trueblackpercula
New member
150 Watts of VHO and a 400 watt aquaconnect bulb on an icecap electronic ballast.
(Another) DIY LED Build - Linear Design
- Thread starter katchupoy
- Start date
TheFishMan65
New member
The 400 can be replaced with 38.4 LEDs according to one formula I use. And the VHO by 16.6 LEDs. So since we like multiples of 12s maybe 60 would do it.
I recently saw a site that recommends .8 LEDs/Gallon which would be 93 for you.
It is hard to say exactly since there are so many variables, lenses, height, LED brands, etc.
I suppose you could build with 60 and if the it is not enough go back to the existing lights (or maybe add the VHOs to the LEDs) and add more LEDs.
I recently saw a site that recommends .8 LEDs/Gallon which would be 93 for you.
It is hard to say exactly since there are so many variables, lenses, height, LED brands, etc.
I suppose you could build with 60 and if the it is not enough go back to the existing lights (or maybe add the VHOs to the LEDs) and add more LEDs.
trueblackpercula
New member
So the magic number would be 12 x 6 rows would be like 72 is that ok?
Biggar
New member
LOVE the Cree LEDs. Converting my 125 gallon over slowly. Taking off my two 96watt PC actinic lights and replacing with 28 Royal Blue with 80 degree optics(7 inches off water). Running 14 on each 700Ma driver. All of them on a 72" 1x1 square aluminum bar. Im drilling the bar because its super easy and modular if i wanna change setup. 84 watts of these LEDs should be more powerful than 192watts of PC. I have mostly softies and LPS so im good. In future I plan on 2 two more strips of 28. 2:1 ratio with whites on dimmer.
TheFishMan65
New member
tbp, I would probably design it more as three fixtures 3x4 each. Less aluminum since the space between LEDs can be less (maybe not much). It can also make upgrading easier IMHO. I would probably go 18x4 with 12 the spacing would be close to 6 inches apart (6 foot tank rignt?). 18 gives about 4 inches.
Biggar
New member
Yes Fishguy, its a 6 foot. You have a good idea, indeed. I plan on keeping my 12k PC light x 2 for now. Didnt want a complete upgrade right off the bat. Plus, I have a canopy that makes adding strips WAY easier.
hecdr34
New member
Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long
Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long
Hi, I'm setting up a 12g long next week and I'm going with led's. I need your help because the tank is 36Lx8Wx9H and I'm not sure how many led's I will need. Would I be ok with the 1.1" x 36" heat sink and 12x3W led's? I want the blues and whites to be dimmed separately. It will be mostly lps and softies. What do you recommend?
Thank you,
Hector
Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long
Hi, I'm setting up a 12g long next week and I'm going with led's. I need your help because the tank is 36Lx8Wx9H and I'm not sure how many led's I will need. Would I be ok with the 1.1" x 36" heat sink and 12x3W led's? I want the blues and whites to be dimmed separately. It will be mostly lps and softies. What do you recommend?
Thank you,
Hector
fishtankbroke
New member
Bowfronts
Bowfronts
Incredible thread guys. Read it from start to finish and thinking I'm going to have to go through it one more time to get it all and then bounce the idea off you all. I didn't see a Bow front which adds a little complexity, if there was remember where it was? My tanks is a 72 gal, (48"L 12"D at sides arcing to 18" in front, 22" tall) I'm building a canopy that will be about 10 off the top. Fish and softies at the moment, maybe hards down the road"¦Thanks for all your work on this thread"¦
Bowfronts
Incredible thread guys. Read it from start to finish and thinking I'm going to have to go through it one more time to get it all and then bounce the idea off you all. I didn't see a Bow front which adds a little complexity, if there was remember where it was? My tanks is a 72 gal, (48"L 12"D at sides arcing to 18" in front, 22" tall) I'm building a canopy that will be about 10 off the top. Fish and softies at the moment, maybe hards down the road"¦Thanks for all your work on this thread"¦
ocean99
New member
Thanks for this great LED thread plus others on Reef Central and to all the posts by Katchupoy, Santoki, Widmer, Soundwave, TheFishMan65, der_wille_zur_macht, stugray, James3370, etc.
