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[Aaron]

Which degree optics did everyone get? It makes a huge difference in PAR if you use the narrower 45 or 60 degree lenses from what I've been reading.

[krisw]

I current have a 90 degree angle for coverage/background, and am getting a 75 degree one for the foreground. That's what Nick recommended for a 75G (18" front to back) tank.

[jweis]

Nick recommended I mount the fixtures about 3” above the water, and then put a 90 degree beam angle for the back of the tank, and a 75 degree for the front fixture. So, that is what I ordered.

[Jim Miller]

Maybe if I find I want moar pahr I'll get one of the JW signature 75d units for the front!

jim

[krisw]

Quick update: The light level seems fine for my eyes in our well lit family room, even during daytime from a single stick. However even combined with good fertz and >20ppm CO2 I'm not seeing any real pearling. However the plants I have now are still recovering from the rescaping which had many of them in a dark bucket for a week. My plants are currently mostly slow growers like bolbitis, java fern, crypts and anubias.

I'll try the PAR meter on this tank at some point. I don't really have a need to see pearling. I'm very satisfied with steady, healthy growth of the plants I'd like to keep. I'm just not sure of what plants I'm limiting myself to with this light level however.

jim

In my 75g, which is mostly slower growers, the 90 degree planted tank LED definitely makes the plants pearl, albeit, most of them are in the upper half of the water column. I likely inject more than 20ppm CO2 as well, which is often the bigger influence on pearling.

In terms of what plants you can grow, the way to determine this is to borrow the PAR meter to see what your readings are...

[Jim Miller]

Dialed up the CO2 today to ~30ppm indicated by light lime green drop checker. Fair amount of pearling resulted. I think the light will be plenty for now. Too much on my plate to fiddle with PAR meter right now.

J

[krisw]

Just reporting that I got the Geisemann prototype on Weds. The 75 degree fixture definitely focuses the light better down to the foreground, and I'm pretty sure the combination of the 90 degree towards the middle/back, and 75 degree strip towards the front is a high-light solution for a 75G. In terms of dollars, with a manual dimmer, splitter, and two lights it's ~$600. So, if I took a TEK fixture, and did bulb replacements, I'll likely break even at a year or two. I was running 4x55W PC bulbs previously, so I replaced them every 9-12 months, and definitely was borderline medium/high light, as my foreground suffered around the 9 month mark of bulb use.

With the LEDs, the plants are bubbling like crazy, and I have already noticed that my foreground plants are rebounding, even with just the 90 degree fixture over top for several weeks.

In terms of color difference between the Planted Tank fixture and the Geisemann prototype, I can't honestly say that the difference is significant enough for me to care one way or the other. Then again, I've never purchased Geisemann bulbs for my fixtures, as I've mixed cheapo bulb colors to achieve a color temperature that was acceptable to me. I'm curious to know whether Julie see's a bigger difference to her eyes?

I have noticed a little bit of BBA growth, so I'm likely going to use the dimmer to dial it back down once I find the sweet spot where the plants grow, but don't tear through nutrients like a bear coming out of hibernation.

[jweis]

My new Geisemann-like light haven't arrived yet. Once they arrive, I'll switch them out and let you know what I think. I'll also take a picture of the tank with the "freshwater planted" LED, and another picture with this new spectrum. Hopefully I can get my camera to capture the color difference between the fixtures accurately.

[jweis]

My new Geisemann-like light haven't arrived yet. Once they arrive, I'll switch them out and let you know what I think. I'll also take a picture of the tank with the "freshwater planted" LED, and another picture with this new spectrum. Hopefully I can get my camera to capture the color difference between the fixtures accurately.

I just received a notification my new fixtures have shipped, so I should be able to take a picture of the old vs new fixture before the upcoming GWAPA mtg.

[krisw]

Glad it's shipping, although I'm surprised it took so long...