best lights for new pleurothallid tank?

[smweaver]

I'm converting a 75 gallon acrylic aquarium (48" W x 18" D x 20" H) to a set-up for pleurothallids and would like to find out what the best type of lights would be for the plants. Most will be warm to intermediate growers. Any recommendations or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you!

Steve

[calvin_orchidL]

Steve, I'd go for T5s given the dimensions. Easier to manage, rather than have multiple sockets and multiple CFLs (you'd need to make some sort of hood. Good T5s come with reflectors). I use Newwave and have bloomed dends 6" from the lights

They do generate a bit of heat, and the greenhouse effect in a closed tank can lift temperatures, which should be accounted for (fans/ventilation/cooling?)

There are some LEDs that look promising (disclaimer, zero personal experience) but that could be a precarious investment with such little data.

And just pleurothallids? What about angraecoids?

[smweaver]

Thanks, Calvin! I'm getting a couple of small fans that will be mounted on the inside near the top, as well as a small fogger to go in the bottom. All of the LEDs I've seen remind me of the mother ship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (I like the movie, but I'm not sure I want that look in my home). Aren't the LEDs popular with the "hydroponics" crowd? I use the term in quotes because every time I mention it to my partner I get an anxious look as if I'm contemplating the start-up of a coca farm in one of our spare bedrooms.

I love the angraecoids, but the only ones I seem able to grow are the big ones (and cramming the Angraecum eburneum into a retrofitted aquarium might take a little effort :-).

Thank you again for your feedback.

Steve

[Ray]

There are some phosphor-type LEDs out there now that use blue or UV LEDs to light up a phosphor, similar to how a fluorescent bulb works. The ones on Audis are of that type. Driven properly, and with the right phosphor, the can emit pretty much any spectrum, so they ought to be great for plants (I've seen some at 6400°K - about the same as a high-output T5), but nobody seems to be selling them for that yet.

Steve - take a look at the T5 fixtures at Hydrofarm - I discount their retail pricing by 10-15%.