Lighting for a small setup

[ElvinaMagdalena]

Originally Posted by Orchidtinkerer

I would recommend you look at one of these instead, the smallest light is what I use for my Cattleya's

Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar | Swell Reptiles

Hi Orchidtinkerer, how wide of an area can the Arcadia 15watt cover? I put my standard cattleyas on a shelf that measures 40cm (H) x 30cm (W) x 70cm (L). How many bulbs do I need? How far do you place the lights above the plants (canopy)? Thank you!

[Shadeflower]

Hi Elvina,
those dimensions are going to be a bit of a problem I think.

My Arcadia light is mounted 80cm above the plants!

So 80 from floor to light and the top of the plants are roughly 40-50 cm away

But your setup is only 40cm tall so there is no space to fit the pots or the plants if you need a safe distance from the light.

I also use the 15 watt light for an area twice as large as yours.

Mine measures 80 x 50 cm

I will add a picture of my light to give you a better idea but imo for the size you have described I would recommend you use a 7 or 9 watt aquarium light that was linked earlier in this thread. The growth rate from the aquarium lights is as good as the arcadia light but the arcadia light is strong. You might think you could possibly keep your lights lower than I do but I get purpling on some of my leaves indicating that it can't go much closer. You can of course always use shade cloth over the light which would effectively reduce its strength so it could be placed lower if you really want the Arcadia which has a warranty and is a better investment (will outlast the cheap chinese aquarium light so quality wise the arcadia is better but results will be comparable while both are functional)