Wheel of Time
New member
How cool is that? Looking incredible. Very curious to get some par readings after its all complete
Joe's 48" LED fixture build - Coming Soon!
- Thread starter RTMA
- Start date
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
So I measure the PAR without the glass shield and the values increased slightly. In some spots 10-15. It is pretty hard to measure accurately with shimmer, so next time I'll have to cut down on the flow.
Technically & functionally the fixture is completed (minus the Hydra portion). It is hanging over the tank as I type. The royal blues are amazing (and adding over 100 par to my previous T5 only numbers - the tank bottom went from around 50 par with my T5s to 150 par with the LEDs). I'll post some more pics, although it is going to be very difficult to get accurate photos of the coral color. Good news is, that the PAR numbers are comparable to my 250 mh. I'll post more detail on this later.
Currently they are running on an on/off controlled by my Reefkeeper.
Temperature testing was completed. At 100% on with the fans, the hottest section of the heatsink measures 41 C or 106 F. Well within operating range for the XP-Gs. Although the power supply gets fairly warm. I'll have to measure the current again tomorrow. I think XP-Gs were pulling 5 Amps with the PSU dialed down for all (6 strings).
Also, I chose not to measure the par without Optics. The height I wanted pretty much required them. I used 48 Frosted Medium and 24 Frosted Wide.
Next up..Aesthetics!
Here is a tease...
Technically & functionally the fixture is completed (minus the Hydra portion). It is hanging over the tank as I type. The royal blues are amazing (and adding over 100 par to my previous T5 only numbers - the tank bottom went from around 50 par with my T5s to 150 par with the LEDs). I'll post some more pics, although it is going to be very difficult to get accurate photos of the coral color. Good news is, that the PAR numbers are comparable to my 250 mh. I'll post more detail on this later.
Currently they are running on an on/off controlled by my Reefkeeper.
Temperature testing was completed. At 100% on with the fans, the hottest section of the heatsink measures 41 C or 106 F. Well within operating range for the XP-Gs. Although the power supply gets fairly warm. I'll have to measure the current again tomorrow. I think XP-Gs were pulling 5 Amps with the PSU dialed down for all (6 strings).
Also, I chose not to measure the par without Optics. The height I wanted pretty much required them. I used 48 Frosted Medium and 24 Frosted Wide.
Next up..Aesthetics!
Here is a tease...
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Well Joe, I gotta tell you... it's looking better all the time!
Thanks for the DB9 crimp vs. solder tip. I'll definately try that next time around.
And as for the 1/2 as expensive Cool Masters, how do they sound? When I finish we'll have to a have a Cool Master vs. Nocuta sound off.
Glad you got 140's though. That's gotta help.
So do you see any issue with the heat from the drivers, now that you have put fans on the case? They can't be putting out anywhere near the heat that a MH ballast would, are they? I assume not.
And BTW your blue pic there is really just a teaser. I'm looking forward to seeing this with the whites running too. And since I'm reasonably familiar with your tank (thanks for holding so many meetings at your place!), it's going to be exciting to see the resulting coloration.
Well done pal!
Thanks for the DB9 crimp vs. solder tip. I'll definately try that next time around.
And as for the 1/2 as expensive Cool Masters, how do they sound? When I finish we'll have to a have a Cool Master vs. Nocuta sound off.
Glad you got 140's though. That's gotta help.So do you see any issue with the heat from the drivers, now that you have put fans on the case? They can't be putting out anywhere near the heat that a MH ballast would, are they? I assume not.
And BTW your blue pic there is really just a teaser. I'm looking forward to seeing this with the whites running too. And since I'm reasonably familiar with your tank (thanks for holding so many meetings at your place!), it's going to be exciting to see the resulting coloration.
Well done pal!
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Well Joe, I gotta tell you... it's looking better all the time!
Thanks for the DB9 crimp vs. solder tip. I'll definately try that next time around.
And as for the 1/2 as expensive Cool Masters, how do they sound? When I finish we'll have to a have a Cool Master vs. Nocuta sound off.
So do you see any issue with the heat from the drivers, now that you have put fans on the case? They can't be putting out anywhere near the heat that a MH ballast would, are they? I assume not.
And BTW your blue pic there is really just a teaser. I'm looking forward to seeing this with the whites running too. And since I'm reasonably familiar with your tank (thanks for holding so many meetings at your place!), it's going to be exciting to see the resulting coloration.
Well done pal!
Thanks Steve. The 140s was a great call. As for "are they quiet?" Well, you have heard my overflow, all I hear is overflow. The fans are silent, the 40mm fans in the little case are louder. Will they last as long as the Noctua, probably not, but we'll see. For 9 bucks, they are not bad at all.
The Drivers are much cooler then my magnetic ballasts. They were built into the fixture for convenience, but they did get pretty hot. The tank and the room are staying a ton cooler. By now my tank is at 81, from 79 at night. Right now it is at 79.6. No complaints from me
So not only do I save from the actual electricity to power the MH & T5s, I am saving a ton more from cooling the tank and the room itself and even less top-off water being used. I'll get to posting the new pics I took. See you tomorrow.
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Some tank Shots.
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Love the top down shots now that I can take them and not burn my head
My Fave - ORA Purple Plasma - polyps glow under LEDS - Much more noticeable "purple" then under the 10K MH.
