Looking to use this led fixture, need some help...

This looks like an awesome DIY setup. Thanks for sharing the pics.

kenneth wolfe said:
I have them on three tanks they work better that I expected.. they don't run hot. I have tried the white 4500k also, they both work well, I have experimented with mixing the white and "pink" and think that's the way to go, 1/1 ratio of the pink and 4500k. my next will have 16 of them for my fuge on my 200, I running 9 now "top pic"
Click to expand...
 
Webmanny said:
I don't think there is any confusion. The reason to go with 12Vdc is very simple. Run multiple lights with a single power supply, outlet and timer. I think that if you are running a single unit, you should buy the ones that are ready for AC, but if you are running more than 1 unit, you should go with 12vdc.
Click to expand...

Yep, ill be using two fixtures with one power supply. Itll then be ran from my apex.
 
I have all nine tied together into one 110v plug going into my apex. I would say now the big difference is having all the AC current hanging over my fuge in a "wet area", I have dropped my hole fixture into my fuge, and I thought it was going to be a disaster, but nothing happened .. So after that I thought the next big one would be DC for that reason alone.
 
here is a little more info.. At six inches you have an area of about 6x6 inches, this also seems to be the sweet spot for these lights, so if your thinking further out buy the higher wattage if there close buy more for the coverage, If you look at the spacing in my pics you will get better results if there almost touching or close to it. I have ran them against 1/4 acrylic and all have warped from the emitter heat not the heat sink. My replacement build for the first pic will be made with 3/8 acrylic and 50/50 white to pink with the fixtures touching each other, If I was building a ats I would do the exact same just closer to screen like 4" on each side.
 
kenneth wolfe said:
here is a little more info.. At six inches you have an area of about 6x6 inches, this also seems to be the sweet spot for these lights, so if your thinking further out buy the higher wattage if there close buy more for the coverage, If you look at the spacing in my pics you will get better results if there almost touching or close to it. I have ran them against 1/4 acrylic and all have warped from the emitter heat not the heat sink. My replacement build for the first pic will be made with 3/8 acrylic and 50/50 white to pink with the fixtures touching each other, If I was building a ats I would do the exact same just closer to screen like 4" on each side.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this info. Very helpful for sure.
 
Had the local glass company cut me some 1/4" plexi to make a shroud/box to cover the mesh screen and to help with water spray/salt creep. I could have went cheaper and thinner by doing it myself, but instead of running to lowes (across town), then cut all the pieces and hope I don't crack it, etc etc. I made a phone call, waited 2hrs, and paid $15 lol...and it's perfect haha

10"W x 12"L - (x2)
1"W x 13"L - (x2)

The 1" offset acts as "legs" to elevate it from the bottom of the bucket. 1/4" is definitely overkill, but atleast I know it won't warp over time. I did save about $3 because I already had super glue.

So add that $15 to my total, and I'm about $60 into this scrubber.









You can tell which side was first, as I used to much glue, oh well, it'll be in a bucket lol and atleast the joints won't break haha Took less than 5mins.

Got my power supply the other day, and lights should be here today.
 
You'll probably be disappointed with the performance of super glue on acrylic, but as long as you don't try putting too much strain on it you'll be fine.

Good price for what amounts to about 2sqft of 1/4"
 
Got the lights figured out.

Lights mounted...




Notice I notched the bucket as well as the top of my splash shield...




Lights on...




The reason I notched the bucket, I can toss the lid on to trap more light. It leaves a small gap and doesn't actually close, which is a good thing...





I'm thinking about scuffing up the inside of the bucket, and attaching some Mylar above water level. It would stop the light from shining through the bucket and also help reflect it back toward the inside.
 
This looks really good. Great work man. I like the acrylic cover but, if you see that it starts getting dirty and blocks some of the light, you may want to remove it.

Other than that, everything looks great.

Keep us posted on your progress of growth. I'm looking forward to see how this light works on an ATS.
 
Webmanny said:
This looks really good. Great work man. I like the acrylic cover but, if you see that it starts getting dirty and blocks some of the light, you may want to remove it.

Other than that, everything looks great.

Keep us posted on your progress of growth. I'm looking forward to see how this light works on an ATS.
Click to expand...

I never thought about the cover getting nasty, crap, lol. Good catch, I'm sure your right now that I think about it. I guess that's why the plastic wrap is suggested. I guess I was trying to get to fancy. Oh well, I guess if that's what happens, I've spent $15 on worse ideas hahahaha
 
FullBoreReefer said:
I never thought about the cover getting nasty, crap, lol. Good catch, I'm sure your right now that I think about it. I guess that's why the plastic wrap is suggested. I guess I was trying to get to fancy. Oh well, I guess if that's what happens, I've spent $15 on worse ideas hahahaha
Click to expand...

Not all is lost. I would take all that acrylic and instead make covers for the lights, but leave the back open for ventilation.

This way you prevent splash on the lights with an easy to clean surface. Just another option.
 
Today marks 10days since the LEDs have been hooked up. I'm starting to get a little brown diatom looking algae growth. I lowered my photoperiod a little to see if that will help. I'm thinking since the lights are so close that I should . Algae in the DT is still growing though :mad:
 
Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to hear that the display tank algae is still growing. Hopefully, it will soon subside.
 
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