TheFishMan65
New member
The L would be better, and U better still. The L will about double the surface area and the U would triple it.
DIY LEDs - The write-up - (split again)
- Thread starter TheFishMan65
- Start date
Okay thanks. I'm gonna try to get the U-channel and make the L-Channel my second option.
terahz
1x10^12 Hz
Does any of you guys think having leds high (>3ft) above the tank with very tight(<15degree) optics could cause any problems vs having the same leds closer (<1.5ft) to the water with the usual 40-60-80 degree optics?
I'm asking this, because for the last... year I haven't been able to keep a single stony coral in my tank. My setup is 48 LEDs, 24 RB, 18 NW ad 6 CW XPGs with 12 degree optics at 3ft above surface (whites at 900mA, blues at 800ma). 40B tank. All stony corals suffer a slow death in my tank. Takes about 3-4 weeks but it is inevitable. Great polyp extension at the beginning, very happy corals. Then polyps start to come out less and less, skin looses color (doesn't turn brown, just loses ... saturation) until eventually it is a skeleton. No RTN/STN. And I've spent the last year eliminating pretty much everything else that *could* be the cause (pests/bugs, no food, too much food, no gfo, too much gfo, no carbon, too much carbon, too long light period, too short light period, low flow, high flow, constant flow, turbulent flow, 3 part dosing with dosing pumps, low ph, ph swings... ) and the only thing I haven't tried (I've also done a complete reboot of the tank with different sand and rock) is to bring the lights down and/or change them. My par is about 300-400 where I place the corals. Currently the longest living coral is a torch that is like a half ghost. Zoas and ricordias are grow just fine, if a bit pale (maybe because of my heavy white light).
So before I dismantle my LED setup and rethink my lighting, wanted to get some input from the rest of the DIY led group.
EDIT: oh, and I see coraline growing all over the place.
I'm asking this, because for the last... year I haven't been able to keep a single stony coral in my tank. My setup is 48 LEDs, 24 RB, 18 NW ad 6 CW XPGs with 12 degree optics at 3ft above surface (whites at 900mA, blues at 800ma). 40B tank. All stony corals suffer a slow death in my tank. Takes about 3-4 weeks but it is inevitable. Great polyp extension at the beginning, very happy corals. Then polyps start to come out less and less, skin looses color (doesn't turn brown, just loses ... saturation) until eventually it is a skeleton. No RTN/STN. And I've spent the last year eliminating pretty much everything else that *could* be the cause (pests/bugs, no food, too much food, no gfo, too much gfo, no carbon, too much carbon, too long light period, too short light period, low flow, high flow, constant flow, turbulent flow, 3 part dosing with dosing pumps, low ph, ph swings... ) and the only thing I haven't tried (I've also done a complete reboot of the tank with different sand and rock) is to bring the lights down and/or change them. My par is about 300-400 where I place the corals. Currently the longest living coral is a torch that is like a half ghost. Zoas and ricordias are grow just fine, if a bit pale (maybe because of my heavy white light).
So before I dismantle my LED setup and rethink my lighting, wanted to get some input from the rest of the DIY led group.
EDIT: oh, and I see coraline growing all over the place.
Exotic Reef.
New member
When I set up my led I have them about 1ft high 80degree. If they are 3ft high bring them down abit I think that's to high
kcress
New member
It shouldn't matter where they are if it's bright enough at their location..
Perhaps it's brighter or dimmer than you think or measured.
Maybe it's time to run a lighting test where you graduate the light across your tank and see if the coral likes it somewhere.
I've been told the coral really uses the blue light and the white does little for it. (?)
Perhaps it's brighter or dimmer than you think or measured.
Maybe it's time to run a lighting test where you graduate the light across your tank and see if the coral likes it somewhere.
I've been told the coral really uses the blue light and the white does little for it. (?)
TheFishMan65
New member
terahz,
I pondered this earlier and have posted, but not much discussion. With the lights that high up you are getting vertical light only (nothing from the sides). A lower fixture would supply some side light. My first thought was this should be fine - it is what the ocean is like. Then I realized that in morning and evening the corals are getting some side light.
