Custom build LED fixture

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I would go with mainly blues and whites, and not so many reds (these promote algae growth from what I've been told). Maybe an RGB emitter or two.

I used 10w emitters and am happy with those (and so are the corals).

And yeah, $40 won't get you much except the emitters. The heatsink, power source, dimmers, etc. add up. Even the cheap eBay power supply is $22, a heatsink is probably going to run you about $26 with shipping (not even 30" long but something that could handle say 12 x 3w emitters) and when you're buying just small quantities of different coloured LEDs, that will be more expensive per emitter than if you bought bulk. A dimmable power supply will cost even more.

So realistically, your budget won't come close to getting you what you want. You could build your own Aluminum heatsinks to save some money and find used parts, but even doing that will not guarantee coming close to the $40 budget.

Personally, if you're going LED, I would replace your entire lighting with LED and maybe just keep the T5 for supplemental instead of the other way around.

I'm admittedly biased though because I'm switching over to LED over my tanks, my home & even my tv. The energy savings is huge. Went from 3x150w mh & 4x96w PC actinic to 280w (max - but usually only about 200w) of mixed LED over my main 165g mixed reef.

Switching my 150w MH over my 2' 60g "nemo/anemone" cube tank to 50w of LED.

Anthony

[mrhasan]

Thanks for the suggestions

Well I was wondering what would you suggest me to do if I want to make LED primary and the T5s secondary? Like how the LEDS should be placed above the tank, how many rows and columns should be there, etc. I am really confused about the placement and orientation. I have found a 30"x 0.7" heatsink for $20 but with that, I can have a single row of LEDs.

I guess I will stick to white and blue then. Will 420nm UV purple be of any good?

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

I would go with mainly blues and whites, and not so many reds (these promote algae growth from what I've been told). Maybe an RGB emitter or two.

I used 10w emitters and am happy with those (and so are the corals).

And yeah, $40 won't get you much except the emitters. The heatsink, power source, dimmers, etc. add up. Even the cheap eBay power supply is $22, a heatsink is probably going to run you about $26 with shipping (not even 30" long but something that could handle say 12 x 3w emitters) and when you're buying just small quantities of different coloured LEDs, that will be more expensive per emitter than if you bought bulk. A dimmable power supply will cost even more.

So realistically, your budget won't come close to getting you what you want. You could build your own Aluminum heatsinks to save some money and find used parts, but even doing that will not guarantee coming close to the $40 budget.

Personally, if you're going LED, I would replace your entire lighting with LED and maybe just keep the T5 for supplemental instead of the other way around.

I'm admittedly biased though because I'm switching over to LED over my tanks, my home & even my tv. The energy savings is huge. Went from 3x150w mh & 4x96w PC actinic to 280w (max - but usually only about 200w) of mixed LED over my main 165g mixed reef.

Switching my 150w MH over my 2' 60g "nemo/anemone" cube tank to 50w of LED.

Anthony

[mrhasan]

Should I go for a linear setup or the typical 2/3 rows of LED?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

You'll have to research the results others have had with violet/purple LEDs over their reef tanks. I have never used them so I can't say from personal experience. Lights in the 420nm to 470nm range (violet to blues) are supposed to be more efficiently used in photosynthesis, so 420nm violets should be good but again, no personal experience.

I use 445nm & 455nm blues, 6500k, 10000k, and 20000k whites on my big unit. Debating about whether to retro RGBs in.

[ScubaSteve]

I'm with Anthony (sorry man, I can't call you Seahorse with a straight face ). I say either replace your whole lighting with LED (which you might be able to do for $40 or so... I show you in a minute) and go with halides. With everyone and their dog going to LEDs these days there are some mean deals to be had for halides. A 24" fixture can do a 30" tank, though it'll be a little dim at the edges (PM BlazingArrow to see his wicked 30" tank. He's using my old 24" 150W Coralife fixture) or get a pair of pendants. I bet you could do it for about $100 to $120.

The whole lighting thing is a minor detail. I could tell you how to make a sexy light hanging kit that would attach to your stand for less than $20.

Now... for LEDs. Let me first direct you to exhibit A: Aquastyles. You could get everything you need for a 24 LED set up for about $85 + shipping.

