Review on TrueLumen 36 Inch Pro LED Brackets by Russell Robertson

While the workmanship on these lights is very high, I found the Sun White 8000K lamps advertised by Current USA to be "the perfect spectrum for a freshwater aquarium or sanctuary." bad for stimulating growth in an aquarium with plants. To be honest they gave off a very nice white light which shows fish well and they supported reasonable growth for cryptocoryne, cardamom and wisteria but they didn't meet the needs of most of the other plants I tried including ocelot swords , Amazon Swords, Bacopa . , Rotala, Cabomba, Lotus, Madagascar Lace Leaf, Aponogeton, Children's Tears, Chainsword, Sagittaria, and Vallisneria. Even with the addition of CO2 and flourish, these species could not grow and eventually died out over time. It wasn't until I removed two of the four light bars and replaced them with 6700K HO fluorescent lights that the plants responded positively. Considering the price of these strips, it's very disappointing that I have $260 for lighting that I can't use for its intended purpose. These strips are great if you are just lighting up your freshwater tank and want the shimmering effect and energy saving of LEDs. BUT Current USA would do well to stop advertising them as "ideal for planted aquariums" and develop a 6000K or 6700K version of their Pro-LEDs for aquarists (or a mixed 6000K + 8000K band similar to their marine Pro-LED ). the plant tanks contain as the quality of light from these bulbs remains constant throughout the day and the flicker effect is much preferable to high power or VHO fluorescent lighting. In addition, reduced energy consumption and much lower heat generation are very desirable. Update: July 8th 2014 I cannot in good conscience recommend these tubes to anyone trying to use these tapes as shown on the Current USA website and their YouTube video. They don't have the structural integrity to be used without support, and the connections between each of the 12-inch sections will be broken and the LEDs will dim or not light at all until dusk. The current US replaced my first two very quickly under warranty, but within eight months the second set had the same fault. In my application the lights are attached to the hood, with the second set of straps I took extra protection and added a brace midway through the 36" span to prevent bending. Unfortunately, even this precautionary measure could not prevent the inevitable. At a suggested price of $178.00 each, this is unacceptable. Save yourself the heartache and significant expense.