My perfect LEDcombination
- Thread starter 1snapple
- Start date
acrylic51
Active Member
Any pics???? Corey I'm curious as well about the NW's......After reading all 28 pages or so of that thread really peaked my interest on the use of the NW vs the CW. There still has be something to the CW's. They sell a "high noon" kit utilizing the XP-G CW.
Any other color combinations you've played with Josh? I'm still thinking of playing with some reds. Almost to the point of pulling the trigger and buying a small DIY 12led kit and toying with it.....
Any other color combinations you've played with Josh? I'm still thinking of playing with some reds. Almost to the point of pulling the trigger and buying a small DIY 12led kit and toying with it.....
2quills
Well-Known Member
Here's a design that I've been playing around with for a color scheme. I came up with another design lastnight that is very similar but haven't sketched it up yet. BTW, does anyone know how to save stuff from Google Sketch Up as a jpeg? It doesn't seem to give me the option to save anything as an image. I had to print and scan this one.
30 - Royal Blue
20 - Blue
30 - Cool White
20 - Neutral White
Each color on it's own dimmable power supply. May try and swap out a couple Neutrals for some Reds.
30 - Royal Blue
20 - Blue
30 - Cool White
20 - Neutral White
Each color on it's own dimmable power supply. May try and swap out a couple Neutrals for some Reds.
acrylic51
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391678
Here's a design that I've been playing around with for a color scheme. I came up with another design lastnight that is very similar but haven't sketched it up yet. BTW, does anyone know how to save stuff from Google Sketch Up as a jpeg? It doesn't seem to give me the option to save anything as an image. I had to print and scan this one.
30 - Royal Blue
20 - Blue
30 - Cool White
20 - Neutral White
Each color on it's own dimmable power supply. May try and swap out a couple Neutrals for some Reds.
Corey you should have an option to save it as a jpeg....That is how I did my sketch up of the tank early on in my thread, but it wasn't obvious how to do it to me either. I think it took me 1/2 a day to figure out how to do it. I will try to get into my computer and figure out how I did it......Did you see anything labeled or listed as "convert"?
Nice layout by the way....Curious as you why you have the panels swapped??? Do you think you'll get a heavy coverage of blue in the center of the tank?
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391678
Here's a design that I've been playing around with for a color scheme. I came up with another design lastnight that is very similar but haven't sketched it up yet. BTW, does anyone know how to save stuff from Google Sketch Up as a jpeg? It doesn't seem to give me the option to save anything as an image. I had to print and scan this one.
30 - Royal Blue
20 - Blue
30 - Cool White
20 - Neutral White
Each color on it's own dimmable power supply. May try and swap out a couple Neutrals for some Reds.
Corey you should have an option to save it as a jpeg....That is how I did my sketch up of the tank early on in my thread, but it wasn't obvious how to do it to me either. I think it took me 1/2 a day to figure out how to do it. I will try to get into my computer and figure out how I did it......Did you see anything labeled or listed as "convert"?
Nice layout by the way....Curious as you why you have the panels swapped??? Do you think you'll get a heavy coverage of blue in the center of the tank?
acrylic51
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391680
When purchasing these DIY kits....does it include the platform or do i have to make something up to actually attach these LEDs....also wat bout instructions? I guess i would need a saudering iron huh?
+1 lets see some pics of this color scheme
Depending where you shop you can get complete packages of the heatsink, leds, drivers and optics if you choose to. I've been shopping so many places can't recall off the top of my head, but 1 place has drop down menu bars that you can even choose different drivers as well. I think it was reefledlight.com.
Corey Jameco seems to be pretty promising for drivers......
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391680
When purchasing these DIY kits....does it include the platform or do i have to make something up to actually attach these LEDs....also wat bout instructions? I guess i would need a saudering iron huh?
+1 lets see some pics of this color scheme
Depending where you shop you can get complete packages of the heatsink, leds, drivers and optics if you choose to. I've been shopping so many places can't recall off the top of my head, but 1 place has drop down menu bars that you can even choose different drivers as well. I think it was reefledlight.com.
Corey Jameco seems to be pretty promising for drivers......
2quills
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391682
Corey you should have an option to save it as a jpeg....That is how I did my sketch up of the tank early on in my thread, but it wasn't obvious how to do it to me either. I think it took me 1/2 a day to figure out how to do it. I will try to get into my computer and figure out how I did it......Did you see anything labeled or listed as "convert"?
Nice layout by the way....Curious as you why you have the panels swapped??? Do you think you'll get a heavy coverage of blue in the center of the tank?
I'll have to check it out again Shawn. I think I tried converting it but I'll have to look again and make sure.
I did modify that design slightly to balance it out a little better. When I get it sketched up I'll post it. Not sure how much difference it would or wouldn't make but yeah I did think about that. My leds will be approximately 14" from the surface of the water so that's plenty of height for the colors to mix. Infact I think I'll be able to go with all 40 degree optics and drive them at a lower current.
