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DIY LED Plans: Thoughts?

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Kyfz450 View Drop Down
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    Posted: May 07 2012 at 9:05am

So I've seen quite a few threads on here and different forums where people are spending a few hundred on their diy led's using Cree or other brand led's on the little star heat sinks. I've been looking around and I'm seeing much cheaper options but I know there has to be a catch or everyone would be doing it already. So I would really like someone to tell me why these wouldn’t work.

Plan A: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2FLBM.htm running Blue, Blue, Warm or Cool White, Blue, Blue, Warm or Cool White, Blue, Blue etc. I have recently purchased a 90g established tank that is a current fish/reef tank and I would like to a wide range of coral in this tank. If I were to use these led's with three rows spanning the width of the tank my total before shipping would be just over $120 with power supply.

 

Plan B: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2FRLBN.htm Run white down the center of the tank blue in back and blue in front.

 

Plan C: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&category=BARS&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2FRLBN-RGB30SMD.htm 4 of these with a controller to set the color.

 

This is just thought for now and I don't have a solid plan on using any of these just yet. I would like to in the very near future but for right now I'm just doing my research and hoping somewhere down the road I can get some criticism on why this would or would not work. Thanks!

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CCFMIG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2012 at 10:53pm
How much is the cheapest one going to cost you? I just got mine for 160 with free shipping and didn't have to do the work. plus it looks amazing. check here mine was here in 1 week. http://www.aquariumleds.com/categories/Aquarium-LED-Lighting/ Just an option but I love mine already.

Edited by CCFMIG - May 07 2012 at 10:54pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote napalm77 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 07 2012 at 11:40pm
are they full spectrum?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kyfz450 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2012 at 7:22am
Originally posted by CCFMIG CCFMIG wrote:

How much is the cheapest one going to cost you? I just got mine for 160 with free shipping and didn't have to do the work. plus it looks amazing. check here mine was here in 1 week. http://www.aquariumleds.com/categories/Aquarium-LED-Lighting/ Just an option but I love mine already.
 

Well the cheapest one would cost me around $80 plus shipping the other options would be $120 or $160 plus shipping. I’ll check out that link as soon as I get home, that page is blocked where I’m at.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kyfz450 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2012 at 7:23am
Originally posted by napalm77 napalm77 wrote:

are they full spectrum?
 

This is one of the reason's I posted this question, I'm fairly handicapped in my knowledge of lighting. Plan A consists of a 2 to 1 ratio of Blue 470nm and white that is either 8000K or 6500K.

Plan B consists of a 2 to 1 ratio of Blue 470nm and white that is 7800K, 5600K or 3250K.

Plan C consists of an RGB Strip which is Red 626nm Green 525nm and Blue 470nm.

 

I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you’re asking me about but like I said; I’m lacking in my knowledge of lighting.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lskurys Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2012 at 10:17am

Just saying I could be totally wrong so please don't flame me too much if I am.  From what I have learned you want your Blue's to be in the 420nm to 470nm and you want your whites around 9000nm to 20,000nm.  For a sump you would want to look for lights in the 6300nm to 6700nm range.  I have seen alot of the newer LED kits and upper end units coming with Red and Green leds I have read that they add alot to the set up.  Alot of what I am really not sure this is where my research has stopped so far. 

I have only seen one tank so far will really good growth from LEDs.  That would be Lairds tank.  His LED set up was a DIY and $$ was inbetween the cheap units and the high end name brand units. 
Check out this site they have alot of reading on LEDs for free.  http://reefledlights.com/ 
Hope this helps. 
220g , large elite aquatics sump. 3 Radion Pro Gen 3 lights 3 Mp 40's
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote napalm77 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2012 at 10:20am
i have led's over my frag tank and everything loves them zoas grow like crazy so i am a supporter of led's the lights i bought are supposedly full spectrum but i don't know for sure im still tryin to figure out if they truly are
 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CCFMIG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 08 2012 at 10:15pm

Technical Specs

  • Input voltage 120/230VAC
  • Power 120W
  • LED Qty 40pcs
  • LED Type 3W/pcs
  • LED brand Semi/Bridgelux
  • LED beam angle 120/90/60 degree Mix
  • LED working current 300-350mA
  • LED working voltage 3V-3.8V
  • LED Life time 50000hrs
  • Color White&Blue (1:1)
  • LED Intensity >240Lm
  • Wavelength/Kelvin W: 14000K, B: 460nm
  • PF 0.97
  • IP IP50
  • Working environmental temperature -20 ~ +50degress
  • 2" depth - 1537 Par
  • PAR reading 12" depth - 423 Par
  • 24" depth - 182 Par
  • Coverage 7 Square Feet
  • Equal to MH light 250W
  • Dimension 400X213X71(unit: mm)
  • Packing size 450x260x123 (unit: mm)
  • Weight N.W 4.5kg /G.W 5k

Specifications:

  • Volt: 120V (Standard US sockets)
  • Lumens: 9520Lm

Hope this helps I Heart mine...... Thumbs Up

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Soehl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 09 2012 at 11:24am
Kyfz450,
Looks like we are at about the same spot in our LED hunt.  I just haven't bought in to any other LED than Cree....  The brightlux look great at first but seems to me like they might fade faster than the Cree.  Other brands just don't have the track record for me.  In a few years after proven results I will probably accept others but right now I want the tried and true.  Probably just my paranoia but I am going to go with Cree.  I am doing a DIY from RapidLED.  Plus, they are really great to work with.  I have seen a bunch of different brands out there and I even tried a "cheap" version DIY which I made from LED strips on eBay.  That was a waste of money but I learned a lot from it.  I noticed we are both in West Point.  We should hook up and compare notes.   Give me a text.  8019284136.  I work on base too...
Cory
180 Gallon Mixed Reef
Radion Pro LED
75 Gallon Elite Sump/Refugium
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