LED DIY LIGHT build
- Thread starter 1snapple
- Start date
monsinour
Active Member
Yippie!
Been doing some more thinking on the LEDs over the Chi tank. If I want to be able to turn on and off the different colors, I will need 2 setups to do this. That will add more cost to the situation. As far as other colors go, it was recomended that 8 blue and 4 white (whatever the specific colors are) will give an 18 to 20K look to the tank. With my wife a blue freak, I would want to keep this as blue as possible for her. The LEDs are about an inch wide and sticking them to a 4 inch piece of aluminum is going to be over kill. Maybe I should make the heatsink 1.5" thick around leaving more open space between the filter/lights of the Chi and the heatsink. So the outer perimiter of the heatsink would be 10" a side and the inside perimiter 8.5" ? Not thinking so straight at the moment.
As far as concealment goes, I was thinking about taking 2 pieces of wood and making an "L" shaped bracket out of them and setting the chi on the smaller piece. I could then mount all wiring and the ATO to the longer piece of wood and this would serve to conceal the unsightly stuff as well as provide a background to the tank. The most complicated thing I would have to do is drill holes in the wood to allow the wiring and ATO through. Thoughts?
Been doing some more thinking on the LEDs over the Chi tank. If I want to be able to turn on and off the different colors, I will need 2 setups to do this. That will add more cost to the situation. As far as other colors go, it was recomended that 8 blue and 4 white (whatever the specific colors are) will give an 18 to 20K look to the tank. With my wife a blue freak, I would want to keep this as blue as possible for her. The LEDs are about an inch wide and sticking them to a 4 inch piece of aluminum is going to be over kill. Maybe I should make the heatsink 1.5" thick around leaving more open space between the filter/lights of the Chi and the heatsink. So the outer perimiter of the heatsink would be 10" a side and the inside perimiter 8.5" ? Not thinking so straight at the moment.
As far as concealment goes, I was thinking about taking 2 pieces of wood and making an "L" shaped bracket out of them and setting the chi on the smaller piece. I could then mount all wiring and the ATO to the longer piece of wood and this would serve to conceal the unsightly stuff as well as provide a background to the tank. The most complicated thing I would have to do is drill holes in the wood to allow the wiring and ATO through. Thoughts?
reefraff
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Snapple http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/80#post_3355619
Looks good, what do you think the K rating is it?
14K or so with everything on.
Originally Posted by 1Snapple http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/80#post_3355619
Looks good, what do you think the K rating is it?
14K or so with everything on.
reefraff
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparty059 http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/80#post_3355622
Doesn't this blow your T5HO's or your MH's out of the water Wattage wise? Or is it usually around 1.5w per LED?
I would have taken about 440 watts of T5's over the tank where the LED's should be drawing around 280 or so but the T5 would have had more PAR. This is only putting around 100 at the sandbed by the meter but because of all the blue I am sure it's higher (PAR meters don't read blue light very well). Before I took out 9 of the XPG's if was 140. I would like a tad more PAR but wasn't looking to have a lot of light.
Originally Posted by Sparty059 http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/80#post_3355622
Doesn't this blow your T5HO's or your MH's out of the water Wattage wise? Or is it usually around 1.5w per LED?
I would have taken about 440 watts of T5's over the tank where the LED's should be drawing around 280 or so but the T5 would have had more PAR. This is only putting around 100 at the sandbed by the meter but because of all the blue I am sure it's higher (PAR meters don't read blue light very well). Before I took out 9 of the XPG's if was 140. I would like a tad more PAR but wasn't looking to have a lot of light.
reefraff
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Snapple http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3355763
Okay, thanks. 100 still isnt to bad. How deep is your tank?
Standard 120. 24x24x48. I have the light mounted about 4 inches above the water and the PAR sensor was sitting maybe 2 inches above the shallow sand bed so I'd guess about 20 inches under the water surface.
Originally Posted by 1Snapple http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3355763
Okay, thanks. 100 still isnt to bad. How deep is your tank?
Standard 120. 24x24x48. I have the light mounted about 4 inches above the water and the PAR sensor was sitting maybe 2 inches above the shallow sand bed so I'd guess about 20 inches under the water surface.
monsinour
Active Member
Can someone tell me the difference between these white LEDs? Obviously the blues are the same. Speak in human speak and not technobabble as I have not researched enough about LEDs to know the technical side of things:
Still looking for a deal on these LEDs. So far, it seems to be fairly constant, 12 LEDs with stuff for around $100.