I'll have to post up a sketch on the optics spreads. I drew it out the other night and realized that a single led set in the middle of the tank 14" above the surface would spread across the whole length of my tank on the bottom. It's pretty crazy. So I could easily get away with at least 60's or 40's without the spotlight effect. I think that's why the guy with the two aqua illuminations over the 48"x48"x24" tank was able to do it. Must have went with the wide optics. Just wondering how much par he would be sacrificing to do that though. According to reefledlights you want 1 led for every 12-15 square inches of surface area to keep sps. Going with the 1 to 12 square inch ratio I would need 90 leds. But I'll probably be going with 102. A little over kill sure but I'll be able to drive them lower to keep everything running cooler.
But the infinate color controlability is what I'm after. As well as being able to give the corals the right amount of color across the spectrum.
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391682
Corey you should have an option to save it as a jpeg....That is how I did my sketch up of the tank early on in my thread, but it wasn't obvious how to do it to me either. I think it took me 1/2 a day to figure out how to do it. I will try to get into my computer and figure out how I did it......Did you see anything labeled or listed as "convert"?
Nice layout by the way....Curious as you why you have the panels swapped??? Do you think you'll get a heavy coverage of blue in the center of the tank?
I'll have to check it out again Shawn. I think I tried converting it but I'll have to look again and make sure.
I did modify that design slightly to balance it out a little better. When I get it sketched up I'll post it. Not sure how much difference it would or wouldn't make but yeah I did think about that. My leds will be approximately 14" from the surface of the water so that's plenty of height for the colors to mix. Infact I think I'll be able to go with all 40 degree optics and drive them at a lower current.
I'll have to post up a sketch on the optics spreads. I drew it out the other night and realized that a single led set in the middle of the tank 14" above the surface would spread across the whole length of my tank on the bottom. It's pretty crazy. So I could easily get away with at least 60's or 40's without the spotlight effect. I think that's why the guy with the two aqua illuminations over the 48"x48"x24" tank was able to do it. Must have went with the wide optics. Just wondering how much par he would be sacrificing to do that though. According to reefledlights you want 1 led for every 12-15 square inches of surface area to keep sps. Going with the 1 to 12 square inch ratio I would need 90 leds. But I'll probably be going with 102. A little over kill sure but I'll be able to drive them lower to keep everything running cooler.
But the infinate color controlability is what I'm after. As well as being able to give the corals the right amount of color across the spectrum.
acrylic51
Active Member
I keep looking at the AI units.....I'm curious about the leds their using....I know their 3 chip leds. I've seen the Cree 3 chips, but on the AI's I think they have the white, RB and blue on the same star. The ones I've seen listed just have either 3 white chips or 3 blue chips per star......
I had though about staggering the leds? Not sure what exactly that would do to the light pattern spread????
I had though about staggering the leds? Not sure what exactly that would do to the light pattern spread????
acrylic51
Active Member
Ahhhh I have to check them out!!!!!! They need to make a laptop screen for the windshield of a truck!!!!!
Have you read this thread yet? It's older, but a lot of stuff can sneak by you at times.....http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1940932&highlight=gasman+led&page=3
Have you read this thread yet? It's older, but a lot of stuff can sneak by you at times.....http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1940932&highlight=gasman+led&page=3
acrylic51
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391691
Pretty sure A.I. uses creep xp-g and xr-e chips. I think over on cutters site you can order those stars with whatever chips you want on them or mount them yourself.
Correct....I did read that info a bit ago on RC....
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/386254/my-perfect-ledcombination#post_3391691
Pretty sure A.I. uses creep xp-g and xr-e chips. I think over on cutters site you can order those stars with whatever chips you want on them or mount them yourself.
Correct....I did read that info a bit ago on RC....
2quills
Well-Known Member
No I hadn't seen that thread but I'm not suprised. He had SOL whites on his tank I believe and then later added on something that looked like reef koi's but didn't keep them on their long. The main thing that I'm hearing is that right around the 6 month mark is when people tend to see a loss of color in certain types of sps like acros. But I think the key thing that alot of people are missing or aren't looking at is the two most important areas of the spectrum for color and growth. Leds are great in the blue area but they lack in the red area around 470nm. And that area is important for reproduction of zooxanthellae. Leds just don't have it in that area. But if you look over on rapid led I believe it's bridgelux produces a red led that peaks at 460nm. Those are the reds that I'm thinking about tossing in. Also the neutrals produce more light in the red wavelength than the higher cool whites. Too many people looking at colors pleasing to the eye and not enough on what the sps actually need for long term success.
acrylic51
Active Member
I haven't given up on the reds.....I thought I read somewhere or it was posted that running red leds were bad? If I revert back to that original thread you shot me the other day; even though it was older I think they were on to something back then with the mix of leds......