I also have my light high (about 2.5) and have trouble with stony, but I always thought it was me. I didn't keep corals before I went LED (it was fish only) so water quality was not a huge concern.
Any one else have light up high?
I pondered this earlier and have posted, but not much discussion. With the lights that high up you are getting vertical light only (nothing from the sides). A lower fixture would supply some side light. My first thought was this should be fine - it is what the ocean is like. Then I realized that in morning and evening the corals are getting some side light.
I also have my light high (about 2.5) and have trouble with stony, but I always thought it was me. I didn't keep corals before I went LED (it was fish only) so water quality was not a huge concern.
Any one else have light up high?
I am doing an LED build for my new 290G peninsula tank and I have a question that I just haven't been able to get a clear answer on. Where do I put the test leads when trying to measure the individual values for each LED during load balancing on a parallel string. Every thread just says "measure" but I want to make sure I measure the right thing.
kcress
New member
Across each LED if you are searching for the ones to swap. Across the 1 ohm resistor if you are checking the current in a string.
Look a JP's thread starting with post #61 if you want a step by step pictorial demonstration.
brassmonkyballs
BMB
Terahz....i will likely get flamed for this but your lights are too bright and they are too white....and you have too many LEDs on that tank...at least IMO IME...
I have a tank full of SPS and I've dialed back my PAR to 250 max and most of my SPS are placed in the 150 range. After it became apparent my corals were much happier I was stumped....only because you see all this PAR testing and folks cranking out the PAR. Sooooo......I went to my buddies house with my PAR meter in hand...where he was running an 8 bulb T5 with a tank overflowing with SPS...and guess what? His readings were identical to where I ended up. I'm not sure how those cranking PAR are doing long term but I know what is working for me....and its dimmed ... alot .... thats not saying you don't coverage but once you achieve proper coverage dimming is a necessity.
Prior to building my 120G I did some testing and found I had to back way off the whites and eventually ended up 2RB to 1CW in those tests and my color came back on the subject SPS.
On my 120 I am running 44 RB, 18CW, 6NW, 6 Greens, and 3 Reds (I added reds rather than change out more CW for NWs). I believe the Greens & Reds are key and add an important part to the spectrum. I run my whites, greens, and reds at 450ma and the royal blues at 900ma....and I run on a sunrise sunset controller and it only peaks at that setting for 1 minute...its ramping up and down over a very long period (12 hours on the blues, 7 hours on the whites). So half as many whites as blues running at half the power of the blues.
Check out this article...note how much of the spectrum we miss with LEDS compared to tried and true MH bulbs. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/aafeature
I've followed your thread a bit and I want to say stop messing with your tank!.....after you dim your lights that is. Sometimes it best to not over-think...just let it be.
Here's a few of my corals:
I have a tank full of SPS and I've dialed back my PAR to 250 max and most of my SPS are placed in the 150 range. After it became apparent my corals were much happier I was stumped....only because you see all this PAR testing and folks cranking out the PAR. Sooooo......I went to my buddies house with my PAR meter in hand...where he was running an 8 bulb T5 with a tank overflowing with SPS...and guess what? His readings were identical to where I ended up. I'm not sure how those cranking PAR are doing long term but I know what is working for me....and its dimmed ... alot .... thats not saying you don't coverage but once you achieve proper coverage dimming is a necessity.
Prior to building my 120G I did some testing and found I had to back way off the whites and eventually ended up 2RB to 1CW in those tests and my color came back on the subject SPS.
On my 120 I am running 44 RB, 18CW, 6NW, 6 Greens, and 3 Reds (I added reds rather than change out more CW for NWs). I believe the Greens & Reds are key and add an important part to the spectrum. I run my whites, greens, and reds at 450ma and the royal blues at 900ma....and I run on a sunrise sunset controller and it only peaks at that setting for 1 minute...its ramping up and down over a very long period (12 hours on the blues, 7 hours on the whites). So half as many whites as blues running at half the power of the blues.
Check out this article...note how much of the spectrum we miss with LEDS compared to tried and true MH bulbs. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/aafeature
I've followed your thread a bit and I want to say stop messing with your tank!.....after you dim your lights that is. Sometimes it best to not over-think...just let it be.
