Wanna Try building a LED light

[Skimmerking]

would i want optics that like the 120 degree more of a spread

[donlite]

Make sure you use heat sink epoxy, tape or white paste. Also make sure the LEDS are sealed of from the water. There are 3 things that are most important #1 is heat management #2 heat management and most important is #3 heat management. My company builds LED units for commercial sites. Make sure the LEDS are current and the heat sink calculations are in tune with your LEDS, Good Luck

[Jeff000]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

would i want optics that like the 120 degree more of a spread

From what I have read the 70 degree optics give the highest PAR values. And with the 100 or so you will have over your tank I would say 70 degree would be your best bet.

I'll have 84 over my 48"x18" 90 gallon.

[Skimmerking]

what did it cost to build yours jeff

[Skimmerking]

Does this look right for what i need

3023-D-E-1000P Wired BuckPuck, 1000mA Output, DC Powered w/potentiometer 3@$19.99 $79.96

24VDC 6.5AMP Switching AC to DC Power Supply
2@ $29.99 ea $59.98
HEATSINK W/ ADHESIVE TAPE
3@ $4.99 ea $14.97
Royal-Blue 1-Up Cree XP-E Star
30@ $7.18 ea $215.40
CREE XP-G 139 Lumen Star
30@ $8.27 ea $248.10

Subtotal: $618.41

is 30 royal blue too many?
And 30 White should be alot more for a 150 gal

[Jeff000]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

what did it cost to build yours jeff

I got my LED's in a group buy, 36 whites, and 3 dimmable drivers, about 220 in LED and drivers and then about 60 in aluminium to make the heatsink/array

I figure about 600 by the time I get my blues.

[Skimmerking]

oh really 36 whites and 220 leds of blue

[Skimmerking]

you got your stuff from nanotuners

[Jeff000]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

oh really 36 whites and 220 leds of blue

36 whites and 3 drivers for $220.
Don't have the blues yet.


LEDsupply.com

[Ron99]

Here's what I would suggest:

1. 50:50 mix of cool white and royal blue LEDs is good. Mixing regular blues or other colours in there probably doesn't really make a huge difference. Red emitters look ugly and I have experimented with greens and violet and they look interesting on their own but don't add much when used with the white and royal blue.

2. For a 24" deep tank and seeing as you are replacing 400W MH you will likely want to use 40 degree optics to achieve similar PAR at the bottom of the tank. That means using more LEDs. You asked about a 48" array which will only work if you have little on the ends of your tank? How is your rock etc. set up? Do you have clams and SPS all the way out to the ends?

If you want good PAR coverage over the whole tank you will need to go closer to the ends. Generally you want to space your rows front to back 3 inches apart and you can leave 4" or so from the end of the array to the glass. In each row with 40 degree optics it would be best to space LEDs 1.5" apart but you could go up to 2". 2" might cause a bit of spotlighting in the first couple inches of the tank depending on the height of the fixture.

So if it were me I would try to do 6 rows of LEDs (you might get away with 5 rows if you have more open space in the front or back of the tank). Each row would have 36 LEDs spaced 1.5" apart. That works out to 216 LEDs and along with drivers that will be pricey. But to give similar performance to 400W halides there is no cheap solution.

3. Look at the Meanwell drivers. They are more reliable then buckpucks which tend to burn out if they overheat. They also run right off 110V AC rather then having to have a bunch of 24V DC adapters for the buckpucks. So for 216 LEDs you are probably looking at 18 Meanwell drivers.

HTH to start.