We have measured from the centre of the aquarium out into the corners, and the same at 10 cm in height (likewise, from centre out into the corners). We have constructed a simple light calculation using a plate to represent the base of an aquarium, with the light source 30 cm over the plate. But from the artificial light source, the distance is much less and therefore critical for how much light the plants receive. In daylight, this distance doesn't mean anything, as the distance to the sun is enormous. The amount of light decreases considerably with the distance from the light source to the base of the tank, and from the centre out to the corners of the aquarium. Type 1) is far better than no reflector at all (None)! As a rule of thumb however, even a poor reflector (e.g. If black stripes appear in the reflection (see the example on the right in the top picture), it means there are areas of the tube from where the reflector cannot catch the light - which reduces the utilization of light. If there is no black band visible in the reflection, the reflector is "perfect". Mount the reflector on a fluorescent tube lamp and look at the reflection of the tube in the reflector. It is easy to ascertain in the shop which reflector is best. Note that there is a large difference in the quality of reflectors - we have tried to illustrate this with a photo series! Our calculations show that a good reflector can give up to 4 times better utilization of the light. Luckily, it is possible to buy reflectors separately and mount them afterwards in the vast majority of lamps. Many cheap starter sets are delivered with a standard lamp without reflectors. Remember to use reflectors in your lamp so as to get up to 4 x better use out of the light! The table shows the amount of light (lumens) from one 15 Watt T8 tube in a starter set compared with sunlight, typically that found in the living room - there is more light in the aquarium than in the living room, but considerably less than plants would experience under natural growth conditions. Our recommendations, in lumens/watts per litre, are given based upon many years' experience using T5 fluorescent tube lighting. The picture series shows the same aquarium (54 litre starter set) with A) standard T8 tube of 15 Watts, B) T5 tube of 24 Watts, and C) 2 x T5 tubes with 24 Watts per tube, in order to visualize how much more light is given off by using a T5 tube rather than a T8 tube, the same amount as you get from switching from one tube to two tubes.Ī simple and cheap way to use the light optimally is by always using a good reflector (read more about reflectors here) as well as by ensuring that the temperature - especially during summer - does not get too high inside the lamp (read more about the amount of light given off and temperature here). For "Medium" plants, we recommend 20-40 lumen (0.5 to 1 watts) per litre, while "Advanced" plants require more than 40 lumens (1 watt) per litre. If you have chosen nothing but "Easy" plants, 10-20 lumen (0.25 to 0.5 watts) per litre is adequate. That all depends upon which plants you have chosen for your aquarium. (20 lumens corresponding to 0.5 watt T5 tube per litre, 40 lumens corresponding approximately to 1 watt T5/litre.) To make it simple, we explain here how many lumens we recommend per litre of water in an aquarium for a selection of plants from the Easy, Medium or Advanced category. The value is written on the packaging for all light bulbs, fluorescent tube lamps, LEDs, etc. Lumens refer precisely to how much light a particular light source gives off, rather than how much energy it produces. It is advisable instead to find the number on the packaging which tells you how many lumens the light source produces. However, this makes it very difficult to compare different kinds of light sources, because light bulbs, fluorescent tube lamps and LED lighting are not directly comparable on this point. Previously, a light bulb or fluorescent tube lamp was classified by how much electricity it used (Wattage). The lumen, level of brightness, is always written on the packaging. Here, we show you how you can put the information from the packaging on the fluorescent tube or bulb to practical use in the aquarium. Choose the correct light source for your needs
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