LED Recommendation Thread

From what I understand however occupied run the XMLwith a lower current you can get more lumens with less energy add more life, correct? That is why I am looking for CREE XM-L LEDs

I believe LEDsupply.com has them. I'm not sure if I said that in this thread yet, so sorry if I'm repeating myself and being rude. That isn't my intention at all.

But I couldn't see a better DIY LED setup then with cree's and the XM-L is just really awesome.

If you build a fixture, make sure to post pics here, I would be more than eager to see! :thumbsup:

Yep. Maybe you skipped over this post, I do it all the time! So no need to worry, I'm not trying to be rude.
 
Goggled clay-boa and got a dead link,

This is the fifth time I've posted the question no real link, or shop. Please help....

Yeah RC blocks the link for some reason so I hope I'm not violating something but if you type in as all one word without the quotes "led group buy" .com then you will not get the dead link. I'm just trying to pass on the best prices for Cree LEDs. I've used them many times.
 
Anyone who has an LED tank, please post pics for others' reference. We need some pics in this thread! And who doesn't love pics.
 
ya i thought i fixed the link, but it kept changing it to clay boa. I think its because the site isnt a sponsor. maybe thats why they block it.
 
this was my tank when I first set it up. Everything was moved form my 120 into the biocube. The 120 had 800w of radiums on it
photo.jpg


this is my tank 6 months later
IMG_8976.jpg
 
Ya I just realized that I didnt say what lights I had on mine. I did this a while back, it has 10 Cree XRE col whites, and 14 Cree XRE Royal blues. I am running 4 buckpucks with a wired in potentiometer, so I can manually dim them. I also have 2 Kai domain UV leds in there. I'm not sure if they really do much, but it's kinda neat to see the tank with all the other lights dimmed down.
 
Bridgelux are not as efficient as Cree so you will pay more for electricity. In terms of spectrum 2:1 white:blues IMHO will be too white. Also I would double check that the blues are royal blue not just blue. And finally they need to work on their math:
Power 300W (144x3W)

Oh the picture does not have 144 LEDs either, but that may just be the picture.
 
I am doing a build for a 110. It is 60x18 and 24 inches deep with a really deep sand bed. It has been running for 5 years.

I Ordered a 10x52 heat sink, 52 RB (E line), 19 CW (L line) and 7 NW(L line). A Meanwell HLG 185-48a and a Meanwell 120-48A drivers. I also went with the pre-shaped self adhesive thermal adhesive pads to speed up the build I hopefully they can be removed with a scraper in the future if needed. If not, so be it.

Do I need two or three fans fans mounted on the heat sinks? Are people still doing that?
 
Thanks for starting this thread.

I've got a 300 DD I'm setting up. I was going to go with T5s and probably still will but I was wondering how many AI sol modules I'd need to reasonably cover the tank. SPS would be concentrated in bommies immediately under the modules with the last 3" on each side completely clear of glass and about 6" in the front completely clear.
 
Help with 300 Gallon SPS Tank LED Design

Help with 300 Gallon SPS Tank LED Design

I ran through a quick design for my 300 gallon tank LED system. Using the mid tank depth as a reference for the requried lux level I calculated the following:

Height over tank: 18 inches
Surface to Mid Tank depth: 15 inches
Distance to Mid Tank: 33 inches
Illumination Spot Size: 24 inch radius (assuming 40 degree optics (+/- 20 degrees))
Total lumens per LED: 500 lumens assuming CREE XM-L driven at 750 ma (Note I used slightly less than the 560 lumens for design margin)
Total Flux density: 430 lumens/m or 430 lux for a single LED
Number of LEDs required:
12 " spacing = 16 LEDs (doubles the Flux density to 860 lux due to overlapping radation pattern)
8" spacing = 36 LEDs (1290 lux)
4 " spacing = 144 LEDs (six times flux density to 2580 lux)


Now the question is what level of flux density do I need for SPS corals?
Also I need to account for the reduction in flux density for blue LEDs.

Any comments and/or recommendations would be appreciated.
 
Thanks for starting this thread.

I've got a 300 DD I'm setting up. I was going to go with T5s and probably still will but I was wondering how many AI sol modules I'd need to reasonably cover the tank. SPS would be concentrated in bommies immediately under the modules with the last 3" on each side completely clear of glass and about 6" in the front completely clear.

No problem. Thanks for posting! With a 300 gallon tank, it might tank quite a few modules. It's very hard to say... But if I were you, I would start with 4 modules and work my way up to 6 or even 8 if you really want that many. At first, you don't really need that many fixtures. Right now, I'm only going to use two modules until my tanks need expand. Eventually I'll use three or four, but not needed now. Hope this helps! Any other questions, just ask here!
 
I am doing a build for a 110. It is 60x18 and 24 inches deep with a really deep sand bed. It has been running for 5 years.

I Ordered a 10x52 heat sink, 52 RB (E line), 19 CW (L line) and 7 NW(L line). A Meanwell HLG 185-48a and a Meanwell 120-48A drivers. I also went with the pre-shaped self adhesive thermal adhesive pads to speed up the build I hopefully they can be removed with a scraper in the future if needed. If not, so be it.

Do I need two or three fans fans mounted on the heat sinks? Are people still doing that?

I'm using 2 120mm fans mounted on top of my hood both blowing straight down onto the heatsink...works like a charm.
 
I ran through a quick design for my 300 gallon tank LED system. Using the mid tank depth as a reference for the requried lux level I calculated the following:

Height over tank: 18 inches
Surface to Mid Tank depth: 15 inches
Distance to Mid Tank: 33 inches
Illumination Spot Size: 24 inch radius (assuming 40 degree optics (+/- 20 degrees))
Total lumens per LED: 500 lumens assuming CREE XM-L driven at 750 ma (Note I used slightly less than the 560 lumens for design margin)
Total Flux density: 430 lumens/m or 430 lux for a single LED
Number of LEDs required:
12 " spacing = 16 LEDs (doubles the Flux density to 860 lux due to overlapping radation pattern)
8" spacing = 36 LEDs (1290 lux)
4 " spacing = 144 LEDs (six times flux density to 2580 lux)


Now the question is what level of flux density do I need for SPS corals?
Also I need to account for the reduction in flux density for blue LEDs.

Any comments and/or recommendations would be appreciated.

i don't know how to use lumen output to correlate to coral growth but on page 1 or of this thread I posted PAR readings on my 120g and I have them dimmed back from those readings and growing SPS very nice.
 
I'm sure others have questions, pics, or comments to post! Don't be shy anyone!

I'll make sure to post pics when my 2 AI Sol blues get here on tuesday!
 
I started a 20long build a couple weeks ago and want to use LEDs. I'm handy in the DIY world and wiring these up is no problem but I just dont know what lights are "right." At only 12" deep, it wouldnt seem like I'd need anything crazy in the intensity department but I just dont know. Is a 24" pendant wide enough to cover a 30" long tank?

My budget is ~$500 and I'd really like a dimmable setup (preferably one that is electronically controlled as I head to work before the sun comes up). What do I look for in LEDs? The LFS wanted to sell me Panorama/Stunners today but I knew nothing about them so I passed.

I'd like an SPS or two, same for LPS, and some stuff like toadstools and xenias. Oh, gotta have a small crocea in there. I had a 40 reef for about 10 years while living in AZ but took it down when I moved to CA so I have a fair amount of experience in the hobby. Appreciate any info, I'm just a bit overwhelmed in the LED department. I find the shimmer from them irresistible (had VHOs on my last tank).
 
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