My tank is a 75gal that was previously lit by a 4x65W PC fixture plus 4x moon lights. I've wanted to add more light to the tank but didn't like the enormous power increase and bulb replacement costs to step up to metal halides. Power around here is about .19/KWH. After seeing the great LED examples on RC I had to give it a try.
My tank is a mixture of softies, LPS, and a few SPS Acropora I added just to see if I could do SPS under PC lighting. While the acropora are hanging in there, they are not growing and just display a flat brownish color under PC.
I decided to use your linear approach. A total of 48 3W Cree LEDS are mounted on 4 48in aluminum C channels suspended 12in above the water's surface. All the LEDS have 60deg lenses. The LEDs are driven by 4 ELN-60-48P drivers. There are 32 XPE RB LEDS and 16 Cool White XPG LEDS for that 2:1 ratio most are using. The aluminum channels are barely warm to the touch. Same for the LED drivers. As you can see, I left the channels open with no covering at all. I like the look as-is. I might eventually add an acrylic splash shield under it but the 12in height plus the lenses covering the LEDs already provides some splash protection.
12 LEDS are on each channel spaced 3.25in apart except for the middle two LEDs which are 6in apart to clear the center brace. As you can see there is only a slight V shadow on the top of the back glass from the brace. Raising the LEDS an inch or two, or increasing the center spacing to 8" would probably completely remove it. There are 1-inch pieces of channel screwed between the 4 long channels. So the LED spacing is 2" front to back.
The back channel has 12 3W Cree RB LEDS on it's own ELN60-48P driver. It also has 4 1W Moon light LEDS using a separate mini driver.
The two center channels have alternating RB and Cool White LEDS. The 12 Cool Whites are on their own driver and the 12 RBs are are their own.
The front channel has 8RB and 4 CWs all wired together to the fourth driver.
The main LEDS are currently running at:
Rear 12RB @ .35A
Center 12RB @ .35A
Center 12 CW @.50A
Front 8RB+4CW @ .35A
I don't have a PAR meter, but the tank is visibly much brighter and crisper looking than the flat PC look I had before, especially after the 6 months use I had on the PCs. There is now a great shimmer on the acroporas on the left where the sump return agitates the surface. The acroporas are actually displaying small bright green polyps that were not visible before. I can't wait to see some growth. The gorgonian in the center was already showing some new growth after only 1 week on the LEDs. The softies and polyps are handling the light well so far.
Thanks again for your great thread and everyone's posts. I hope this inspires someone else to go ahead and try LEDs.
My tank is a 75gal that was previously lit by a 4x65W PC fixture plus 4x moon lights. I've wanted to add more light to the tank but didn't like the enormous power increase and bulb replacement costs to step up to metal halides. Power around here is about .19/KWH. After seeing the great LED examples on RC I had to give it a try.
My tank is a mixture of softies, LPS, and a few SPS Acropora I added just to see if I could do SPS under PC lighting. While the acropora are hanging in there, they are not growing and just display a flat brownish color under PC.
I decided to use your linear approach. A total of 48 3W Cree LEDS are mounted on 4 48in aluminum C channels suspended 12in above the water's surface. All the LEDS have 60deg lenses. The LEDs are driven by 4 ELN-60-48P drivers. There are 32 XPE RB LEDS and 16 Cool White XPG LEDS for that 2:1 ratio most are using. The aluminum channels are barely warm to the touch. Same for the LED drivers. As you can see, I left the channels open with no covering at all. I like the look as-is. I might eventually add an acrylic splash shield under it but the 12in height plus the lenses covering the LEDs already provides some splash protection.
12 LEDS are on each channel spaced 3.25in apart except for the middle two LEDs which are 6in apart to clear the center brace. As you can see there is only a slight V shadow on the top of the back glass from the brace. Raising the LEDS an inch or two, or increasing the center spacing to 8" would probably completely remove it. There are 1-inch pieces of channel screwed between the 4 long channels. So the LED spacing is 2" front to back.
