Premade LED hoods vs DIY

[chruckguy]

I know a lot of people here are building their own LED lights for their aquarium, but I'm trying to figure what the gain is.
There are "Double Bright" hoods, which seem like the equivalent of a plain fluorescent hood, and "Reef Ready" hoods, which are equivalent to T5 lights.
Lights are the last big thing I need for my 30mb FOWLR tank. I might try to do coals later down the road, but have never had any and will require research. Money isn't really an issue which way I go. LEDs would be nice to get away from bulb replacement, but it seems like people making a DIY are spending $300-400 to make theirs. I don't have any experience soldering, but I know its not difficult.
If anyone can shed some light on this, I'd appreciate it!

 

[monsinour]

for me, when i do it, it will be the satisfaction that I made something that works well and does its intended purpose. That and it will save me lots of money in the long term.

 

[acrylic51]

The major gain in DIY is the cost savings vs buying a store prebuilt unit.....Price out a super nice Aqua Illuminations unit, and you'll understand the cost savings, and basically bragging rights that you built the unit yourself......

 

[scsinet]

Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/383929/premade-led-hoods-vs-diy#post_3361053
The major gain in DIY is the cost savings vs buying a store prebuilt unit.....Price out a super nice Aqua Illuminations unit, and you'll understand the cost savings, and basically bragging rights that you built the unit yourself......
Very true... the savings are huge... I've built at least 7 hoods now... various combinations of T5, VHO, and MH, and I have never spent more than $300 on a hood build, including all materials except lamps.
With all that savings came better quality than I ever could have expected from a store-bought canopy as well.
In the end, you end up with substantial savings, better build quality, the exact features you want, and the exact look/fit/finish that you want.

 

[spanko]

Aquaillumination 12" SOL Super Blue with controller. $629 shipped. I have one an feel it is well worth the money.

• 
  AquaIllumination 12" Sol Super Blue 1xModule LED Light System complete with AquaIllumination Sol Controller, mounting rails and legs, external power supply and active cooling system. Each module consists of 24 LED lamps grouped into a bank of 8 lenses or pods each containing one Cree XP 6500K "Full Spectrum" LED lamps, one Cree XP Blue LED lamp and one Cree XP Royal Blue LED lamp. Recommended Tank Width: up to 30" with proper placement of corals. Recommended Tank Depth: up to 36" with proper placement of corals. Power Consumption: up to 75W per module at full intensity. Individual Module Dimensions: 11.9" x 5.4" x 2.4" (L x W x H). Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer Warranty.
  Features:
  1. Intensity is adjustable from 0 to 100%.
  2. The white and blue LED lamps are controlled independently allowing the color to be adjusted from warm white (approximately 6500K) to deep blue (greater than 20000K).
  3. Two control settings; Automatic and Manual. In Automatic Mode the sun rises and falls at user determined times and the fixture automatically transitions into the corresponding moon cycle for the duration of the 24-hour period. The 16 unique user defined set points can simulate cloud cover and other light variations. In Manual Mode the light may be set to the desired intensity and color and turned on-off manually.
  4. Moon intensity automatically adjusts to follow the actual lunar cycle of ~29 day.
  5. Fixture is cooled by blowing air across heat sinks located above each bank of LED lamps preventing salt, moisture, dust and dirt from entering the fixture and harming the LED lamps and other internal components.
  6. 100V - 240V Universal Power Supply allows fixture to be used on a wide variety of power sources.
  7. Seamless integration with GHL Profilux and Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Elite controllers.
  Benefits:
  1. Superior Performance - Capable of producing as much light as a 400W metal halide system for effective growth of both SPS and LPS corals.
  2. Save Energy - More than 50% versus comparable metal halide system.
  3. Low Heat - Generates a fraction of the heat of a comparable metal halide system.
  4. Long Lamp Life - Up to 10 years.
  5. Multi-Functional - Sunrise, daylight, sunset, thunderstorm and lunar light cycles all included.
  6. Upgradeable - Modular design allows end user to increase the length of the fixture or upgrade to the latest in LED lamp technology.

 

[monsinour]

thats expensive, but it sure does sound cool Spanko.

 

[spanko]

Oh IDK when you think about the folks building their own fixtures and spending a few hundred dollars on the lighting and that cost not even including the controller and all of the programming that goes along with it, along with the time they spend actually doing the work. The cost of the AI unit doesn't seem to be that much to me.
But like the guys above said the amount of satisfaction from doing something themselves, the accomplishment, the personal attention to quality all have meaning to them and I understand that.

 

[scsinet]

Quote:
Originally Posted by spanko http:///forum/thread/383929/premade-led-hoods-vs-diy#post_3361239
Oh IDK when you think about the folks building their own fixtures and spending a few hundred dollars on the lighting and that cost not even including the controller and all of the programming that goes along with it, along with the time they spend actually doing the work. The cost of the AI unit doesn't seem to be that much to me.
But like the guys above said the amount of satisfaction from doing something themselves, the accomplishment, the personal attention to quality all have meaning to them and I understand that.
Yes... to some of us the work is half the fun, so we don't even factor our time and effort into the equation.

 

[reefraff]

I was offered a deal on a AI and they are way cool and I could afford one BUT I built my own because I don't believe there was or still is a prebuilt unit with a complete spectrum of light. That isn't to say they don't look good, I just like more red and yellow in the output than they produce.

 

[chruckguy]

My only problem about a DIY light hood is that I don't have any of the supplies to make any of it, nor do I really have anywhere to put it together. I'm in an apartment, not the best place for sodering and whatever else is needed. I might just go with T5 lights for now while I still look into making my own LED light hood. I don't plan on being in an apartment forever and eventually I'll have a work area and I'll make my own then.

 

[reefraff]

If you don't plan on corals right now you don't need a lot of light. Check your local craigslist for something. Over that tank even a Tek T5 would be enough to grow anything you want properly placed in the tank. But even one of the crappy chinese knock off fixtures with good T5 lamps installed will give you a nice look and enough light for low lite corals. I'd go uber cheap for now and just know your limitations until you decide to get serious about corals.