LFP's Xenon Projection and Cree LED DIY lighting system.

I think applications like a clam tank or any "look-down" type of tank would be ideally suited towards projection lighting. With the ability to aim and overlap the spotlights, you can reach extremely high levels of intensity for very high light demand animals.

You could also just over lap spots in an area of a tank that you want to use to keep your clams or other animals that want very high light levels.

By shifting the position the final aspherical lens sits from the reflector, you can adjust the spot size to be however large or small you think would best suit your application. I shifted mine in closer to the bulb to create a wider projection angle. If I were lighting a small clam tank, I would keep the narrow angle and mount the lights clear up on the ceiling to allow an open space over the tank for viewing.


Best Wishes,
-Luke
 
liveforphysics, I am loving this thread. I have all kinds of thoughts/ideas/questions bumping around in my head. I have never been really happy with standard aquarium lighting. If you lift it high enough to be practical, you light the room with it. If you hang it lower to avoid that, it's a constant problem around which one has to work (without considering the visual aesthetics of the stand/canopy combinations that result).

I hope that what you are working on pans out. If it does, many of us can say, "Goodbye, hanging (head-bumping) fixtures!"
 
Yep!

I appreciate the kind words :)

My old lighting was on a pivot that allowed it to swing off to the side for working in the tank, but it always blocked one of the three sides, and it sucked to lose your light when you wanted to work.

I'm so happy with getting the lights way up high and out of the way. Free easy access to the entire tank bottom with no fuss or carefully sliding my arm through a little door and burning myself on bulbs and things.

Everyone that comes to see the tank instantly notes how different a tank appears when the glass isn't lit. It really fades away the appearence of the barrier between you and the animals, and makes them seem to be floating in space.

It's been about 3 weeks now since I cleaned the glass :) Still no signs of any algae growing on it :) Corals have great polyp extension, and colors are looking great. Hopefully it stays that way!

-Luke
 
Luke,

Very cool idea. I had never thought about something like this. Unfortunately I can only see the pics on the articles since various image hosting domains are blocked here at work :(

Not sure how much you spent on each projector, but there are very cheap projectors available from some aftermarket companies for various cars (they are available for my Neon SRT-4 I know for fact). They are generally made for standard halogen bulbs though, so some modification would probably be required. but probably still cheaper and more readily available than wrecked BMWs :)

It was upsetting to see people instantly criticizing the work you've done. This is the great spirit of DIY - to come up with new ways to do things. Though I've sure the first person to put a MH lamp over a tank was heavily criticized too, just like the initial LED people :)

Keep up the great work, you have some really good ideas. I used your venturi design on my skimmer (little crappy-fied though) and it works great :)
 
Nice project Luke...thanks for sharing the info :)
I am thinking of making something similar but I would like to see if any of the new plasma bulbs are out in the market already, from the last read I did on plasma they started making them in Germany.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14151122#post14151122 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 7808
HID is a more advanced technology and i think there on to somthing using it in reefkeeping
High Intensity Discharge bulbs is nothing new and cheaper than MH :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14172110#post14172110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Young Frankenstein
High Intensity Discharge bulbs is nothing new and cheaper than MH :)
mh is an hid
 
These are the reasons I like to call it Xenon HID, or Xenon gas discharge to clear up any confusion with the other type of Xenon HID, which is Xenon arc (often called short-arc).

To make a quick reference, we could call it XGD lighting. It's easy to use and it clears up any confusion with other types of lighting.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14177891#post14177891 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Young Frankenstein
HID bulbs are NOT MH bulbs :)

YF.... <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_halide>READ THIS</a>... especially the first line.
 
MH bulbs are HID so Meuser is right. But HID is not necessarily MH. So YF is right the way he stated it...but I think the way he meant it is incorrect.
 
It's silly to get caught up in nomenclature nonsense :)

Lets just call it XGD (Xenon Gas Discharge).

XGD lamps, XGD lighting, XGD projection. It should help remove confusion in discussions.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14180609#post14180609 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by liveforphysics
It's silly to get caught up in nomenclature nonsense :)

Lets just call it XGD (Xenon Gas Discharge).

XGD lamps, XGD lighting, XGD projection. It should help remove confusion in discussions.

works for me :)
 
Certainly looks interesting. I'm guessing it is only good for spotlighting? or can the beams mix to give the light of a real reef? No offense, but the lighting looks very blotchy and unreal.
 
Wow ok so besides the fuzz around the tread. I like the idea this guy has. It is unique and if it works for him why change it.
 
Onlycrimson- The main idea was to just light the areas that have animals that I want to light. Keep in mind that I have an area that is likely around 6 times the area to light of your tank. 3-4 spots could easy fully cover the bottom of a tank your size. I built 14 spotlights for this project, and ended up only using 9 of them, because 9 of them was enough to cover all the areas I have photosynthetic animals in my reef.



As far as growth shots go, it's only been a few weeks guys :p. I wish I could show some amazing growth in a couple weeks, but it looks pretty much the same. Maybe new branch budding on a coral here and there, and the tips are maybe a 1/4" longer on some corals. It's not a miricle coral growth accelerator. It's just lights. It does seem to be keeping them healthy though, and I love the look of unlit glass, as well as no algae growth on the glass and cutting power consumption in half.

In due time I will be able to show some growth progress pictures, as well as give you guys an idea of the number of hours the bulbs are able to run before output decreases, or spectrum shifts or whatever happens to them to lead to needing bulb replacement.

Until we make time machines, myself and everyone else interested will just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe tomorrow I will have a massive bleaching event, maybe they will slowly all die off, or maybe they will continue looking healthy and growing along like they are now. I don't have a way to rush the longterm outcome results of this project. I can only tell you that I'm pleased with what I'm seeing in the short term.

Best Wishes,
-Luke
 
So If I am interested in these lights, I need to find a car dealership, or junkyard that will have used fixtures. once that is done I get the bulbs where? As a DIY, this is an amazing build, but without sources to replicate this stuff it is just a one of a kind build. I have a 40 gallon breeder flat, that I will be doing sps, in, and I want to use a few t-5,s mixed in with either 70 mh, or XGD. I work six to seven days a week, so time wandering around town or the vastness of the internet does me little good. So here are my questions.

1. How did you get the parts that you needed.
2. Where is a good reference to look up info on the particular brand(s) of the items that you got.
3. How long do you figure that these bulbs last
4. How easy is it to get these parts? In other words do I need to have backups ready to go because it will take a week to get replacements sent to me


I will have more question but I need more coffee first.
 
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