Still looking for a deal on these LEDs. So far, it seems to be fairly constant, 12 LEDs with stuff for around $100.
reefraff
Active Member
The XPG LED's are brighter even being ran at the same current. The produce more light despite being a smaller LED chip. They can also be driven at a higher current to produce even more light.
I am not sure you can tell by this picture but the white LED's in the strip to the far left are XR E Q5's. The rest of the white are XP G's. You can also see some Warm White XR E's in the mix which look orange. LOL! You can also see what happens when you use 2 different tape measures, one being off by about a quarter inch, to measure your LED placement without comparing them before you mount them in.
I am not sure you can tell by this picture but the white LED's in the strip to the far left are XR E Q5's. The rest of the white are XP G's. You can also see some Warm White XR E's in the mix which look orange. LOL! You can also see what happens when you use 2 different tape measures, one being off by about a quarter inch, to measure your LED placement without comparing them before you mount them in.
reefraff
Active Member
Depending on your setup there are a lot of different ways to do this. The 8 to 4 ratio is about right BUT if you are using optics and the LED's are not far enough above the water that can lead to having a spot light effect over the tank with so few whites. A little more costly solution would be a 50/50 mix of XP E Blues and Whites but place the whites on a dimmable driver so you can throttle them back to get the blue look you want. That way you get an even distribution across the tank. If the tank is shallow you can do an 8 to 4 mix with XP G white with no optics and get a nice look and because the light spreads so much you wont have the spotlight look.
al&burke
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356303
I think it goes under the water about 2 to 2.5 inches. It depends on where you keep the water in accordance with their min/max lines. I should go ahead and buy the damn tank, LOL.
Maybe eh! LOL
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356303
I think it goes under the water about 2 to 2.5 inches. It depends on where you keep the water in accordance with their min/max lines. I should go ahead and buy the damn tank, LOL.
Maybe eh! LOL
monsinour
Active Member
Yea, but if I buy it then i am commited to doing this. I love ideas, and I love toying with ideas. Once I have a piece of equipment, its no longer an idea, its a project. I have to wait on the tank simply because my wife is looking at an 8 gal bio cube to make a home for a catalina goby.
al&burke
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356305
Yea, but if I buy it then i am commited to doing this. I love ideas, and I love toying with ideas. Once I have a piece of equipment, its no longer an idea, its a project. I have to wait on the tank simply because my wife is looking at an 8 gal bio cube to make a home for a catalina goby.
Why not combine the two - catalina goby with zoas tank
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356305
Yea, but if I buy it then i am commited to doing this. I love ideas, and I love toying with ideas. Once I have a piece of equipment, its no longer an idea, its a project. I have to wait on the tank simply because my wife is looking at an 8 gal bio cube to make a home for a catalina goby.
Why not combine the two - catalina goby with zoas tank
monsinour
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356307
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356305
Yea, but if I buy it then i am commited to doing this. I love ideas, and I love toying with ideas. Once I have a piece of equipment, its no longer an idea, its a project. I have to wait on the tank simply because my wife is looking at an 8 gal bio cube to make a home for a catalina goby.
Why not combine the two - catalina goby with zoas tank
temperature of the water is why they cant be combined. Catalina gobies need no higher than 72 F water if I am not mistaken. You can combine the catalina with seahorses. I have already checked that idea and it didnt work out. And, the missus has laid claim to the spot where I wanted to put my tank so now I have to come up with a new location for the tank and in this house, there isnt any room.
Originally Posted by Al&Burke http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356307
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/383238/led-diy-light-build/100#post_3356305
Yea, but if I buy it then i am commited to doing this. I love ideas, and I love toying with ideas. Once I have a piece of equipment, its no longer an idea, its a project. I have to wait on the tank simply because my wife is looking at an 8 gal bio cube to make a home for a catalina goby.
Why not combine the two - catalina goby with zoas tank
temperature of the water is why they cant be combined. Catalina gobies need no higher than 72 F water if I am not mistaken. You can combine the catalina with seahorses. I have already checked that idea and it didnt work out. And, the missus has laid claim to the spot where I wanted to put my tank so now I have to come up with a new location for the tank and in this house, there isnt any room.