Congo Killies - PageSuite

AQUATIC
PLANTS
Shedding new light
on a planted aquarium
It was November 2011. I had an empty wall
space in my basement fish room—a luxury that stimulates the imagination of every aquarist.
Should I install shelves for breeding, a few medium-sized tanks, or a container pond I chose a
big tank with a large footprint—over 7 feet long (220 cm). But how should I light it
The support for the tank was built with bricks and mortar, with space for a
filter sump and a 60-gallon (240-L) grow-out tank. Everything went according
to plan, but the last step—the lights—caused some headaches. How could I
illuminate such a large tank in a way that was both cost-effective and visually
pleasing With the usual T8 or T5 fluorescent bulbs, or with the newest technology—LED
Opinions about LEDs are still all over the map. Some balk at the higher
purchase price, others consider the light “weird” or unfamiliar. And the technology,
everyone agrees, may not have fully matured yet. Knowing all this did
not help with my decision; I was tempted to try LED lighting for the first time,
but unsure if I should take the plunge.
Finally, thanks to my friend Hans-Georg Evers, I came into contact with
Lars Fehlandt and his company, ECONLUX. I told
Lars about my tank, the intended fish stock (my primary
passion: rainbowfishes that would thrive with
all that swimming room), and the many plants.
My intention was to make the tank an eyecatcher
with attractive planted aquascaping, which,
I realized, would take time. I wanted to document
the plant growth and gather experience with LEDs
over a long period of time, then report on my results.
Practical reports with the actual experiences
of real aquarists happen to appeal to me much
more than theoretical discourses on the science of
new aquarium technologies with impressive but,
unfortunately, often unhelpful technical details.
For me this big tank, with a volume of more than
1,000 liters (280 gallons) and a footprint of 220 x
80 x 60 cm (87 x 32 x 24 inches), was a chance to
experiment and see the results first-hand.
Opposite page, top: The aquarium
shortly after the initial planting in
November 2011.
Middle: Four months later, the fastgrowing
stem plants were growing well,
but because of the fish waste, the first
algae problems began.
Bottom: By the summer of 2012, seven
months later, the aquarium had become
a real jewel. The algae were gone, and
in addition to the stem plants, rosette
plants were starting to enhance the look.
AMAZONAS
Pendant lights and strips
After a flurry of phone calls and emails, Lars
Fehlandt sent me a long-awaited package containing
three pendant spotlights, each with an
LED-universal module (25 w, 6,500 Kelvin) and
a reflector set (36°). In addition, there were four
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