Got my GroBeam 1000's all set up...

[parker002]

I absolutely love them.

A few observations:

1. I ended up mounting mine inside my canopy. The beams are very focused, almost like a flashlight. Mounting them too close the surface of the water resulted in coverage issues.

2. I initially mounted them flush to the inside top of the canopy but quickly discovered that they get HOT. The heat sinks were actually hot enough to burn skin. For that reason, I installed 1.5" nylon spacers to create space between the heatsink and the surface of the canopy. The side effect is that I now (I think) have the lights in the ideal place so that majority of the light ends up in the tank but I don't have too many dark spots where the light isn't reaching.



3. To the naked eye, these lights do not appear to be as bright or intense as the combination of HO T5/T8 lights I was using before. However, a couple of snapshots with the camera suggests that my eyes are lying - not only are the LEDs just as bright overall but at shallow depths (ie. the tops of my Red Ludwigia) they are actually BRIGHTER. My guess this is due to the very specific wavelengths of light that are output by the Grobeam 1000 LEDs and the fact that the camera just captures them better. The old setup is on the left, the new LED lighting is on the right:



4. That all being said, here's the bottom line (at least until I see how they affect my plants) - these light output is BEAUTIFUL. The "shimmer" effect that TMC and Carl advertise is absolutely real and quite stunning. The light is very soft and pleasing. The tank isn't flooded with high-intensity light anymore, which creates some very interesting shadow patterns at the bottom of the tank that simply didn't exist in my previous setup.

[Carl]

I am happy to read you love these lights!

It is noteworthy as your noting that these lights do not look as bright to the "naked eye", however with the very specific wave lengths of light energy these lights in reality are brighter with essential light energy.

I also like your mounting, which is unique.
I have had many AquaRay LEDs placed directly to the canopy using either the screws or brackets without any heat issues, however I think your idea is still better as it will also allow for air circulation around the fixture which should help with humidity/moisture issues in the light circuitry.
Make sure you still have ventilation in two areas to provide cross ventilation.

You also pointed out probably the biggest issue I have had/seen and that is getting enough space between the light fixture and water so as to get proper light spread, but you in the end seemed to fix this problem.

Carl

[parker002]

My fish are absolutely loving the setup. To maximize exposure, I moved the Amazon Swords to the right (and added the 3rd one from my daughter's tank). Since the Wisteria tends to get dense and bushy, I figured it would look better filling in the spaces around my driftwood sculpture. Plus, if there's a shadow created by the center of the tank top, it's hitting the Wisteria, which won't be hurt as much by the lack of light as the Swords.

[parker002]

Here's another thing - if I ever decide I want more light, I have room for standard spiral CFLs, maybe as many as 4 per side (total of 8) if I can find some small conical reflectors.

[babygeige]

Looks great!

[parker002]

It absolutely does and I don't mind saying so.

I thinned out the Crypts on the left side and moved all of my Anubias to the right side with the large Java Fern to balance everything out.

The light, especially in the deeper part of the tank, is just stunning.

[goldenpuon]

Your tank looks beautiful! I like how the lighting is not super intense as well. It gives the tank a more natural look since. Your plants and fish look very healthy as well!

Superb setup!

[parker002]

So some anecdotal thoughts about the GroBeams about 2 weeks in...

The difference in my plants is becoming outwardly noticeable. I had a few small pieces of Anubias rhizome that were either leafless or had tiny pea-sized leaves on them. Most of them have multiple leaves now and some of them have doubled in size.

Over the past 48 hours, I watched one of the larger Anubias actually grow a whole new full-sized leaf in about the same amount of time as my daughter's rose sword!

The Java Ferns used to grow dozens of small, narrow leaves. They've stopped for the most part and instead, many of their leaves are growing larger. One plant didn't have a leaf longer than 2" a week ago - today it has leaves on it that are 2" WIDE.

I added these lights primarily to help my Swords and I'm happy to report that my Swords are growing fast enough that I had to add root tabs because the leaves were getting too thin.

Overall, I'm very happy with my plants' response to the lights. I'm not so sure it's not helping my fish too. I've had a couple of Panda Cory cats that have been sickly for a long time. In fact, I thought one of them had died somewhere in the tank as I hadn't seen it for a couple of weeks.

In the last few days, I've seen BOTH of them, together, swimming back and forth in the front of the tank, enjoying life.

[Carl]

Interesting observations!

I have noticed some similar growth patterns with the replacement with strong full spectrum lighting (& not just these Aquarium LEDs which have only been available for a few years, Metal Halides as an example)

As well I wish I could get others to understand your point as per the fish too, as I have also observed this with fish in that with very good lighting, fish benefit too.

Carl