LED build for 75g reef
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: DIY
Forum Description: Do it Yourself
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=61132
Printed Date: July 21 2025 at 5:15am
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Topic: LED build for 75g reef
Posted By: phys
Subject: LED build for 75g reef
Date Posted: January 01 2013 at 9:47pm
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Alllrighty, so I finally had the funds to get an LED setup going for my 75.
Reasoning:
Currently, I'm running 4 T8 32 watt bulbs and a 4 bulb 32 watt PC. This setup has currently been growing my corals and SPS well, but its simply not as efficient as I want it to be. Also, bulbs are expensive, wasteful, and polluting (on a small level). I have a GIANT light set up that is bulky, heavy and ugly. I want a much more sleek and slender look over the tank and would like something I don't have to remove every time I do some tank work.
LED wavelength reasoning:
I currently have two other fixtures on 20g and 10g nanos. I have a 24 LED 50/50 cool white/royal blue Cree XP-E set up and an 8 LED 50/50 Neutral White/Royal blue Cree XP-G/XT-E set up, respectively. I like the blue color of the 20g and the colors of the corals themselves (due to fluorescence), mostly, but it seems lacking in a few colors that are a result of the reflection of light. The lights on the 10g give good reflective color with the neutral whites but lack in the colors of the corals I see with the 20g lights. I have, in the past, held the 10g's lights over the tank at the same time as the 20g's lights and I like the colors combined but even with only 4 Neutral white LEDs, the colors of the corals' seem to become drabby. This leads me to believe that a ratio of 12:4 CW/NW (3:1 cool white/neutral white) is too much.
I've looked up a lot of stuff on coral zooxanthellae wavelength absorption and response as well as keeping in mind the reflective skins of the corals. A few websites I've referenced for the data (among others I don't remember sites for) and analysis are here:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature" rel="nofollow - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/10/aafeature
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/12/corals" rel="nofollow - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/12/corals
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/12/aafeature2" rel="nofollow - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2006/12/aafeature2
http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookPS.html" rel="nofollow - http://www2.estrellamountain.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/BioBookPS.html
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/ac/index.php" rel="nofollow - http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/ac/index.php
http://coralvue.com/r420r-color-spectrum/" rel="nofollow - http://coralvue.com/r420r-color-spectrum/
I've based most of my LED color choices on this information and from what I've seen visually with my tanks and others' tanks in the club.
LED color ratios:
I initially wanted to go with a 3:2 blue to white ratio with underlying ratios of 3:1 CW:NW and 3:1 RB:B. I've also added a small portion of what people refer to as "UV" but are really more Violet LEDs that potentially have some tail off response in the Near UV range from assumingly 390-400nm with a peak (reported) of 410-420nm. Here are the numbers:
30 XT-E Royal Blue
10 XP-E Blue
20 XP-E Premium Cool White
08 XT-E High Noon (Neutral White)
04 *Unreported Name* Violet
With proper adjustment of the output, I should be able to attain the 3:2 B:W ratio I'm hoping for. In the future, I will possibly add some extremely red LEDs to the mix to get the chlorophyll a response at the 650-700nm range. At the time of ordering, I had not found any in that range but I have come across some recently. I'll do more research on those and the feasibility later.
Drivers are all Meanwell:
RB CEN-100-48
CW PLN-100-48
V LPC-35-700
B & NW ELN 60-48
I'll be doing analog dimming switches on my wiring for now as I cant afford the digital stuff lol.
Heat-sinks: I'll be using 1/8" thick, 2" wide aluminum (possibly thicker) aluminum strips. I have tested this with the 10g set up i have and if spaced 2" between the LEDs running at 100% power, I have no need for a cooling fan. Interesting, right? If needed later, I'll add a few 120mm fans over the fixture.
I haven't figured out a placement configuration at the current time but when I do, I'll add it.
I hope to receive the LEDs by next week and get everything together within 2 weeks. I'll keep everyone updated!
