting with and later I can just add one more in case it comes out that I need more light.

Thanks everyone for your input!


----------



## Mike16T (Jun 13, 2016)

jeffkrol said:


> Two Beamsworks.............


Wasn't there a PAR test on the beamswork on this forum before?


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

Mike16T said:


> Wasn't there a PAR test on the beamswork on this forum before?


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

Judging by the chart, the DA FSPEC 48" should output about 42 PAR at the bottom of my tank. That should be enough for Dwarf Hairgrass, right?


----------



## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

Are you trying to get a hairgrass carpet? My research (and personal attempt) shows that it won't carpet without co2. If you use co2 you will want more par. Also you may want to add other plants down the line.

If it's not in the budget then that's all there is to it. But if you can afford the extra light it's easier to set it up now. That way if you are at your LFS and see a really cool plant you can get it and have a reasonable expectation it will grow so long as it doesn't need co2.


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

*Minorhero*

Everywhere I looked said that Hair Grass is easy to grow requires medium light and although CO2 is beneficial it is not required.

This is so confusing... 😞


----------



## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

40 par is closer to low light though these definitions are not set in stone. Some would say it's medium others would say it's definitely low. While it is easy to grow that doesn't mean it will carpet. It just means it won't die right away without co2 etc. There is surviving and thriving and the two are definitely not the same. If all you want is some roundish clumps then you don't need co2. If you want a carpet then you need co2.


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

opps.. drifted..


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

*minorhero*

Then two Beamswork will equal 80 PAR at the substrate. Is 80 PAR considered high light?

I am also thinking of a DIY dimmer for them using a WiFi controllable light dimmer from Home Depot, which should help control the intensity of the light and maybe allow to ramp up and down the lights.


----------



## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

Again there are not a lot of hard definitions. Some might say it's on the lower end of high light. Others would say medium light. If you have 80 par at substrate then a few inches up you will be over 100 which is good if you decide to change your plants around in the future. It allows for more flexibility and you can always dial it back if you find it's too much.


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

*minorhero*

Ok, how much PAR is medium and how much PAR is high for Hair Grass?


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

Amazon has Nicrew Lights, and those are a super good deal.

\https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Class...C169VYYAFH25B1MQCP2E&qid=1561395351&s=gateway


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

AFAICT..DHG just needs sufficient CO2..light intensity isn't the key really.
like anything some people can grow orchids in a desert..

https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/carpeting-plants.html
Suggests starting w/ 50PAR at the substrate..



> Using stronger light highly increases the chances of success with carpeting plants in low tech tanks.


NOTE: Low tech (no CO2) tanks..


----------



## minorhero (Mar 28, 2019)

Yea if you want a dwarf hair grass carpet you really need co2. It will grow without it but it won't carpet it will just clump.


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

aquanerd13 said:


> Amazon has Nicrew Lights, and those are a super good deal.
> 
> \https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Class...C169VYYAFH25B1MQCP2E&qid=1561395351&s=gateway


NICREW are nice but their light output is low comparing to Beamswork which is just 10 dollars more. Between these two I would take Beamswork without a second thought.


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

jeffkrol said:


> AFAICT..DHG just needs sufficient CO2..light intensity isn't the key really.
> like anything some people can grow orchids in a desert..
> 
> https://www.advancedplantedtank.com/carpeting-plants.html
> ...


To get 50 PAR at the substrate I will need two Beamswork then. I really like Fluval 3.0 but I would probably need two of them and that's way too expensive for me.
I hate that two Beamswork with controllers in price come close to the price of one Fluval 3.0 which makes it hard for me to decide if I should get one Fluval or two Beamswork...


----------



## aquanerd13 (Jun 22, 2019)

[email protected] said:


> NICREW are nice but their light output is low comparing to Beamswork which is just 10 dollars more. Between these two I would take Beamswork without a second thought.


Yes, I just realized that. I am going to get beamswork instead now.:smile2:


----------



## [email protected] (May 22, 2019)

minorhero said:


> Yea if you want a dwarf hair grass carpet you really need co2. It will grow without it but it won't carpet it will just clump.


In this case it might not be a bad idea to dry start the hair grass untill it gets more or less established. Gotta look into this.


----------



## snakeybird (May 19, 2014)

How is your tank doing with the Beamswork fixture? I have been using a Beamswork 6500K .50 watt fixture on a low tech 46 gallon bowfront tank for around 8 months, and low light plants like swords and vals are doing fine.


----------



## pmucka (May 14, 2019)

I wanted to go Beamswork but ended up with a Nicrew Classic LED Plus since Im in Europe and Beamswork isn't easily available. I'm getting good growth with the Nicrew and you can check out my tank journal for pics, but I think even the Classic LED Plus is pretty low light. If you can get Beamswork for basically the same price I'd go that way if you absolutely want to try one of these cheaper lights. I will probably upgrade to a Chihiros as my plants a little be leggy.


----------



## varanidguy (Sep 8, 2017)

[email protected] said:


> To get 50 PAR at the substrate I will need two Beamswork then. I really like Fluval 3.0 but I would probably need two of them and that's way too expensive for me.
> I hate that two Beamswork with controllers in price come close to the price of one Fluval 3.0 which makes it hard for me to decide if I should get one Fluval or two Beamswork...


Having owned both the DA FSPEC and the Fluval 3.0, the Fluval is leagues ahead of the Beamswork in terms of functionality, light output, and color spectrum. I consider it a worthwhile purchase, but yes it is considerably more expensive than the Beamswork. Is it worth it? I think so. But if your budget is limited, the Beamswork is a whole lot of light for not a lot of money. If you are planning on growing carpeting plants, and want them to properly carpet, I don't see how you're going to do that on the cheap in a 75 gallon. You'd save yourself a lot of headache and heartache if you doubled up on lights and invested in a co2 system. 

Just my $0.02.


----------



## Natalkirlin (May 3, 2021)

I just needed it. Thanks for sharing.


----------

