Suggestions for a new light

[GoldenGardner]

HI All, I bought this clip on light from Amazon for my 5 gallon tank. It's not adjustable at all, and I would like to adjust how much light and what kind of light I am putting on it. I'm also continually struggling with algae in this tank because it's a fry tank so I leave the light on for a long time, but it's so bright.  My duckweed loves this light though and I have to clear out half of it every other day or it would cover the whole tank. 

Any suggestions for an adjustable light for my 5 gallon?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B087ZWBVC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[gardenman]

There are a couple of easy options. One is to keep using the existing light but to add a diffuser/shade cloth to it. You can block out much of the light in that manner. Something simple like a strip or two of electrical tape on the clear plastic covering the lights can dramatically reduce the light reaching the tank. Another option is to simply let the duckweed cover the tank and absorb the light. It can be very effective in blocking light from getting deeper into the tank. Just some t-shirt material placed over the clear plastic can diffuse the light and dim it down significantly. Greenhouse growers use shade cloth to diffuse light and it's very effective. It's pretty easy to modify your existing light to put out less light. You can play around with various options on the clear plastic covering the LEDs to find the best option for you. 

[Patrick_G]

@gardenman this trick is a great idea and free! 
 

here’s some other options

NICREW Aquarium Light Timer, Fish Tank Light Controller and Dimmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WT8VK28/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_XCHSR6CP2GD2Q41B2PS1

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/lights/products/kasa-wifi-light-timer

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/lights/products/fluval-plant-3-0-led-nano
 

Edited April 14, 2021 by Patrick_G

[Fishdude]

Okay so I had a lot of trouble with my cheaper lights just being way too bright in my smaller 10g tanks and algae was a problem. I even had a hand-me-down Nicrew light that I wanted to use but that was so bright I risked having an algae farm.

One of my cheapo solutions? I actually blocked some of the light by putting a piece of foam between the light and the glass hood of the tank. This ONLY works with LED lights because they run cool, but I found it cut down on the intensity of the light and allowed my plants to thrive without too much algae growth. Bonus plug here for the ACO coarse sponge pad because it does let some light through, and I was able to use extras from when I bought a pad to place in HOB filters. This is by no means an elegant solution, but for me it actually worked!