The back channel has 12 3W Cree RB LEDS on it's own ELN60-48P driver. It also has 4 1W Moon light LEDS using a separate mini driver.
The two center channels have alternating RB and Cool White LEDS. The 12 Cool Whites are on their own driver and the 12 RBs are are their own.
The front channel has 8RB and 4 CWs all wired together to the fourth driver.
The main LEDS are currently running at:
Rear 12RB @ .35A
Center 12RB @ .35A
Center 12 CW @.50A
Front 8RB+4CW @ .35A
I don't have a PAR meter, but the tank is visibly much brighter and crisper looking than the flat PC look I had before, especially after the 6 months use I had on the PCs. There is now a great shimmer on the acroporas on the left where the sump return agitates the surface. The acroporas are actually displaying small bright green polyps that were not visible before. I can't wait to see some growth. The gorgonian in the center was already showing some new growth after only 1 week on the LEDs. The softies and polyps are handling the light well so far.
Thanks again for your great thread and everyone's posts. I hope this inspires someone else to go ahead and try LEDs.
ryancmatchett
New member
Looking for suggestions to continue research....
Looking for suggestions to continue research....
I just finished reading the entire thread...start to finish, and now subscribed. A wealth of info!!!
We are mid-research phase, but probably going to get to the building in about a month or so. Here is our tank info...so feel free to let me know if we are on the right track:
48X24X24 120gal, with 2 glass braces accross the top, separating the tank into thirds.
Previously lit with 2 X 250wMH and 2 X 54wT5s - Now lit with 8 X 54w T5s.
And we have had some issues with Hair algae that have taken us a year to completely get rid of, and now we are ready to actually have our corals grow.
so: 48 X 24 = 1152 / 15 = 78ish LEDs, 78LEDs means 7 meanwell drivers, Apex controller, fans, several hundred dollars worth of Heatsinks....$ is adding up
However, and thanks to all who have contributed here:
Linear Design:
44" tube or channel bars for heatsinks, a couple of computer fans and we can create our own led fixture. Cool!!
One quick question before we move on to our next step: LEDs and Drivers
From what research I have done, most of everyone that I am reading about are using Cree's and the Meanwell drivers. However, I have found a source for Phillips Luxeon LEDs and commercial aquaria drivers that will support 7 LEDS, total of 28 dimmable LEDS on one computer card based driver (2" X 2.5" X 1/8"). Space-wise, cooling, mounting, money wise, all sound a little better for our purposes. Just trying to get an opinion on these before we plan out our build based on it....
Also, I am in the process of building an arduino based reef controller, to replace our AC Jr, and enable us to do the LEDs....so adding the dimmable drivers to our web based reef controller will be necessary.
We currently have a mixed reef, heavy on the SPS and Larger softies, some zoanthids, but we would like to be able to add an anemone and a clam. Both of which have failed under our HA issue and our T5s.
We are shooting to have an over abundance of light, and have the ability to dim to appropriate levels, as well as adding in moonlights to the same system for night viewing and mixing it up a little with a couple of reds and greens. Our SPS is not isolated to the top, but spread about evenly across the tank about 2/3rd of the way back from the front glass, all the way across the tank.
Lights will be approximately 6-8"(at the most) above the tank, inside of a canopy.
Pics of the current tank:
9/7/11
9/18/11
End view, 9/18/11
Let me know if there is anything that I missed....And thanks for all the help!!
Looking for suggestions to continue research....
I just finished reading the entire thread...start to finish, and now subscribed. A wealth of info!!!
We are mid-research phase, but probably going to get to the building in about a month or so. Here is our tank info...so feel free to let me know if we are on the right track:
48X24X24 120gal, with 2 glass braces accross the top, separating the tank into thirds.
Previously lit with 2 X 250wMH and 2 X 54wT5s - Now lit with 8 X 54w T5s.
