I have a friend who is setting up a low tech 20 long with mostly Anubias, Java fern, crypts, etc. He needs a simple light, on/off with a smart plug or timer, probably dimming capabilities, with nice color. Oh, and inexpensive. Does this light exist?
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Simple low tech light
- Thread starter JuJuFish
- Start date
- Tagged users None
How inexpensive are we talking about here?
I've always had a soft spot for Finnex. They are a little more expensive than other "Amazon tier" lights (nicrew, etc.), but I find their color tone to be much more pleasing than the other options. It looks like their newer lights have built in controllers and I have no idea how those work. I would hope they are an improvement over the old remote system at least!
The WeekAqua M series is the cheapest of the narrow band RGB lights I know of. That's more expensive than any Finnex, but it looks a lot nicer.
I've always had a soft spot for Finnex. They are a little more expensive than other "Amazon tier" lights (nicrew, etc.), but I find their color tone to be much more pleasing than the other options. It looks like their newer lights have built in controllers and I have no idea how those work. I would hope they are an improvement over the old remote system at least!
The WeekAqua M series is the cheapest of the narrow band RGB lights I know of. That's more expensive than any Finnex, but it looks a lot nicer.
I've used nicrew for a cheap light. The one I have is mostly white LEDs with a few red and blue. Dimmer is built into the cord, and it works great with my kasa plug.
Some of the cheap lights (some hygger ones?) don't work with a timer/plug, so watch for that.
Some of the cheap lights (some hygger ones?) don't work with a timer/plug, so watch for that.
- Thread starter
- #4
I have several Finnex HLC lights and I like them a lot. But I hate the remote! I didn’t know there are newer models with controllers. I will go look them up. Thanks!
Which Nicrew? Thanks for the tip about the Hyggers.
I was going to mention Hygger as a really cheap option, but yeah, may not play well with a smart plug. I used a cheap older model with the inline remote and it did a good job on my short term 20g farm tank that I didn't care about color spectrums and such. If it lost power though, the remote programming would reset. The newer models have the remote built onto the light itself and may not have that issue.
You could go the simple route with these bulbs: https://a.co/d/gdZg3S9
They have nice color rendition and you could use a simple desk lamp.
They have nice color rendition and you could use a simple desk lamp.
- Thread starter
- #8
This from @Art excellent lighting article. Anyone using the Nicrew SkyLed?
Sample Lighting Setups by Tank Type
- Light: NICREW SkyLED Plus
- Photoperiod: 8 hours/day
- PAR: ~30–50 µmol/m²/s
- Plants: Java Fern, Cryptocoryne, Anubias
Kwyet
After every new tank—“This is my last one!”
I have. It worked fine for Anubias, Buce, Crypts and that’s either Val or Dwarf Sag in the background. I don’t know if it’s still available in this size. This was a 20 Long.
- Thread starter
- #10
Looks great! I think this will be fine for his tank. Thanks @Kwyet