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Replies:
Posted By: ReefKeeper78
Date Posted: January 05 2013 at 4:11am
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Sound like it will be a "fun" build, can't wait to see more. ------------- 180Gal Reef with 576 Watts of LED's 16Gal Innovative Marine Nano LED lit 150 Gal Frag tank with MH PADI Dive certified sure love that ocean.. |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 09 2013 at 8:11pm
| Well, I got everything in, and put it all together. I underestimated the heat so i'll be getting some fans to add to it soon. One of the 700mA drivers that are not dimmable put out more amperage than it was rated (I know, I should have checked it) so it burned out the 4 Violet bulbs. Not a huge loss, it'll only be a 16$ replacement. But!!! The tank looks AMAZING! All the colors are incredibly vibrant, they all pop, and reds are much much brighter now. I have everything on the lowest setting and its still brighter than my previous setup. I'll take some pictures tonight and post them all. You're all welcome to come see but I don't have a housing for it, so its pretty bare lol. Just look at the corals... not up. haha. |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 12:06am
| Flood of coral pics on the way.... |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 12:20am
                                                 
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Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 10:13am
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Wow, awesome! I, too, way underestimated the heat in my JBJ retrofit. So I'm just gonna scrap the plastic hood and make a new hood. I have a really beefy heatsink that I'll use, and that with the fans, I should be good to go. Your pics show a definite blue tint, is it like that in person is your white balance on your camera shifting things? ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 1:27pm
| there is a blue tint there for sure. It looks to be a pretty high K. I had an auto white balance on the camera and no saturation or contrast adjustments. It makes my 20g look yellow lol. The colors are still better in person than the pics. I ordered three 120mm fans... That may sounds overkill but if you're gunna cool it, may as well cool it as much as you can lol. It is a 48" fixture so they'll still be spread out nicely. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 2:58pm
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Auto white balance doesn't do a whole lot, from what I understand. But I'm not a photographer. I really like the blue tint. 14K metal halides were always my favorite. And yes, if you're gonna cool it, just cool it. I'm pretty bummed I can't use the stock JBJ hood, but that's what I get for trying to stay cheap. Scrap lumber in the garage + free heat sink = no extra money.  ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 3:48pm
| does the stock hood just not have enough airflow? |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 3:53pm
| the auto white balance doesn't do a whole lot at the higher Kelvin ranges but it does help with lower K like in the 3000-6000 range. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 5:14pm
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No, there's just not enough airflow. I have two holly square aluminum tubes, and the temperature of the tube hits 170F after about an hour. And that's with a fan jammed in, the acrylic shield not quite secure. (Secure enough to test what kind of airflow would be there, but not enough to make me feel good about putting it about the tank. The fan I have just doesn't quite fit.) So I have two options: buy a new fan, or just use the scrap lumber, large heatsink, and 3 fans I already have to _really_ make sure things stay cool. I think the larger heatsink and open hood will make a huge difference. I may not even need the fans. This is just an office tank; I'm not too keen to go dropping tons of money into the project, so that's why I'm going the way I'm going. I'd love to keep the original hood, but it doesn't seem feasible. ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 5:19pm
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I saw some link on Melevsreef.com once upon a time about using a piece of PVC to sorta calibrate your white balance, and that's how he got better pictures... Lemme see if I can find it... (I know next to nothing about cameras, so if you already know what he's getting at just ignore me.)
------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 5:21pm
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http://www.melevsreef.com/fotos.html He talks about white balance in there. I recently got a Nikon D3100, and I've tinkered with the white balance settings, but I have no idea what he's getting at there. Maybe it'll make sense to you? ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 10 2013 at 11:17pm
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I've done the auto white balance and its alright but i feel that i have to do extra post processing to get the colors to match what i see. I liked this time that it was decent. The true colors in the tank are much more vivid and bright though. Do you think you could build a fan into the stock cover?