And we have had some issues with Hair algae that have taken us a year to completely get rid of, and now we are ready to actually have our corals grow.
so: 48 X 24 = 1152 / 15 = 78ish LEDs, 78LEDs means 7 meanwell drivers, Apex controller, fans, several hundred dollars worth of Heatsinks....$ is adding up
However, and thanks to all who have contributed here:
Linear Design:
44" tube or channel bars for heatsinks, a couple of computer fans and we can create our own led fixture. Cool!!
One quick question before we move on to our next step: LEDs and Drivers
From what research I have done, most of everyone that I am reading about are using Cree's and the Meanwell drivers. However, I have found a source for Phillips Luxeon LEDs and commercial aquaria drivers that will support 7 LEDS, total of 28 dimmable LEDS on one computer card based driver (2" X 2.5" X 1/8"). Space-wise, cooling, mounting, money wise, all sound a little better for our purposes. Just trying to get an opinion on these before we plan out our build based on it....
Also, I am in the process of building an arduino based reef controller, to replace our AC Jr, and enable us to do the LEDs....so adding the dimmable drivers to our web based reef controller will be necessary.
We currently have a mixed reef, heavy on the SPS and Larger softies, some zoanthids, but we would like to be able to add an anemone and a clam. Both of which have failed under our HA issue and our T5s.
We are shooting to have an over abundance of light, and have the ability to dim to appropriate levels, as well as adding in moonlights to the same system for night viewing and mixing it up a little with a couple of reds and greens. Our SPS is not isolated to the top, but spread about evenly across the tank about 2/3rd of the way back from the front glass, all the way across the tank.
Lights will be approximately 6-8"(at the most) above the tank, inside of a canopy.
Pics of the current tank:
9/7/11
9/18/11
End view, 9/18/11
Let me know if there is anything that I missed....And thanks for all the help!!
katchupoy
New member
Good job! I know i am was too late, its just been too crazy with life lately... Im glad that you were able to succesfully finish your project. I used to have a similar (hanging) setup like yours and I used a bike hanger that you can buy really cheap on ebay... This will give you flexibility on height and also when working with your tank where you want to raise your light for tank mainetance.
Congrats!
katchupoy
New member
Or maybe 72 LEDs (divisible by 12). Which means 6 drivers.
I believe this is doable? but Im not really familiar with it so I cannot comment on it. Maybe we need to dig in more on the spec sheet of that driver?
Maybe this can help???
hope I answered your questions. let me know if i can help some more... i apologize for the delay. its been just crazy lately.
I will try to catch up.
gilles0181
New member
So i am Dutch (hi..) where we all build our tanks from glass, not acrylic. One thing we have also not adopted is LED lightning. Few of us are experimenting and i myself are also going to dive into this adventure.
Katchupoy and all contributors many thanks and i hope i can contribute also!
_________________________
The tank to be lit:
Tank to be setup is a brand new one, with dimensions 24" wide by 24" deep by 24" high.
My ultimate goal would be to have SPS in my tank, but i will definitely start with something easy. However, meaning that i've set my goals, i would like to prepare my light for this.
The LED setup:
I was told by reefledlight that 24 leds would be more then enough for me. Based on the 'guideline' in this thread, this would give me the following score: 24*24 = 576/24 = 24
My original and intended setup is to go for 42 leds minimum, based on numerous threads and pages across the web. This would give me a score of 13 which is much better (not counting the UVs would give me 16):
- 6x UV @ 420nm
- 20x CREE XPE Royal Blue
- 12x CREE XP-E Cool White 3W LED On Star
- 4x CREE XP-G R5 Cool White 3W LED On Star
I also have the layout ready, based on 6 leds per row, 7 rows in total.
Why so much light?
The intention is to go for PWM controlled meanwell drivers and hook them up to the Profilux III Controller i have, or even go for a DIY Arduino style controller, since i am a software programmer by profession. I also have a PAR meter so i can finetune / dim my lights to custom levels and see what the PAR is.
