T8/LED Combo

**swimmatte** · 01-15-2013, 07:18 PM

I did some searching and was unable to find any similar threads regarding this. I just upgraded to a 29 Gallon from my 15 High. The tank I got (used), is running a single 24" Coralife T8 50/50 17 watt bulb. I have also added my Marineland 17" Hidden LED fixture for additional light/nighttime blue. My question is, how would you categorize my light output? My tank is a medium planted, sand/laterite substrate, community tank. Below are links to my two lights, any help would be appreciated.

http://www.marineland.com/Products/a...aspx#technical

http://www.coralifeproducts.com/product/lamps/

**funkman262** · 01-15-2013, 07:28 PM

Honestly, I'd be surprised if you get growth out of anything but java moss with those lights. What type of plants do you currently have? Have you noticed any growth yet? Is your tank receiving any sunlight?

EDIT: After thinking about it a little more, I believe I'm wrong in my original statement. Can you post a pic of the tank? You may be able to get nice growth if you arrange your plants properly. In other words, the plants directly under the bulbs will be receiving the greatest PAR, so if you put any higher-light plants there (opposed to in a corner away from the light) then you'll have more success.

**swimmatte** · 01-15-2013, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by funkman262

Honestly, I'd be surprised if you get growth out of anything but java moss with those lights. What type of plants do you currently have? Have you noticed any growth yet? Is your tank receiving any sunlight?

Well, I just switched to the 29 gallon last night. While I had the Marineland LED and a cheap 12 LED Hood in my 15g High my plants were growing well. Currently I have some Dark Green Hedge, Java Fern, Crypts, etc. If this light set up is not sufficient, what would be your recommendation would you make for decent plant growth? Is there another T8 bulb that would work? I am not looking to spend a fortune on the lighting but would do whatever is needed.

EDIT: I will post a pic when I get home later on tonight. Also, I should state that currently, none of my plants are larger than 6", and the tank should be considered a lightly planted tank with only 6 plants. I do however plan on adding more.

**funkman262** · 01-15-2013, 08:08 PM

I'm pretty sure there are others here who have similar setups to yours (I don't consider those particular LEDs to have any effect on the plants) so hopefully they can provide more insight. I think that with those plants, you shouldn't need to worry about upgrading the lights. What you can do is give the tank some time, monitor growth, and determine if you need to make any adjustments with the setup. With stronger lights though, you may end up dealing with dosing ferts and injecting CO2 to keep algae at bay.