DIY LEDs - The write-up - (split again)

Violet LEDs

Violet LEDs

royal blue LEDs will get you the biggest electrical savings and the most extra coral growth for your hard earned dollar. White T5 then fill in the visible light spectrum more fully than most LEDs can and therefore looks better to most people. Doing "LED actinics" would be a good place to start. based simply on spectral plots and current LED specs using 2 or 3 violets(peaking around 420ish) to every royal blue essentially gives you an equivelent to the VHO actinics output. it's about a 2/3 to 1/3 ratio as best as I can tell when you compare radiometric output not wattage or number of LEDs.

this approach would probably give you more of a 75% LED 25% T5. if your T5 were only used for the whites (daylight) as fishman suggests.

Interesting on violets. Do you know of any posts or more reviews on doing that?
 
Looking for some help. I did a DIY LED fixture a while back but only just got my tank running this week. The total fixture has got 184 CREE XP-G LED's. While testing it today, I noticed one RB LED go out, then within a few minutes the string went out. I have these on an HLG-150-48B with fuses and resistors. I looked quickly at the board and didn't see anything outwardly showing being blown. What's the best way for me to tell? I know which LED when out, should I replace it with a spare and then worry about the string? Each HLG is spread into 4 strings of 11 LED's and each LED was getting about 1000 mA.
 
Looking for some help. I did a DIY LED fixture a while back but only just got my tank running this week. The total fixture has got 184 CREE XP-G LED's. While testing it today, I noticed one RB LED go out, then within a few minutes the string went out. I have these on an HLG-150-48B with fuses and resistors. I looked quickly at the board and didn't see anything outwardly showing being blown. What's the best way for me to tell? I know which LED when out, should I replace it with a spare and then worry about the string? Each HLG is spread into 4 strings of 11 LED's and each LED was getting about 1000 mA.

I'll assume your RBs are XT-E? which are fine up to 1500mA, otherwise you would be pushing it on current for the RB strings.

You need to test each LED in the string starting with the one that you saw go out first. Either use your multi-meter or a battery style tester. If only one went out then chances are good it either shorted out to the heatsink or more likely it failed but created an internal short causing the rest in that to quickly follow suit, unless, and hopefully your fuse protected the remaining LEDs! In which case you'll need a new fuse as well :)
 
Man, this thread makes my head hurt. I'm too old for this. I do have some questions though. I have a 240 gallon reef with clams, sps, lps, softies etc. can anyone give me some insights as to which way I should go about building led's for this tank? It's 8' x 24" x 25" . Just wondering which would be cheaper building or buying the Kessil's. Although, the Kessil's aren't cheap. Would like to be able to control them through my Digital Aquatics controller if possible.
Thanks for the help,
Carl
 
Wow this is a crazy long thread. I'm just wondering if 66 watts of LED lights will be too much for my 14 gallon biocube. you guys think this will be too much light for bc14? should I just stick with the 12x 3 watt LEDs? The 12x3w are on dimmable driver, the 3x10w multichip LEDs are on constant driver. It's basically 60/40 blue to white with a few UVs as well. I just don't want to toast my fishies or anemones. What is the most LED wattage you've seen used on bc14? Thx for help! So my plan originally was to use the 3 10watt at 100% cuz they're constant and slowly increase the 12 3 watters
 
Wow this is a crazy long thread. I'm just wondering if 66 watts of LED lights will be too much for my 14 gallon biocube. you guys think this will be too much light for bc14? should I just stick with the 12x 3 watt LEDs? The 12x3w are on dimmable driver, the 3x10w multichip LEDs are on constant driver. It's basically 60/40 blue to white with a few UVs as well. I just don't want to toast my fishies or anemones. What is the most LED wattage you've seen used on bc14? Thx for help! So my plan originally was to use the 3 10watt at 100% cuz they're constant and slowly increase the 12 3 watters

Over kill yes, especially if you have optics on any of them. If you can raise the fixture that will help with acclimation but I'd want dimming on the 10watt chips as well. I've got 12 assorted 3watt type over a 10 gallon as a pendant, with the optics I have it raised 24" above the tank running at ~600mA. any lower and it burns the sebae anemone that dominates the tank.

and on my frag tank I have 14 luxeon and cree plus violets running at 1000mA no optics and illuminating half of my 55 gallon frag system growing softies and LPS all the way to the bottom with the light suspended about 4" over the water.....

Hope that helps.
 
I have optics but may not use them. I know comparing wattage of pc and LED isn't apple to apple, but I was thinking there is already 48 watts of pc lighting so putting in 66 watts I thought would be ok. I think I'm going to just run the multichip and slowly add the 3 watts with the dimmer
 
Here are some finishing pics
016d23f2e038fa69bfdcd4214e1a977b.jpg
 
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