lighting advice/recommendation for 20H tank

[venzi]

Hi.  I have a 20H tank with a glass lid and I plan to add some low light plants later down the line.  I been looking at the under $40 price range.  Two questions

1. My tank width is 24" and I see lights that are 18"-24" or 24"-30".  I can't tell if I should go for the smaller light or the larger light.  Do I really need all that illumination across the entire width of the aquarium?  Does it come down to preference?

2. Could anyone chime in on practical experience b/t using the timers on lights vs. using a smart plug to set a timer?  I heard that some lights (even though it supports multiple light modes), if the light loses power (as with a smart plug) then it can only turn back on with a default mode.  So maybe it doesn't make sense to pay a premium for a light with multiple modes if I plan to use it w/ a smart plug? Or just pay a premium for a light with built in timer?

 

 

[Huckleberry]

I have a 16inch stingray on a 20 high with a kasa wifi plug. It's works well and grows plants but that tank is close to a window, so I do get natural light as well. The kasa smart plug remembers your settings if the power goes out. 

I have fluval 3.0 on my other tanks and the only downfall is when the power goes out. When it comes back on the lights are full bore. You have to open up the fluval app and it will correct it self to your settings. 

[venzi]

On 8/29/2022 at 4:18 AM, Huckleberry said:

I have a 16inch stingray on a 20 high with a kasa wifi plug

what made you go w/ a smaller light than the length of the tank?  I'm guessing your 20H is also close to 24" wide.

My living room has one or more lamps on until like midnight and there is one lamp near the tank.  Not sure how much that'll contribute to the total light the fish "aborbs" (is that the right word? :))

[macdaddy36]

I use an Aquaneat light on my 20 high and it grows low - to medium plants well. 
Plants that are thriving: Anubias, Saggitaria, Vallisneria, Crypts, Tiger Lotus.

Plants that are doing ok: Water Lettuce, Jungle Val, Other Anubias

Plants that are struggling: Amazon Sword

Aquaneat light is super cheap you could get two for $50 and have high light, It only has one mode, so smart timer will work with it.

You want to get the 24-30 inch version because if you get the shorter one there will be shadows on the sides of the tanks. If that the look you like, go for it.

You can find it on Amazon.

Edited August 30, 2022 by macdaddy36

[venzi]

On 8/30/2022 at 10:11 AM, macdaddy36 said:

You want to get the 24-30 inch version because if you get the shorter one there will be shadows on the sides of the tanks.

nice.  thank you for all that info.  I'm getting overloaded w/ the myriad of lighting options and trying to figure out the features relative to other models (even with the same company).  So I think maybe I'll just start simple w/ the aquaneat. 

@macdaddy36 Do you use the legs/risers on the aquaneat lights?  or do you keep the lights flush against the lid?  I wonder if the legs can be removed completely.  I have a glass lid and I don't think i'd want the light to be raised above the lid due to glare and getting blinded by the light b/c it's not flush against the glass.

[macdaddy36]

I have a glass lid and the I use the risers just because. It only really raises it like 1/2 inch above the top. You are able to just pull the risers out.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/29/2022 at 1:23 AM, venzi said:

1. My tank width is 24" and I see lights that are 18"-24" or 24"-30".  I can't tell if I should go for the smaller light or the larger light.  Do I really need all that illumination across the entire width of the aquarium?  Does it come down to preference?

I would go with the 24" light.  I had a 24" on a 30" long tank and had some issues with it.  The key here being.... the light is 24" long, but how long is the LED section itself? 20"? 22"?  So you might end up with a 24" long fixture that fits the tank well and have the right length of light.

[_Eric_]

I’d go with the longer one so you get lights above most of the tank.

[KatGoneFishing]

I'm currently using this Nicrew light on my 20 high and I'm very pleased with it so far. It's got a built in timer with the different daytime settings, so a smart plug isn't necessary, and you can adjust the intensity of the light as well for each of the settings. It does remember the settings if it loses power. The side legs are removeable, so you have the option of using them or not, but it's really a very shallow lift above the tank. This is the 18-24" option, but the actual light piece without the legs is about 16", so if you plan to not use the legs, the longer light will likely give you better coverage. I find it does well enough for my tank, though I may get the larger light at some point down the road if the plants start struggling.

I was going to say that the only downside would be the lack of ability to set two different light periods during the day, but actually, I think you could tweak the 24 hour cycle to give you two light periods, you just wouldn't have the ramp up/down options with that sort of setup.

It is a little pricier if you go with the 24-30" version, about $60, but the 18-24" is only $43, which is just above what you were budgeting anyway. 

[venzi]

@KatGoneFishingwow your tank looks so amazing.  What is this in the front of the tank with the suction cup?  

is that hornwort growing at the top of the tank?  What is that grass like plant in the back? 

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

I used the Jc&p light on my 10 gallon and the colour is really nice and it can grow low-high light plants, it has a built in timer and you can control the the colour super easy. 
it comes in lots of different sizes and its really good for the price I recommend it.

(my tank with the jc&p light)

Link:https://www.amazon.ca/JC-Aquarium-Light-Extendable-Bracket/dp/B07FMHTG93/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?crid=2BYB0ULFJAS6A&keywords=jc%26p+24”&qid=1661975115&sprefix=jc%26p+24+%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-7

[Patrick_G]

I’d go for the 24” for sure, you’ll be happy you have the extra coverage. A 29g is relatively tall so the extra light will be important. If budget is tight the shorter one will work, but it’ll be a bit harder to grow plants in the shadows. 
 

It’s true that most of these inexpensive timers don’t come back on after a power outage. The same is true for expensive app based lights. If that’s a worry then get a light without a timer and use a wifi plug. 

[KatGoneFishing]

@venzi The suction cup is a feeding ring to hold the floating plants at bay, or else I don't have any open water to drop food in and since my honey gourami have proven to be kind of bad at feeding in the water column (they're capable of it, but there's so much wasted food, ahaha), I figured I'd use some air tubing and a suction cup to create a clear space. Though, there's some octopus pogo intruding now.

The only bit of hornwort that I have is in the far back, so you're probably seeing either the water wisteria or the floating plants (frogbit, salvinia, and duckweed). That picture does have a couple tiny stems of a plant I got from a friend in the top right corner, possibly moneywort. They were floated for a bit because they didn't do well in the gravel at first and have since been moved to a different tank.

The grass-like plant in the back is either pogostemon stellatus octopus or a plant that I don't actually know the name of, ahaha. It was another clipping out of my friend's tank and she couldn't remember the name. There's a halfway decent chance it came from the Co-op originally, since she's pretty local to the store, but none of the plants on the website look quite right for it.

[Huckleberry]

On 8/29/2022 at 1:46 PM, venzi said:

what made you go w/ a smaller light than the length of the tank?  I'm guessing your 20H is also close to 24" wide.

My living room has one or more lamps on until like midnight and there is one lamp near the tank.  Not sure how much that'll contribute to the total light the fish "aborbs" (is that the right word? :))

I actually just set up 2 more 20s with 16 inch sting rays. Using them to grow out fry. I am keeping lower light plants in them.  Little experiment to see if we actually need all that light.  I off set the lights to one end instead of it being centered. Bright side and a darker side. There is a single cutting of  octopus plant in the bright side and a crypt tropica in the center with a floating scarlet temple( i dont have any floaters so this is also to see what happens) . My other tanks are crazy planted so i wanted something cleaner looking and easyer to catch fish.