LED lights for aquarium: features, selection and application

The aquarium is an interesting element of the interior that will not leave anyone indifferent. In order for the conditions for its inhabitants to be comfortable, it is necessary to maintain a mass of parameters at a certain level. One of them is light. Due to its shortage, plants die, which can cause damage to water and the subsequent death of the fish themselves. That is why it is often necessary to use artificial light sources. One of these is the LED lamp.

Note that lamps play an important role for plants and fish in saturating water with oxygen and valuable substances. Usually in artificial reservoirs, which include an aquarium, you can install the following types of lamps:

• incandescent;
• luminescent;
• LED.

The last category is the most popular. LED aquarium luminaires such as LED provide uniform illumination and have a number of advantages over the other categories mentioned. The light emitted by them is as close to natural as possible. This allows you to make the stay of fish and plants in the aquarium tank comfortable.

A number of aquarists make these lamps multi-colored for beauty. But not everyone knows that colored LED lamps negatively affect the mood of the inhabitants of the aquarium. And in plants, such light can disrupt the process of photosynthesis, which can lead to their death.

LED aquarium lights have a number of advantages and some disadvantages. If we talk about the advantages, then the following should be mentioned.

• Profitability.Energy consumption when using LEDs is significantly lower than when using other groups of lighting devices.
• Durability. Their service life is from 3 to 5 years.
• Resistance to mechanical stress. There are no fragile spirals or glass bulbs in this type of lighting.
• The presence of a waterproof coating. In combination with low power, the use of such a lamp will be as safe as possible.
• They do not get too hot and do not change the temperature in the aquarium during operation, unlike other types of lamps.
• Security. They do not contain harmful substances such as mercury.
• A wide spectral range allows you to create high-quality illumination.
• The ability to adjust the brightness of the lighting while the light spectrum remains unchanged.
• A breakdown of one LED does not affect the operation of the neighboring ones.
• Fire safety. When using such lamps, the probability of a short circuit is close to zero.
• Excellent performance. Lamps can work up to 12 hours and not overheat.
• Simple installation. They are very easy to install and connect to the mains.

Despite the presence of a fairly large number of advantages, these lamps have some disadvantages:

• they are not yet very common, which makes their price higher than that of analogues;
• for them to last longer, you should purchase and install a special power supply unit;
• LEDs must be well cooled in order to minimize the likelihood of overheating, so they can be equipped with a radiator, which adds weight to the entire structure;
• the location under the aquarium lid will reduce their lifespan due to the fact that heat dissipation in this case will be difficult.

There are several types of LED lamps. Choose one type or another depending on the availability of additional functions, as well as the size of the aquarium tank.

• LED luminaires with flexible body. They can be used for containers up to 30 liters. They have a power of 1 W, and the luminous flux is about 100 lm. These models are very suitable for round aquariums. These models are usually powered using the USB connector. LED luminaires are compact, very easy to install, but they are only suitable for illuminating small objects.

• Luminaires with a power of 1.7 watts. They are commonly used to illuminate pico aquariums. T5 LED modules are used here. The luminous flux for this category is 150 lm. The color temperature indicator fluctuates in the range of 5-7 thousand K. The lamp of this category works either from a USB connector or from a 100-240V power adapter.

• There are models that are mounted on the cover. They are equipped with special adjustable mountings. The power of such lamps is 9 W. T8 modules are used here. The luminous flux will be 930 lm.

• Two-channel lighting devices are used for aquariums, which are distinguished by a large spectral range and high aperture rates. This group of lamps has a remote dimmer. Their feature will be the fact that these models can change the color temperature.

• Three-channel luminaires are equipped with a backlight scenario programming function. This allows you to control the parameters of brightness, light temperature, spectrum, as well as the time interval for changing these indicators. There is also a three-dimensional effect here. It can be controlled using an external controller. Channel 1 - cold white light diodes, channel 2 - warm white and red light, channel 3 - also cold white light diodes.