Tonight I will take some of the PAR measurements and update the thread.
More
Love the top down shots now that I can take them and not burn my head
My Fave - ORA Purple Plasma - polyps glow under LEDS - Much more noticeable "purple" then under the 10K MH.
Tonight I will take some of the PAR measurements and update the thread.
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RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Sorry for taking so long, but the answer is your personal preference. Personally I choose 1:1 but many others use 2:1 or some other combination. Most go more blue then white. 18 white to 6 blue would be very yellow, imho.
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Here are the latest measurements.
72 LEDS
Larger available Here
2 x 250 MH + 4 T5s
Pure numbers look comparable, better in some areas and worse in others. Overall, the trade offs have made this much better for me. The temperature is much more stable and I'm using much less electricity. Best of all, no more bulbs to buy! (I am adding two 36" T5s to see how the colors work out - Wavepoint Red Wave and Reef wave or if I don't like those I'll get the Fiji purple to try. That was the only bulb I missed with my T5s)
These bulbs will be for viewing color and not par, so I will not change them like you would ordinarily. The fixture does not need them, but I am gonna try them.
72 LEDS
Larger available Here
2 x 250 MH + 4 T5s
Pure numbers look comparable, better in some areas and worse in others. Overall, the trade offs have made this much better for me. The temperature is much more stable and I'm using much less electricity. Best of all, no more bulbs to buy! (I am adding two 36" T5s to see how the colors work out - Wavepoint Red Wave and Reef wave or if I don't like those I'll get the Fiji purple to try. That was the only bulb I missed with my T5s)
These bulbs will be for viewing color and not par, so I will not change them like you would ordinarily. The fixture does not need them, but I am gonna try them.
marcogiglione
New member
but at the end wich lenses did you use on white and wich ones on blu?
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Hi Marco - In the end, I used 72 of the Carclo Frosted Wide lenses.
Joe - your tank continues to improve! It's quite a bit of fun to watch it grow out.
I don't know squat about appropriate par. But I appreciate you documenting your lights like that. Thanks! It's a good baseline for me - 'cuz I've seen your tank many times and know it's healthy.
If you think about it, I'd love it if you can bring that meter by our October club meeting. I'd be a kick to take readings of both my MH setup, and my DIY LED.
Could be fun. Worth documenting certainly.
I don't know squat about appropriate par. But I appreciate you documenting your lights like that. Thanks! It's a good baseline for me - 'cuz I've seen your tank many times and know it's healthy.
If you think about it, I'd love it if you can bring that meter by our October club meeting. I'd be a kick to take readings of both my MH setup, and my DIY LED.
Could be fun. Worth documenting certainly.
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Joe - your tank continues to improve! It's quite a bit of fun to watch it grow out.
I don't know squat about appropriate par. But I appreciate you documenting your lights like that. Thanks! It's a good baseline for me - 'cuz I've seen your tank many times and know it's healthy.
If you think about it, I'd love it if you can bring that meter by our October club meeting. I'd be a kick to take readings of both my MH setup, and my DIY LED.
Could be fun. Worth documenting certainly.
Thanks for the kind words. I will bring the PAR meter so we can take some readings. That would be fun.
Joe - you are being modest. I saw your tank a couple of weeks ago, and IMO that modest addition if light - non-LED - made a massive improvement in the aesthetic looks of your corals.
The LEDs created that "pop" that we all love, but the T5s filled in the spectral holes that the white/blue LED lights created.
But let's let's my reaction cut throughout the analytical BS. As I recall, I walked in the room, saw sour tank with the T5s added, and said, "Wow! That looks great!"
Nuff said. IMO that's the moment we all seek to achieve. The addition of the T5s works. Period.
The LEDs created that "pop" that we all love, but the T5s filled in the spectral holes that the white/blue LED lights created.
But let's let's my reaction cut throughout the analytical BS. As I recall, I walked in the room, saw sour tank with the T5s added, and said, "Wow! That looks great!"
Nuff said. IMO that's the moment we all seek to achieve. The addition of the T5s works. Period.
Wheel of Time
New member
Ive gone into this threrad many times over the past few months, but what continues to be most striking to me is the compare and contrast btw the mh and led pictures. The 250w mh shot at the top just looks 'washed out' if you know what I mean. The added crispness of the blue and overall coloration is just striking. I really prefer how nice your tank looks under the new led set-up. And since Ive seen it person too, the night time effect just blows me away they way the colors all pop. Some of the corals look like totally different specimins...its awesome. Makes me want to do this with my tank badly, but that wont happen any time soon.
Great job.
Great job.
RTMA
DIY Fanatic
Guys thanks for the kind words. I agree that the t5s improve the look. What I am enjoying the most is the drastic reduction in heat and stability of the tank temp. I think the corals are responding better than I ever hoped. The most drastic improvement is seen in my SPS. they are growing like crazy. My issue now is that the LPS, like my Welso and scans are getting too much light. I had to move them into the shade.
I think it would be fun to do an ARKSC LED workshop. It may seem difficult, but it really isn't, once you understand the basics.
I think it would be fun to do an ARKSC LED workshop. It may seem difficult, but it really isn't, once you understand the basics.
