Hello M8s
I have finally decided to give LED lighting a try. I had been apprehensive in the past, but it appears LED lighting has become more than viable (I have seen some awesome growth pics).
That being said, I was wondering if I could call upon your wisdom to avoid any mistakes that are only discovered from experience (of which I have none in regards to LEDs).
My intentions are to light a 3 gallon (partial fill) cylindrical acrylic aquarium (custom cylinder) measuring roughly
~ 8 Inch Diameter
~ 14 Inch tall (water level ~12 inches )
The tank is 360 degree viewable. I plan on using the following lights arranged around the outer circumference of the custom circular\cylindrical hood.
All lighting items are being ordered from www.rapidled.com I have heard nothing but good things about this company and the products, plus they have everything I need.
----ITEM LIST----
3x Cool White Cree XP-G R5 LEDs ---> (~3 watts per bulb, right?)
3x Royal Blue Cree XP-E LEDs
6x 60 Degree XP-E Lenses
1x 2 color dimming kit
2x Mean Well ELN-60-48D dimmable driver --->
One driver for each color. I'm only using 3 out of 6 possible LEDs. I figure this gives me room to upgrade if I need more light, or since i'm using waterproof lead wires, I might run a white led or two down the in-sump refugium). Are there any problems associated with only running 3 of 6 leds on a 6 led unit?
So basically, the lights will be staggered around the circumference of the hood spaced equal distance apart. The lights will be about 5 to 6 inches above the water line and the water is about 12 inches deep minus a 1 inch sand bed, so the light will need to penetrate ~11 inches of water.
So, will this be enough or too much light? Will I be able to keep sps and \ or soft corals with this?
Do you see any problems with the plan? Please let me know what you think.
Thanks In advance
Asterix
I have finally decided to give LED lighting a try. I had been apprehensive in the past, but it appears LED lighting has become more than viable (I have seen some awesome growth pics).
That being said, I was wondering if I could call upon your wisdom to avoid any mistakes that are only discovered from experience (of which I have none in regards to LEDs).
My intentions are to light a 3 gallon (partial fill) cylindrical acrylic aquarium (custom cylinder) measuring roughly
~ 8 Inch Diameter
~ 14 Inch tall (water level ~12 inches )
The tank is 360 degree viewable. I plan on using the following lights arranged around the outer circumference of the custom circular\cylindrical hood.
All lighting items are being ordered from www.rapidled.com I have heard nothing but good things about this company and the products, plus they have everything I need.
----ITEM LIST----
3x Cool White Cree XP-G R5 LEDs ---> (~3 watts per bulb, right?)
3x Royal Blue Cree XP-E LEDs
6x 60 Degree XP-E Lenses
1x 2 color dimming kit
2x Mean Well ELN-60-48D dimmable driver --->
One driver for each color. I'm only using 3 out of 6 possible LEDs. I figure this gives me room to upgrade if I need more light, or since i'm using waterproof lead wires, I might run a white led or two down the in-sump refugium). Are there any problems associated with only running 3 of 6 leds on a 6 led unit?
So basically, the lights will be staggered around the circumference of the hood spaced equal distance apart. The lights will be about 5 to 6 inches above the water line and the water is about 12 inches deep minus a 1 inch sand bed, so the light will need to penetrate ~11 inches of water.
So, will this be enough or too much light? Will I be able to keep sps and \ or soft corals with this?
Do you see any problems with the plan? Please let me know what you think.
Thanks In advance
Asterix
I'd like to have the option to do SPS, although now I think I will primarily keep softies for simplicity's sake. I would love to hear some more comments! I'm ready to order the things as soon as I feel confident that this is the best setup for my tank. Please advise:bounce2: 