Here's a few of my corals:
BMB,
WOW! Your tank looks awesome. I could use some advice. I currently have a linear build over a standard 90g tank with 3 strips of 12 leds, 80 deg optics, 9" above the water, 1 amp on whites, .75 amps on royal blues. I'm planning on adding another strip of 12 and I would like your advice as to what would be the best color mix to add for good coverage and coloration. I have also built a custom controller so I can dim at any level I need to. Also, I currently get some banding due to all the whites lined up whenever I have any surface turbulence, so I will need to move some stuff around. I did the tap and die method so it won't be too hard to move them. I'm going for a mixed reef, probably not many SPS, heavier on the LPS and others.
Here is the actual setup that I have now (more details):
B- Royal Blue (XTE's)
G- Green (XPE's I think)
C- Cool White (XP-G's)
N- Neutral White (XP-G's)
B-C-B-B-N-B-B-C-B-B-N-B (Row 1)
B-N-B-G-C-B-B-N-G-B-C-B (Row 2)
B-C-B-B-N-B-B-C-B-B-N-B (Row 3)
My questions are:
what should my final count be for each color of led? For my 36 LED build I have now I have 22 RB, 6 CW, 6 NW, 2 Gr. So for 48 LED's I should add....
At what point do I need to add red or don't I need them if Ii have enough NW?
Are 80 deg optics good or should I be using 60 deg optics, or a mix?
Any other pointers would be great.
Thanks,
Dan
WOW! Your tank looks awesome. I could use some advice. I currently have a linear build over a standard 90g tank with 3 strips of 12 leds, 80 deg optics, 9" above the water, 1 amp on whites, .75 amps on royal blues. I'm planning on adding another strip of 12 and I would like your advice as to what would be the best color mix to add for good coverage and coloration. I have also built a custom controller so I can dim at any level I need to. Also, I currently get some banding due to all the whites lined up whenever I have any surface turbulence, so I will need to move some stuff around. I did the tap and die method so it won't be too hard to move them. I'm going for a mixed reef, probably not many SPS, heavier on the LPS and others.
Here is the actual setup that I have now (more details):
B- Royal Blue (XTE's)
G- Green (XPE's I think)
C- Cool White (XP-G's)
N- Neutral White (XP-G's)
B-C-B-B-N-B-B-C-B-B-N-B (Row 1)
B-N-B-G-C-B-B-N-G-B-C-B (Row 2)
B-C-B-B-N-B-B-C-B-B-N-B (Row 3)
My questions are:
what should my final count be for each color of led? For my 36 LED build I have now I have 22 RB, 6 CW, 6 NW, 2 Gr. So for 48 LED's I should add....
At what point do I need to add red or don't I need them if Ii have enough NW?
Are 80 deg optics good or should I be using 60 deg optics, or a mix?
Any other pointers would be great.
Thanks,
Dan
Terahz....i will likely get flamed for this but your lights are too bright and they are too white....and you have too many LEDs on that tank...at least IMO IME...
I have a tank full of SPS and I've dialed back my PAR to 250 max and most of my SPS are placed in the 150 range. After it became apparent my corals were much happier I was stumped....only because you see all this PAR testing and folks cranking out the PAR. Sooooo......I went to my buddies house with my PAR meter in hand...where he was running an 8 bulb T5 with a tank overflowing with SPS...and guess what? His readings were identical to where I ended up. I'm not sure how those cranking PAR are doing long term but I know what is working for me....and its dimmed ... alot .... thats not saying you don't coverage but once you achieve proper coverage dimming is a necessity.
Prior to building my 120G I did some testing and found I had to back way off the whites and eventually ended up 2RB to 1CW in those tests and my color came back on the subject SPS.
On my 120 I am running 44 RB, 18CW, 6NW, 6 Greens, and 3 Reds (I added reds rather than change out more CW for NWs). I believe the Greens & Reds are key and add an important part to the spectrum. I run my whites, greens, and reds at 450ma and the royal blues at 900ma....and I run on a sunrise sunset controller and it only peaks at that setting for 1 minute...its ramping up and down over a very long period (12 hours on the blues, 7 hours on the whites). So half as many whites as blues running at half the power of the blues.