• Another category is the same three-channel lampsbut for marine reservoirs. Their difference is in the characteristics of the three channels. Channel 1 - blue light spectrum diodes.Channel 2 - cold white light diodes. Channel 3 - blue spectrum diodes. The power of this type of luminaire is slightly less than 40 watts.

There is also a separate category of lamps - submersible. These models can be placed on the bottom of the aquarium or attached to its wall. But not every LED lamp sold at the pet store falls into this category. Determining whether the luminaire is submersible or not is very simple - just find a mark on its body that it is made according to the IP68 standard. This characteristic indicates that the model is waterproof.

Many aquarists call all lamps phytolamps. But not every LED lamp can be called that. It can be considered so only if it emits phyto-light. And this is possible only if there is a red color spectrum. The phytolamp has one more feature - its power is from 1 W per bulb. Then light is able to penetrate a 50-centimeter water column and can affect plants.

Now let's find out how to choose LED lamps depending on the size of the container over which they need to be placed. They are usually selected according to 2 indicators:

• light flux intensity;
• color temperature.

For other categories of luminaires, wattage will be the determining factor. If we take this indicator for one lamp as a basis, then it is possible to calculate the total power of the entire lighting mechanism required for a tank of a certain size. This is due to the presence of requirements for the intensity of illumination per liter of liquid.

But for LED backlighting, the luminous flux indicator will be important, which is measured in lumens. For plants, the normal average is 20-40 lm. This is enough to ensure their normal growth. If the flora in the tank is more demanding, then it is better to purchase lamps with a light flux of 40-60 lm.

The considered type of backlight is also characterized by certain indicators of color temperature. The minimum value for an aquarium is 5500 K. Ideal is 6000-8000 K. At a color temperature of 4000 K, the light will have a reddish tint, and above 6000 K - blue.

Another important point will be the quality of the LEDs. Cheap crystals made in China show excellent luminescence intensity at the beginning of use. But after a while, their accelerated degradation begins, which leads to a faster failure. Therefore, it is better to give preference to products from well-known and trusted companies.

To calculate the required backlight power, you first need to understand what power LED lamps are needed. A kind of standard is considered to be an indicator of 1 W. But here it is important to pay attention to the volume of the tank, which can be different.

In stores, most often you can find LEDs with a power of 0.2 watts. If we assume that you have an aquarium with a volume of 200 liters, then you will need an LED strip consisting of 30 bulbs, or from 25 to 40 LED spotlights.

The standard light value for 1 liter of water is 0.5 W. Independent calculations can be carried out according to the formula: E = F: S, where F is the indicator of the luminous flux, and S is the surface area on which the luminous flux falls.

The calculation is necessary because the standard value of 0.5 W may not always be accurate due to the different heights of the walls of the aquarium in different models.

It is better to install the luminaire either along the wall of the container, or on one of the sides of the lid. This arrangement will allow the maximum amount of space in the aquarium to be illuminated.And if you need to replace some element, it will be easy to implement. In stores, you can find sealed LED lights that can be left in water.

A number of aquarists prefer to install homemade designs from conventional LED strips. But they can only be used in the absence of contact with water.

In general, independent installation of such tapes is easier to perform than connecting a lamp lighting mechanism. To do this, you only need a tape, a 12 V power supply, and a sealant, which will act as an insulator for wire connections.

It would be nice to use colored luminaires, but with a big limitation in the color range. For example, simulating moonlight can be used. This will be very useful for nocturnal fish living in aquariums. This will also allow you to observe pets at night.

We can say that the living conditions of plants and animals in the aquarium are determined more by requirements and rulesthan the preference of the aquarium owner. By choosing the right LED lights, you can create a really pleasant atmosphere in your water tank. This will have a beneficial effect on the life of plants, which will sufficiently enrich the water with oxygen.

The secrets of making a simple LED aquarium light are in the video below.