LED lighting on a freshwater system in a planted tank

I would like to create a thread here regarding the use of LED lighting on a freshwater system in a planted tank. Would you let me know how it is working for you? What brands, what models, do you use a glass tank cover, etc? I think this would be a good topic for an open thread reader population, so please reply and let's create a thread. My own personal interest is to reduce electricity consumption, have enough light to grow low to medium light requiring plants, and to reduce the cost and time of bulb replacement. Others of you may have different interests. LEt' hear them.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be interested in your comments!

Tanks,
Ron

I myself have been slowly replacing all T-5s with LEDs. Though i do not have plants in my tanks, i have noticed a drop in the power consumption, and i personality really like the effect the LEDs provide over the T5s. With some cichlids they prefer less light. I have noticed also that i have more activity in some tanks that have these type of fish in them. Plus a lot ofof the exotic plecos like a dimmer tank, and i have also noticed that they are out and about more often.

hey ron, ive been using LEDS myself for the last two years. love every minute, you get that water shimmer that occurs in like a pool (wich is neato looking) most come with nightlights (in case your scared of the dark) and are incredibly energy efficient. as for doing plants i really think its going to depend on the tank, depth of the water column, and wattage on each light. i understand that .5-1w is a good number to look for when trying to do plants or corals. sorry i cant be of more help, im sure some of the larger product suppliers could get you more information. GL in your choice but lemme tell ya LEDS will pay for themselves overtime

Ive played around with some DIY LED's. I purchased a few small strips from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I converted my 2.5 betta tank's light fixture from incandescent to LED. I am using a pretty low voltage transformer (6V) so it is not very bright. If I used an actual 12V it is bright. Bright enough that the little 7" (6 LED) strip could shine to the bottom of my 210g quite nicely. It does not throw out a wide amount of light but pretty surprising still. This would be a great option for any DIY people out there.

I have read mixed results about LEDs and plants, I don't have any plants but I do have LEDs. You might want to go with the reef bright version. Everything I have read say they work well with low light type plants.

I am using the Beamworks brand and have been really happy with them for the price!

Not to diss this place but there are alot of reviews and post on the cichlid forum, just go to the equipment section or do a search

I've been using a beamworks LED also and have a few plants in my tank that have been doing well. For the price I love it. It was about half the price of others LED's I was looking at and still cheaper than the florecents.

are there leds available for plants that need high light?

Thanks all for your input. If any of you have anything new to offer please add it on here. I'll keep you posted when I decide what to do.

That DIY link was a good one.

Ron

Im working on a diy led system for my new tank right now so ill keep you up to date on how it all works out.