Check out this article...note how much of the spectrum we miss with LEDS compared to tried and true MH bulbs. http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/aafeature
I've followed your thread a bit and I want to say stop messing with your tank!.....after you dim your lights that is. Sometimes it best to not over-think...just let it be.
Here's a few of my corals:
Okay so I need some more help. Last night I fired up my first HLG driver with 3 strings of CW LED's. Using JP's thread as a back-check, everything went well. I'm using BJB connectors so things are really easy. The strings lit up fine, the pot controlled them well and so I started to test things out.
Here is a picture of my parallel resistors/fuse setups:
And here is the light for reference:
I set my pot to 650ma (mainly so the lights weren't too blinding) and so I had a consistent number to work with.
Testing across the resistor, I had .750, .870 and .806 as my respective numbers. Obviously I need to try and balance lines one and two.
When I started trying to test the individual LED's I used the Neg on the LED's on either side of the LED being tested per what I saw on JP's thread, although I'm not sure exactly why this works.
Here is what I got for LED's 1-10 on each string:
Line 1: (6.21)(6.17)(6.11)(6.04)(6.05)(6.05)(5.95)(6.07)(6.24)(6.30)
Line 2: (6.09)(6.13)(6.13)(5.98)(6.05)(6.13)(6.10)(6.09)(6.07)(6.07)
My problem lies in testing the last LED in each string (LED #11). I can't get numbers that make any sense. For the first LED in the string, I use the terminal screw where my power is coming out prior to the LED being tested, and the neg from the LED on the other side of the LED being tested. This gets me a number that I can work with. But when I try to use the same principle on the last LED, using the prior LED's neg and the terminal screw going "out" on the block, I get crazy numbers or no numbers at all.
here is a pic of how I wired the lights going out to the Drivers...I used terminal blocks with quick disconnects because my drivers are about 4' away from the fixture once it's mounted.
For line 1 I get (.05) on the last LED and for line 2 I get (3.05) for the last LED. Both light up fine, they look the same as the rest when lit...I'm just not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any assistance would be great!
Here is a picture of my parallel resistors/fuse setups:
And here is the light for reference:
I set my pot to 650ma (mainly so the lights weren't too blinding) and so I had a consistent number to work with.
Testing across the resistor, I had .750, .870 and .806 as my respective numbers. Obviously I need to try and balance lines one and two.
When I started trying to test the individual LED's I used the Neg on the LED's on either side of the LED being tested per what I saw on JP's thread, although I'm not sure exactly why this works.
Here is what I got for LED's 1-10 on each string:
Line 1: (6.21)(6.17)(6.11)(6.04)(6.05)(6.05)(5.95)(6.07)(6.24)(6.30)
Line 2: (6.09)(6.13)(6.13)(5.98)(6.05)(6.13)(6.10)(6.09)(6.07)(6.07)
My problem lies in testing the last LED in each string (LED #11). I can't get numbers that make any sense. For the first LED in the string, I use the terminal screw where my power is coming out prior to the LED being tested, and the neg from the LED on the other side of the LED being tested. This gets me a number that I can work with. But when I try to use the same principle on the last LED, using the prior LED's neg and the terminal screw going "out" on the block, I get crazy numbers or no numbers at all.
here is a pic of how I wired the lights going out to the Drivers...I used terminal blocks with quick disconnects because my drivers are about 4' away from the fixture once it's mounted.
For line 1 I get (.05) on the last LED and for line 2 I get (3.05) for the last LED. Both light up fine, they look the same as the rest when lit...I'm just not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any assistance would be great!
