Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron99
I don't think those regular LEDs will work. They may look bright but they don't produce enough PAR. You have to use high power 1w or 3w LEDs and to do that for a 40 gallon will get expensive. Also, if your tank is any deeper than 12" you need optics with the LEDs which means more LEDs packed tighter and higher cost. I am pretty sure the ones you have will not even come close to the performance of your MH. Sorry. I would suggest checking out the lighting forum at nano-reef.com as alot of folks have been experimenting with LED lighting over there and they have a good handle on LEDs, PAR and optics to penetrate down into the water.
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+1 there is no way those LEDs will produce enough PAR in any depth of water. You need LEDs like the Cree XR-E, Lumileds Luxeon, etc. With optics your LEDs are actually spaced farther apart... optics are larger than the chips themselves most of the time (even mounted). But indeed, do check out nano-reef.com, they seem to be the pioneers of this sort of DIY craziness.
Quote:
Originally Posted by karazy
IMO if you do this correctly it could cost 1000 dollars or maybe more.
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+1 I'm building LED spotlights and they will cost (minimum) $160 a piece for what I need. More if I get fancy with them. I'm using these as spotlights, not for an evenly illuminated appearance... and lighting a 20 x 8 x 9 tank with 3 of them. So for a 6 gallon tank, I'm spending in the region of $500. Though this not all at once (nice thing about LEDs is they're sort of modular... you can add more if you need to or as budget allows)... and I do plan on growing SPS. I'd say I could cut probably 150 bucks off that estimate if I was only planning on keeping softies.
EDIT: And I didn't vote because I don't quite understand the poll question? Do you mean how easy is it to do DIY LED setups? If that's the question, I'd say pretty easy with some basic electronics and electrical knowledge, and a soldering iron. And do lots of research beforehand so you're sure about what you're doing or hope to accomplish. Good luck!