2quills
Well-Known Member
These are the reds I'm talking about over on rapid that peak around 660.
In regards to the reds being bad...I don't know what they mean about that. Red you do have to be careful with because it helps to fuel algae growth if nutrients are not kept low. When it comes to softies, they pretty much thrive in the wild off of light in the blue wavelength (deeper waters). Red and yellow don't penetrate far into the ocean at all. But shallow water sps are adapted to receiving light in the red wavelength. Especially the ones in tidal zones that are sometime exposed to air for hours at a time in some areas at low tides.
If you look at the cree spectral analysis sheets the best leds for producing red in the wavelength most important for them they would be...Warm white, neutral white, and then cool white in that order. The cree reds peak somewhere around 630nm when the more important zone for coral is right around 670nm. That's why I like the red led posted above that peaks at 660nm.
The best area of spectrum in the blue wavelength for corals is between 465-485nm. Thats where the royal blues and blues come in if you check out the spectral analysis on those.
My idea isn't to run the reds all the time but have them come on during the day at high noon or the peak of mid day for a while just to give the corals what the other leds are lacking. Otherwise I think the neutrals will be plenty to fill in the other areas of the spectrum for viewing and such.
Yellow and Green areas of the spectrum are fairly useless for coral photosynthesis. But cyano loves that area of the spectrum. Fluorescent bulbs are most notable for producing useless light in those ranges. But it's probably great for fuges. As would be warm white leds.
Here's a good article by Sanjay...http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/b/sbj4/aquarium/articles/Photosynthesis.htm particularly the section discussing photosynthesis.
And I like his closing paragraph...
"The ability of the corals to adapt in such an incredible manner also raises some other interesting issues. Should we try to emulate the reef zones in our aquariums and make the effort to try to provide the light spectrum and intensity that the corals are accustomed to in the wild? Or, should we provide light that “enhances” the visual appearance and coloration of the corals and force the corals to adapt in a manner that we find appealing?" (Sanjay Joshi)
In regards to the reds being bad...I don't know what they mean about that. Red you do have to be careful with because it helps to fuel algae growth if nutrients are not kept low. When it comes to softies, they pretty much thrive in the wild off of light in the blue wavelength (deeper waters). Red and yellow don't penetrate far into the ocean at all. But shallow water sps are adapted to receiving light in the red wavelength. Especially the ones in tidal zones that are sometime exposed to air for hours at a time in some areas at low tides.
If you look at the cree spectral analysis sheets the best leds for producing red in the wavelength most important for them they would be...Warm white, neutral white, and then cool white in that order. The cree reds peak somewhere around 630nm when the more important zone for coral is right around 670nm. That's why I like the red led posted above that peaks at 660nm.
The best area of spectrum in the blue wavelength for corals is between 465-485nm. Thats where the royal blues and blues come in if you check out the spectral analysis on those.
My idea isn't to run the reds all the time but have them come on during the day at high noon or the peak of mid day for a while just to give the corals what the other leds are lacking. Otherwise I think the neutrals will be plenty to fill in the other areas of the spectrum for viewing and such.
Yellow and Green areas of the spectrum are fairly useless for coral photosynthesis. But cyano loves that area of the spectrum. Fluorescent bulbs are most notable for producing useless light in those ranges. But it's probably great for fuges. As would be warm white leds.
Here's a good article by Sanjay...http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/b/sbj4/aquarium/articles/Photosynthesis.htm particularly the section discussing photosynthesis.
And I like his closing paragraph...
"The ability of the corals to adapt in such an incredible manner also raises some other interesting issues. Should we try to emulate the reef zones in our aquariums and make the effort to try to provide the light spectrum and intensity that the corals are accustomed to in the wild? Or, should we provide light that “enhances” the visual appearance and coloration of the corals and force the corals to adapt in a manner that we find appealing?" (Sanjay Joshi)
acrylic51
Active Member
2quills
Well-Known Member
Not sure which one that was Shawn, there's been so many threads we've sent each other. I know you're wanting to do alot of sps in your tank. And on my build I intend to do an sps and acan tank. So I think reds might be of some help, or at the very least I'm sure at least the neutrals will be. For softies and even shallow tanks the typical royal blue, blue and cool white is probably enough for most mixed reef tanks from what I've seen.
I have seen some shots with people running reds and I don't know if they were just driving them too high or had too many but it's not necessarily the most pleasing thing to look at as far as actual light goes. I'm still of the mindset though that as long as everything is adjustable then you should be able to find a happy medium on either end of providing the spectrum needed and finding a color that is great for viewing.
I have seen some shots with people running reds and I don't know if they were just driving them too high or had too many but it's not necessarily the most pleasing thing to look at as far as actual light goes. I'm still of the mindset though that as long as everything is adjustable then you should be able to find a happy medium on either end of providing the spectrum needed and finding a color that is great for viewing.