My new fish tank :D

[Freedom]

I found out the plant you can see in my pictures in the front is an amazon sword I think? It's not doing well lol. I think I need more gravel too...

How long are your lights on? Most plants need about 6 hours per day. More and they melt. Less and they wilt.

[Sowa]

Probably around 10 hours a day. I'm thinking of switching my lights to something like this http://usa.hagen.com/Aquatic/Lightin...Lighting/A3983 My current lighting is just one small strip of LED lighting. I might even switch to fluorescent lights...I was told the marine lights would look great as well as help my plants grow.

[Freedom]

Lighting gets pretty technical, FAST.

If you do not have a salt water tank, there is no point in spending the extra $$$ on a marine / reef tank. It won't work well for freshwater, fish or plants.

LED lights are difficult to compare to flourescents, you have to know PAR value. You can't compare watts. One strip is never going to be enough for a 40 gallon bow front and it may not be strong enough to reach down that deep, so you do need to read up.

I am in LOVE with the Aquatic Life EDGE LED lights, it comes with a built in timer. So the lights don't come on full and shock the fish, but rather they simulate dawn. And dusk. Best pricing is typically at kensfish.com I did get a good deal last week on the 24 inch at Petco, they had a sale going on, PLUS a deal for $5 off and free shipping over $49 (the light was much more than that) PLUS I had $5 off in rewards. But that is a rare thing. Do sign up for the 5% off when you order via Kens, every bit helps! I love this light, I set the sun rise for 10 minutes, then full daylight for 4 hours. At the 2 hour point, I have the colors come on as well. All goes off over a 10 minutes sunset at the 4 hour mark, then the moonlight comes on for 1 hour in the evening.

Finnex is coming out with a new 24/7 led with a ramp timer, but they have not announced the release date yet. It is also going to be more $ than the Edge.

On my 37 gallon, I have the Aqueon Modular LED, and that is plugged in to a ramp timer. Edge does not come in a 30 inch, which is what I need on that tank. So I had to make do. It is doing well for me!

10 hours is TOO MUCH light for fish; but one LED strip is NOT ENOUGH LIGHT for plants, and may not be able to reach the depth you have. I really have no clue if what you have is good or not! LOL Like I said, it gets technical quickly, you need to spend some time reading. Finding PAR ratings for LEDs is difficult, so it is easiest to go to a forum and see what the really technical people have found. Cuts WAY down on research time.

[Sowa]

Not sure what I should do. My boss at my work suggested the reef lights. He used them for his tank and said it's fine for fresh water plants/fish.

I'm not sure if I can add another panel of lights on my tank?? I really want the blue light for night though...Hmm...

(also I work at a pet store so it's easier and cheaper for me to buy through the store. Our brands we mostly carry are marina and fluval)

[Freedom]

Do some reading online. Tropical Fish forum has plenty of info and you are already a member on that.