Heatsink:
I was also going for 12" wide heatsinks, but that would mean i had to place the leds at a spacing of 1.7" (center to center) which is way to close i now believe. Now i am planning on going for 20-ish (or 24") wide aluminum U strips, placing 6 leds on each strip, connecting 2 strips in parralel to connect that to one driver. I would like to screw my leds using solderless connectors so i can easily re-adjust my leds when the colors don't suit me or rearrange when i go to a bigger / wider tank.
_________________________
Question 1:
Originally i was going for 42 leds, which means I would have to use 4 drivers, since each driver can power max. 12 leds. So i am 'wasting' 6 led spots.
Question 2:
Is it usefull to add UV leds? Has anybody tried?
Question 3:
Based on my ideas and plans, does this all make sense? What would you guys do?
Katchupoy and all contributors many thanks and i hope i can contribute also!
_________________________
The tank to be lit:
Tank to be setup is a brand new one, with dimensions 24" wide by 24" deep by 24" high.
My ultimate goal would be to have SPS in my tank, but i will definitely start with something easy. However, meaning that i've set my goals, i would like to prepare my light for this.
The LED setup:
I was told by reefledlight that 24 leds would be more then enough for me. Based on the 'guideline' in this thread, this would give me the following score: 24*24 = 576/24 = 24
My original and intended setup is to go for 42 leds minimum, based on numerous threads and pages across the web. This would give me a score of 13 which is much better (not counting the UVs would give me 16):
- 6x UV @ 420nm
- 20x CREE XPE Royal Blue
- 12x CREE XP-E Cool White 3W LED On Star
- 4x CREE XP-G R5 Cool White 3W LED On Star
I also have the layout ready, based on 6 leds per row, 7 rows in total.
Why so much light?
The intention is to go for PWM controlled meanwell drivers and hook them up to the Profilux III Controller i have, or even go for a DIY Arduino style controller, since i am a software programmer by profession. I also have a PAR meter so i can finetune / dim my lights to custom levels and see what the PAR is.
Heatsink:
I was also going for 12" wide heatsinks, but that would mean i had to place the leds at a spacing of 1.7" (center to center) which is way to close i now believe. Now i am planning on going for 20-ish (or 24") wide aluminum U strips, placing 6 leds on each strip, connecting 2 strips in parralel to connect that to one driver. I would like to screw my leds using solderless connectors so i can easily re-adjust my leds when the colors don't suit me or rearrange when i go to a bigger / wider tank.
_________________________
Question 1:
Originally i was going for 42 leds, which means I would have to use 4 drivers, since each driver can power max. 12 leds. So i am 'wasting' 6 led spots.
Question 2:
Is it usefull to add UV leds? Has anybody tried?
Question 3:
Based on my ideas and plans, does this all make sense? What would you guys do?
Last edited:
TheFishMan65
New member
1) I would add the 6 LEDs and turn down the drivers. It will run more efficiently (lihgt per watt) and probably pay for the LEDs before they burn out.
2) I have heard nothing solid on UV.
3) Based on reading (and what I would do if I started from scratch) I would change the Cools to neutrals and replace 1 in six (so ration 1:5) of the royal blues (5) with a regular blue (1).
2) I have heard nothing solid on UV.
3) Based on reading (and what I would do if I started from scratch) I would change the Cools to neutrals and replace 1 in six (so ration 1:5) of the royal blues (5) with a regular blue (1).
gilles0181
New member
Thank you FishMan65 for confusing me even more :uhoh3:
About the 'whites':
You suggest changing all coolwhite to neutral white? What i've heard is that this would make it very yellow-ish. The reason i added the XP-G R5 is that reefledlight.com recommends them for a few hours per day.
If i skip the UVs, i could end up with something like this, but right now i am just fishing for an optimal distribution of LEDs:
- 18x CREE XP-E Royal Blue 3W
- 12x CREE XP-E Blue 3W
- 6x CREE XP-G R5 Cool White 3W
- 6x CREE XP-E Cool White 3W LED On Star
- 6x CREE XP-G Neutral White R3
Driver wise, i could do it like this:
Driver 1: 6x RB, 4x B and 2x CW
Driver 2: 6x RB, 4x B and 2x CW
Driver 3: 6x RB, 4x B and 2x CW
Driver 4: Cool white & Neutral white combo
Bah.. choices...