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Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 8:30am
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I could, but I'd have to buy the fan. Knowing how hot it gets, and how little room I have, I think a fan like this: http://shop.stevesleds.com/Pressurizing-Cooling-Fan-with-Power-Regulator-Pressurizing-Cooling-Fan-w-plug.htm would be my best option. But then I'd have to buy another voltage regulator chip, and since nowhere local in Cache Valley has one, I'd have to order it as well. It could be another 2 weeks before I get the parts, have the time to sit down and solder, and put it all in there just for the sake of having the stock hood. Since I already have a few fans, a heatsink, lumber, and the tools, I'm just going to build a more open hood and call it good. ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: ClownFishAddict
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 3:49pm
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You could just do this at a cheaper price than building them. http://www.cfsco.net/aqledli12bld.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.cfsco.net/aqledli12bld.html Dimmable too..... |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 4:00pm
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That's just blue and whites. I doubt the leds are of high quality considering the price. I'd need two of those to cover my tank. so only slightly cheaper and I doubt they would look as good. I have a 50/50 LED light fixture over my 20 and its drab in comparison now. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 4:48pm
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I already built my LED setup. phys, where are you? Eventually I'll be setting up a tank at home and I'll want to take the time to do it right, and I'd like to see the difference between a Blue/White setup and the additions you have. I sometimes go down to Salt Lake, maybe I'll have to take the time to see what you did in person. ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 4:54pm
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I've seen his smaller set ups and they convinced me to go LED. They were really nice. I would like to see the new one as well. ------------- 40 gal w/ 20 sump |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 5:04pm
| I'm here right west of the capitol. You're welcome to check it out whenever you're down. Just throw me a pm and i'll give you the addy and phone number. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 5:24pm
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@Lewy: I've already gone LED, and am wholly convinced it's the best option out there. What remains for me is how to decide on the best ratio of colors. I stuck with blue/white on my tank just to start somewhere, but when I setup the home tank I'll be a lot more picky. @phys: Sounds good, thanks. ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 6:31pm
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I figure with a T5 fixture you don't just do blue and white, well I don't. I mix different spectums to achive a 'pop' of color in my corals so it stands to reason the same would apply with LEDs. But with LEDs it seems there are potentially more options. I totally understand wanting to see a fixture with the different colors because LEDs aren't like T5's you replace every year and can play with different color options. It seems once you've chosen on the LEDs, you are stuck with them for many years. ------------- 40 gal w/ 20 sump |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 11 2013 at 7:13pm
| If you build your own system of LEDs, its not hard to add or take off LEDs. even some of the production models offer upgradable fixtures so you can do exactly what you're talking about. You also wont be adding mercury to the landfill and glass to the environment. LEDs are pretty much the greenest option of all light sources. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 12 2013 at 9:54am
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@phys From what I've seen, most DIY LED setups have the LEDs bonded to some heat sink. It's not impossible but not simplistic to replace a single one, unless you're thinking of a different mounting method I haven't considered? Replacing a strip of LEDs is super easy, but expensive. Agreed that LEDs are the greenest option. When you get a solid manufacturer, and if you can refrain from being nitpicky about the configuration and constantly wanting to change it , then you should have your LEDs in place for about 5 years before having to do anything to change them.------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 16 2013 at 12:35am
| I always use a two-part epoxy which is good enough to hold it on forever but it easy to pry off with a screwdriver. Just dont use too much! |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 16 2013 at 12:38am
| After getting a power meter, its shown that im only using 160 watts of TOTAL power and the fixture is brighter than the previous 260 watts of PC and t8s that were on before which was only bulb wattage. that didnt include power that was lost through inefficient ballasts. |
Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 1:57pm
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Awesome. :-) ------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: Lewy
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 5:06pm
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So wait you use epoxy instead of the heat sink plaster? ------------- 40 gal w/ 20 sump |
Posted By: Ryanscott
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 5:18pm
| Use a drilled and tapped heatsink from rapid led then all you have to do is UN screw the dead one and replace it . They are pretty cheap and you can get them with splash guards and fans . |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 5:29pm
| I use epoxy on the outer edges of the star and heat transfer epoxy in the center. |
Posted By: speyside712
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 6:14pm
Has anyone tried this one out? the website sure isn't specific about anything, like size or watts per bulb. And being that cheap sure doesn't inspire confidence... lol
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ClownFishAddict wrote:Posted By: chris.rogers
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 7:14pm
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I'd like to know more about that LED setup before I'd buy. Not saying I wouldn't, but I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I spent money. It just may be worth it, but unless the manufacturer tells you what they put in there, you never know.
------------- Ils sont fous, ces Romains! |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: January 17 2013 at 7:48pm
| It uses bridgelux leds... which are not as powerful or efficient as the cree leds on the market. They are also cheaper. If you used those to build a DIY yourself, you'd spend less than that fixture costs. It also looks exactly like the cheap led fixture that's been thrown around for months made in china and sold on ebay. |