TheFishMan65
New member
I think you have
neg LED pos wire neg LED pos wire neg LED pos wire neg LED pos wire
if indeed you "used the Neg on the LED's on either side of the LED being tested". Then you are measuring the voltage across 2 LEDs not one. Chances are the last LED is reading about 3 volts. Use the following test points (TP) to measure an LED
neg LED pos(TP) wire neg LED pos wire neg(TP) LED pos wire neg LED pos wire
I think what you have is
neg LED pos wire neg(TP) LED pos wire neg LED pos wire neg(TP) LED pos wire
Hope this makes sense
neg LED pos wire neg LED pos wire neg LED pos wire neg LED pos wire
if indeed you "used the Neg on the LED's on either side of the LED being tested". Then you are measuring the voltage across 2 LEDs not one. Chances are the last LED is reading about 3 volts. Use the following test points (TP) to measure an LED
neg LED pos(TP) wire neg LED pos wire neg(TP) LED pos wire neg LED pos wire
I think what you have is
neg LED pos wire neg(TP) LED pos wire neg LED pos wire neg(TP) LED pos wire
Hope this makes sense
kcress
New member
My mind!! My mind! It's being killed.. Honest, I can't follow this at all. I'm probably too ADD to do it.
Let me just say mseepman that you have some minor confusion going here that's tripping you up.
When you look at JPs thread about commissioning a new build it's correct. That "measure on the neighbors" is excellent to prove out messed up soldering.
However. When working on balance you are way past the "bad solder joint" issues. Revert to measuring the Vfs directly on each LED. It's easier and reduces confusion of a task that's already a little confusing.
BTW swap the first LED in your two strings and I bet your balance will be fine.
Let me just say mseepman that you have some minor confusion going here that's tripping you up.
When you look at JPs thread about commissioning a new build it's correct. That "measure on the neighbors" is excellent to prove out messed up soldering.
However. When working on balance you are way past the "bad solder joint" issues. Revert to measuring the Vfs directly on each LED. It's easier and reduces confusion of a task that's already a little confusing.
BTW swap the first LED in your two strings and I bet your balance will be fine.
terahz
1x10^12 Hz
FWIW I'm currently running 4 24W T5s while my LEDs are on my bench. I'll check out Sanjay's article for sure. However my PAR is pretty much exactly the same as what a friend of mine has under his LEDs and his tank is looking great.
That being said, I'm reworking my current setup and will have:
24 Royal Blue
12 Neutral White
6 Cool White
6 420-425nm (Violet)
6 489-500nm (bluegreen)
4 655-660nm (red)
all on individual dimmers so I will be able to fine tune the fixture and I will have less PAR for sure.
As for messing with the tank, believe it or not I barely do anything to it. And last time I left it on its own for a few months it got to the point where I had to restart it.
But anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I will keep my lights dimmer once I put together my LEDs again.
Greetings everyone. I am in the process of getting materials together for my 150G. I plan to keep mainly LPS, but would like the option to explore some SPS down the road. Currently upgrading from a 75G w/ T5 lighting, I am looking for some guidance on the 150 LED setup. Being 28" deep, I am concerned about the penetration/optic selection. The tank is 72x18 footprint. Based on reading through the many threads, I believe I should have around 80 3W LEDs...does that sound about right? I will likely do a 2:1 NW/RB combo...even considering the 3ups (25 of them instead??) not positive yet. I was looking at having a heatsink made, but wondering about these linear strip solutions. Anyone have any tips for led counts/optics/layouts for a 150? Many thanks!
TheFishMan65
New member
InDash I would say your LED counts sound right on. I would do 3 groups of 24. Build one work out the bugs and then build the 2 remaining panels.
How high up are you planning to mount the fixture?
How high up are you planning to mount the fixture?
TheFishMan65 - Thanks for the reply! The height and optics are something I'm trying to figure out. The tank is deep (28"). I will have limited real estate above the tank (building it into a wall of a room with somewhat low ceilings!).
So, with 3W Cree, I would lay out 24 per row... /3 rows = 6 drivers?
I'm wondering about the 3W 3ups.. Would I be able to get away with 8 per row, spaced evenly/staggered.
So, with 3W Cree, I would lay out 24 per row... /3 rows = 6 drivers?
I'm wondering about the 3W 3ups.. Would I be able to get away with 8 per row, spaced evenly/staggered.
TheFishMan65
New member
I would do 4x6 if single or 2x4 using the 3 ups. I am guessing 60 degree optics. What driver do you plan to use? The HLG might work best with some room to add LEDs if needed.