About the 'whites':
You suggest changing all coolwhite to neutral white? What i've heard is that this would make it very yellow-ish. The reason i added the XP-G R5 is that reefledlight.com recommends them for a few hours per day.
If i skip the UVs, i could end up with something like this, but right now i am just fishing for an optimal distribution of LEDs:
- 18x CREE XP-E Royal Blue 3W
- 12x CREE XP-E Blue 3W
- 6x CREE XP-G R5 Cool White 3W
- 6x CREE XP-E Cool White 3W LED On Star
- 6x CREE XP-G Neutral White R3
Driver wise, i could do it like this:
Driver 1: 6x RB, 4x B and 2x CW
Driver 2: 6x RB, 4x B and 2x CW
Driver 3: 6x RB, 4x B and 2x CW
Driver 4: Cool white & Neutral white combo
Bah.. choices...
So I'll admit I have not read the entire 31 pages of this thread, so I apologize if this is answered somewhere in the middle (I read about 10 pages at the beginning and end.. 
)
Im about to start a build for my 75g. 20 XP-E RB, 12 XP-G CW and 4 XP-G Neutral white with 60deg optics and 3 ELN-60-48D Drivers.
Im going to run 3 rails of 12 led's each. front and rear rails will be RB and CW alternating, with the 12 blues on one driver and the 12 whites on another. the center rail will be 8 rb and 4 neutral white all on the same driver (turned down to 1A max). the individual blue and white strips for the outside rails will be dimmable, the center will be set to a value in the drivers internal pot and left.
I have attached a diagram for my proposed spacing and light config. Please give me any input you might have. Thanks.
)Im about to start a build for my 75g. 20 XP-E RB, 12 XP-G CW and 4 XP-G Neutral white with 60deg optics and 3 ELN-60-48D Drivers.
Im going to run 3 rails of 12 led's each. front and rear rails will be RB and CW alternating, with the 12 blues on one driver and the 12 whites on another. the center rail will be 8 rb and 4 neutral white all on the same driver (turned down to 1A max). the individual blue and white strips for the outside rails will be dimmable, the center will be set to a value in the drivers internal pot and left.
I have attached a diagram for my proposed spacing and light config. Please give me any input you might have. Thanks.
TheFishMan65
New member
gille,
Your welcome
I am repeating what I have read and decided from my 50/50 mix of RB and CW XR-Es. I don't have enough red. Now color is personal preference and some like the mix. But IMHO it sounds like people want a little more red.
Given your 48 LEDs starting from scratch I would try.
16 Neutral White (maybe 50/50 so 9 NW and 8 CW)
26 Royal Blue
6 Regular blues
Why are you mixing CW?
Your welcome
I am repeating what I have read and decided from my 50/50 mix of RB and CW XR-Es. I don't have enough red. Now color is personal preference and some like the mix. But IMHO it sounds like people want a little more red.
Given your 48 LEDs starting from scratch I would try.
16 Neutral White (maybe 50/50 so 9 NW and 8 CW)
26 Royal Blue
6 Regular blues
Why are you mixing CW?
TheFishMan65
New member
Meshmez,
That lay out looks OK to me. You may want add a few more blue to get more of a 2:1 mix. You also might consider all neutrals. I would also make all your driver dimmable it is only the price of a pot and a little extra wiring.
Ideally, you should order a few LEDs and see what color you like and then buy the rest. Nobody want to do that since it doubles the shipping and takes 2x the time, but then you are more likely to get what you want.
That lay out looks OK to me. You may want add a few more blue to get more of a 2:1 mix. You also might consider all neutrals. I would also make all your driver dimmable it is only the price of a pot and a little extra wiring.
Ideally, you should order a few LEDs and see what color you like and then buy the rest. Nobody want to do that since it doubles the shipping and takes 2x the time, but then you are more likely to get what you want.