Exhibit B: Pinhead's advice on cheap LED builds. I'm going this route for a cheap retrofit myself. The most expensive thing would be the heatsink and you can find some cheap ones if you look around. HeatsinkUSA is pretty good.

[mrhasan]

Thanks Steve (I am hoping that's your name ).

I, once more, got confused about what to do with my light, a phobia that I always suffer

With my 62W T5HO, I am getting coral growth and I won't complain that I am lacking light, but its just that, I know that the corals can do better. I have a montipora cap around 1/3 up the tank and its growing nicely. But I feel like the tank can use better lighting. I can easily grab the same fixture for like $50 but the problem is the upkeep of T5HO bulbs.

I would definitely do metal halide if I can mount them without drilling but halides get me worried about heating up the water. Plus with the small rectangular pedants, I think I need two which, again, would add up the upkeep.

That's why I wanted to go with LED. But looks like I won't be able to because most of the led DIY is hanging type and getting 30" heat sink would be expensive for multiple rows. But I have found 30" heat sink that can fit single row LEDs for $20.

[mike31154]

Type of heatsink & whether a fan is required largely depends on the type of LED you choose. With the commonly used 3 watt star LEDs most folks are using fairly solid chunks of aluminum as heatsinks with no fan, although I've seen the odd build with lighter aluminum rails. It boils down to how comfortable you are running the LEDs of your choice close to the hotter side & risk burning them out.

My DIY is similar to SeaHorse Fanatics using 10 watt multi chip emitters. It uses individual heatsinks each with it's own fan. The heatsinks are mounted on light aluminum angle stock. Link to my DIY LED build is at the bottom of this post.

I've recently ordered a 5 meter reel of 5050 SMD LED strip lighing to play around with, mainly as possible supplemental lighting and for other uses around the house. They have 60 LEDs/meter providing about 780 to 900 lumens per meter. Run on 12 Volts DC and can be cut at every 3 LEDs if you wish, without affecting the voltage required. Less than $20 from some fleabay vendors for the 300 LED version. If you want to spend a little more, you can score a 5 meter reel of RGB with wireless colour controller & power supply included. There are also waterproof versions. I think RuGlu6 uses something similar in his current LED build, but I'm not sure 5050 SMDs have sufficient penetrating power for most reef tanks. While browsing what's available, I've noticed that you can now get 5050 SMD LED reels that have a double row of emitters, but the price goes up accordingly. Would be a simple solution since the reel has sticky tape on the back & you can cut to the length of your choice (as long as it's in the proper area every 3 LEDs), stick it on pretty much anything & run it with a simple 12 Volt DC power supply. I suppose if you stick a bunch of these close enough together, it would be an ok solution for a FOWLR or maybe a softie tank.

Realistically, if you're going to switch to LEDs, go all the way. This means your going to have to add at least one '0' to your $40 budget, & the 4 will likely need to change as well.

[ScubaSteve]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

Thanks Steve (I am hoping that's your name ).

I, once more, got confused about what to do with my light, a phobia that I always suffer

With my 62W T5HO, I am getting coral growth and I won't complain that I am lacking light, but its just that, I know that the corals can do better. I have a montipora cap around 1/3 up the tank and its growing nicely. But I feel like the tank can use better lighting. I can easily grab the same fixture for like $50 but the problem is the upkeep of T5HO bulbs.

I would definitely do metal halide if I can mount them without drilling but halides get me worried about heating up the water. Plus with the small rectangular pedants, I think I need two which, again, would add up the upkeep.

That's why I wanted to go with LED. But looks like I won't be able to because most of the led DIY is hanging type and getting 30" heat sink would be expensive for multiple rows. But I have found 30" heat sink that can fit single row LEDs for $20.

Nope, it's Kevin. You're close though Don't worry,meveryone calls me Steve now. Could be worse... Could be seahorse (I kid, I kid)

I fully encourage you to build your own fixture if you're willing to take some timeand learn. If you go with the info I posted you can a decent LED build on the cheap. You'll learn a lot and it's fun.

Rather than doing one 30" heat sink, consider using two 7"x11", or something along those lines. HeatsinkUSA does have 30" heatsinks but they're like $90. Two heat sinks are like $50.