Plant Light Bio Questions

[The Wild One]

^^^^
I second this. If you have the patience, ability and cash to drop it's for sure the way to go. This is what I wanted to do, and will probably end up doing, once I'm set up and established in my new house. I just absolutely HAD to have plant lights as my cages were dying.

It does sound amazing and really cool, but since we’re starting from scratch with the whole thing, it’s already a lot of money. I’ll have enough money by June 26 exactly and I don’t want to push the date back any further. Maybe in the future though!

 

[Hashtag ChamLife]

It does sound amazing and really cool, but since we’re starting from scratch with the whole thing, it’s already a lot of money. I’ll have enough money by June 26 exactly and I don’t want to push the date back any further. Maybe in the future though!

Yea. Pretty much what happened to me. The StormX controller gives you the ability to add thunderstorms and cloud effects, geosynchronous data to control the sunrise/set, etc. it's really quite cool. Problem is I have 9 chams +- and would require either running stuff in series (high voltage vs low) or spending an extra $80+ per cage/"light". I mean, i tr s possible to do it for about $2-300... and it's totally worth it give that the jungle Dawn's that do the same thing are like $600 each.
That being said, I spent less than $100 on bulbs that give me ample light. But, for me anyway, bugs, plants, lights, etc. are part of the hobby. It's on my to-do list for sure!

 

[skoram]

Just gonna say this: just because it's either A) a lot of LEDs or B) really bright [aka lots of lumens] does NOT make it an adequate plant light. It has more to do with the spectrum it outputs. While the Yu Mei 45W does have recommendations, for the same price you can get the 36W Sansi grow bulb. Less wattage, so less power. Personally I went the Sansi route so cannot speak to how they stack up... but I know my plants are happy and the light gets where it's going [aka, pretty bright].

I'd avoid anything under $25-30.... chance are they're just bright and will do next to nothing for your plants. I also have the 24W Sansi bulbs and would say one of those is more than adequate to grow a medium size reptibreeze. [My 24W is growing 4 cutting of wandering jew, a palm, a box of moss, and a box of Bermuda grass]

On bulbs, you get what you pay for. On fixtures... theres a LOT of junk out there and pricing is all over the place.

SANSI 36W Daylight LED Plant... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRKG7X1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

SANSI 24W LED Plant Light Bulb Full Spectrum LED Grow Light Plant Lights for Indoor Plants, E26 Grow Light Bulb for Hydroponics Greenhouse Houseplants Vegetable Tobacco, Sunlight White UV IR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BRKT56T/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WZy9DbGACMAQQ

^^^
I got both these bulbs [2 each] on the lightning deal for $25/$15ea. Even at full price, I'd buy them again.

Agree 100%. Lumens is almost meaningless for plants. PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) is the figure that counts and is based on the amount of light in the spectra (spectrum plural?) that affects photosynthesis. When I first got into planted aquariums I knew alot about this. Now all I can recall is full spectrum around 5-6K color temperature works well.

 

[JackRipper]

Agree 100%. Lumens is almost meaningless for plants. PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) is the figure that counts and is based on the amount of light in the spectra (spectrum plural?) that affects photosynthesis. When I first got into planted aquariums I knew alot about this. Now all I can recall is full spectrum around 5-6K color temperature works well.

Do either of you have any recommendations of simular bulb type e26 or e27 lights that create such PAr? I've searched but have come up short.

 

[MissSkittles]

Well... this is 1 of each [24W and 36W]. Don't mind the mess, it's an experiment as we're moving. As you can see I have everything from bromeliads to literal grass.

View attachment 253583

It's a mess as I'm always adding/removing plants and starting new projects. My wife isn't happy that I stole the dinning room, but as stated, we're moving next month anyway.

The big question is why haven’t you repurposed that China cabinet for a vivarium?

 

[skoram]

Do either of you have any recommendations of simular bulb type e26 or e27 lights that create such PAr? I've searched but have come up short.

I don't have personal experience but tons of people here seem to recommend the SANSI grow lights. Here is a link to a SANSI e26 bulb:

SANSI 36W Daylight LED Plant Light Bulb Full Spectrum

In the absence of specific PAR data we can generally assume full spectrum "daylight" bulbs to be good for plants since they include the spectrums required for good plant health. Strict grow bulbs that have *only* the required spectrums appear blue/red and will be bad for your chameleon.

 

[JackRipper]

I don't have personal experience but tons of people here seem to recommend the SANSI grow lights. Here is a link to a SANSI e26 bulb:

SANSI 36W Daylight LED Plant Light Bulb Full Spectrum

In the absence of specific PAR data we can generally assume full spectrum "daylight" bulbs to be good for plants since they include the spectrums required for good plant health. Strict grow bulbs that have *only* the required spectrums appear blue/red and will be bad for your chameleon.

Bad how? Bad for their eyes or their psyche?

 

[skoram]

Bad how? Bad for their eyes or their psyche?

Both, I'd imagine. Our ultimate goal should be to replicate natural conditions as closely as possible. Few more things are more unnatural than spending all day under blue and red lights.

 

[JackRipper]

Both, I'd imagine. Our ultimate goal should be to replicate natural conditions as closely as possible. Few more things are more unnatural than spending all day under blue and red lights.

I'd imagine it may have an effect on the color and potency of my chameleon lol. Poppn out blue and red neonates like gremlins.

 

[SAYiWONT30]

If you have the time and patience, DIY LED is a great way to go. I use Bridgelux Vero COB LED arrays connected to a Coralux StormX Arduino-based controller. DIY allows you the freedom to control every aspect of your lighting and you can typically go much stronger than anything you would find in a retail bulb or fixture. A single Vero 29 COB LED can use up to 80 watts. I use mostly the Vero 18s which can take up to 31 watts each and are *incredibly* bright at max intensity. I can't even comprehend what 80 watts on a Vero 29 would be like. Arduino-based PWM controllers like the StormX allow me to slowly ramp up the intensity in the morning and dim at night, along with other neat effects like cloud cover simulation.

View attachment 253584View attachment 253585

I know this post is a little old but do you mind helping me out? I would like to setup something similar it looks light but do not know what I am looking at here to begin to buy all the needed parts. I made my own thread for lighting help if you can respond there.

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/lighting-help-for-a-large-bioactive-build.174914/

 

[Persnickety Parson's]

What are some plant/grow lights that y'all use for bioactive vivs? I know that @GoodKarma19 @jamest0o0 and @Brodybreaux25 have done some, have y'all used any? If so what kind and wattage?

I use a quad t5ho fixture with three 6500k bulbs and one 10,000k bulb. Halogen bulbs, and mercury vapor bulbs are also great. If you want the complete in-depth guide on plant lights, the salt and freshwater aquarium hobby is the place to turn to. If you can support corals with the lights they've got, you can support plants