10 watt leds

[woodya]

I tried searching but couldn't find anything on 10 watt LEDs from China. I know there not as efficient but has anyone tried them? I was reading on a forum somwhere that they werebworking great for growing plants in fw so i bought some to tryout. They get super hot quickly so i bought a 7.2 x 15 x 1 heatsink. I have a 40 breeder and I'm going to build an array with 4 cool white 4 royal blue 1 red and will most likely add 1 green and 1 violet. I may also switch 2 cw for ww or nw. Thoughts on the lights, combination, and heatsink?

 

[asid61]

If you want to do that, look into the Bridgelux BXRC arrays. Like this one: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/BXRC-50C4000-F-04/976-1154-ND/3913135
Those are some pretty high-power whites, and don't cost much more than the ebay kind. They are also available in models from 3000k-5600k. But, they are vastly more efficient, generally around 30-50% brighter per watt.
For the blues, then the ebay arrays will work, but Luxeon M leds are 12w royal blues, and are again more efficient. So look into those if you can afford them, but they are a lot more expensive than ebay.
Instead of discrete red and green chips, use a multichip if you can with both colors on it. They are rather rare though, so discrete 10w ones are okay. Also, add in a 10w blue in the 470nm range.

 

[woodya]

I already purchased some brand less ones off eBay. What I'm wondering is if I have too much light or not enough and if my color combinations are good? Also if anyone has tried these specifically.

 

[asid61]

For a 40 breeder you should be fine. However, Adding another violet would be to your advantage for SPS.

 

[woodya]

Should I swap two cool white with neutral white? I'm worried about blasting everyone with too much light.

 

[Shaker nemo]

hey could you give the link for the 10 w leds you ordered? And also, what driver are you using? Im thinking of lighting a 10 gallon reef with 10 watt leds. THX!

 

[asid61]

Should I swap two cool white with neutral white? I'm worried about blasting everyone with too much light.

If you do so, add another royal blue or dim the neutral whites down. It's not really necessary with the addition of reds.

 

[woodya]

I bought these. They seem high quality, had petty good shipping, and excellent customer service that speaks good English. They have all colors. As for a driver right now I'm using a PC power supply.

Asid61 you don't think I should use neutral white?

 

[asid61]

I bought these. They seem high quality, had petty good shipping, and excellent customer service that speaks good English. They have all colors. As for a driver right now I'm using a PC power supply.

Asid61 you don't think I should use neutral white?

The point of neutral whites instead of cool whites is to better cover the spectrum, but your red and green leds will do fine in that area. Besides, if you already have that many royal blues, adding neutral whites would mean you would need to dim the them or dim the royal blues to get a high color temperature.