Minimalistic multichip DIY LED build

Mr. Wilson, Do you have a link. I'm going with 60 or 90 degree lenses with a reflector. I thought the adjustable thing would help as to which one. I'm going to use multichips, 100w. The end fixtures will look similar to the ones you posted pics of in your shop.
 
007Bond said:
Mr. Wilson, Do you have a link. I'm going with 60 or 90 degree lenses with a reflector. I thought the adjustable thing would help as to which one. I'm going to use multichips, 100w. The end fixtures will look similar to the ones you posted pics of in your shop.
Click to expand...

http://www.bluemoonaquatics.com/BMA_P100.php

The fixtures at the shop are working out very well. You don't need such a big CPU cooler from what I have found so the whole thing can be scaled down.

Sorry, I didn't read all of your posts.

- sps tank?
- L x W x H?
- How many fixtures?
- What wattage/fixture?

90˚ is the most commonly used.
 
Interesting thread. I didn't know so many people were interested in multi chip led. I started a thread on my multi chip build months ago and only got a few hits. I guess it took most a long time to realize these exist.

Anyway, I can't believe you guys are using 100 watt lights. I use 4, 30 watt multi chips at 700ma across my 6 foot tank and I started frying sps and making my softies and lps not open. I eventually took the reflectors of the multi chip leds, raised the fixture to maybe around 6 inches of the top of the tank and only then my corals started to open back up.
 
kupadupapupa said:
Anyway, I can't believe you guys are using 100 watt lights. I use 4, 30 watt multi chips at 700ma across my 6 foot tank and I started frying sps and making my softies and lps not open. I eventually took the reflectors of the multi chip leds, raised the fixture to maybe around 6 inches of the top of the tank and only then my corals started to open back up.
Click to expand...

It was probably your spectrum not intensity that was killing your corals. You will not achieve adequate PAR with 30w multichips without lenses unless your tank is short and the chips are close to the water.
 
mr.wilson said:
It was probably your spectrum not intensity that was killing your corals. You will not achieve adequate PAR with 30w multichips without lenses unless your tank is short and the chips are close to the water.
Click to expand...

Yeah my tank is short, only 21 inches tall and I literally had the light fixture sitting an inch from the water. The 30 watters are good until about 24 inches or so I think.

I should of mentioned that I don't use multi chips alone, I have 48 royal blue crees spread throughout the fixture.

I also just borrowed a par meter so I will test the par above my corals out of curiosity. If by any chance the coral was bleaching from lack of light I will just throw the reflectors back on. What kind of par should I be aiming for that is good for softies, lps and sps?
 
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The general rule of thumb is that 200 PAR on the substrate will give you adequate light throughout the tank. SPS do well at 300-800, LPS 200-600, and soft corals are fine at 75.
 
mr.wilson said:
The general rule of thumb is that 200 PAR on the substrate will give you adequate light throughout the tank. SPS do well at 300-800, LPS 200-600, and soft corals are fine at 75.
Click to expand...

Ok I'll be shooting for 200 par, I've got lps, sps and softies in pretty much every section of the tank. If it's not enough par with the reflector on I will then try some 50 watt chips. I think that's the most I can go before the white color would over power my royal blues.
 
Quick question, how are you guys gluing the optic and reflector to the chip? Just simple superglue? Would that not trap some heat inside the space between the chip and the optic?
 
kupadupapupa said:
Ok I'll be shooting for 200 par, I've got lps, sps and softies in pretty much every section of the tank. If it's not enough par with the reflector on I will then try some 50 watt chips. I think that's the most I can go before the white color would over power my royal blues.
Click to expand...

You can bet your dupa, white will dominate :)
 
Cmoua said:
Quick question, how are you guys gluing the optic and reflector to the chip? Just simple superglue? Would that not trap some heat inside the space between the chip and the optic?
Click to expand...

I think most people are using lens holders and not gluing anything. Epoxy or cyanoacrylate will work, but heat tolerant epoxy is best.
 
Hope this thread is still live ..Great information
I have read over this thread 3 times + . Any who, need a lil help here please.
NVM .. I asked for a spec sheet from the seller.
 
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kupadupapupa said:
Are any of you using the cold white 20k multi chips? If so how is your growth with them?
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I am using a 25000k chip over my 25 cube. Growth is pretty good, though I am having phosphate issues at the moment and everything is stunted. Its a 50w chip in an 18" cube no optics about 7" off the water. Pic in the galery
 
miatawnt2b said:
I am using a 25000k chip over my 25 cube. Growth is pretty good, though I am having phosphate issues at the moment and everything is stunted. Its a 50w chip in an 18" cube no optics about 7" off the water. Pic in the galery
Click to expand...

Are you sure it is true 25,000K chip. The difference between 20,000K and Infinity is so slight it extremly difficult to measure. If the overall color appearance is more blue than green chances are your off the color temperature chart.
 
I doubled the growth of my frags in the first month (pretty small frags)... as I said right now phosphate issues have caused a lot of die off.

Is anyone sure of the color temp of any of these chips without a spectrometer? I'm just telling you what I bought from our favorite auction site. I elected to ask specifically for 25000k chip because everyone was saying the color of the 14000k looked yellow still and the 20000k looked white. I wanted a bit more blue. I like the color, but probably would have liked the 20000k as well.
-J
 
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