My DIY LED Lighting project

[pdelcast]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13030505#post13030505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 8BALL_99
wow 450par on the sandbed. Thats crazy. I'm guessing this is directly under the fixture? How wide is the tank? How is it up by the glass on the front or back? It looks like it covers the tank pretty well.

It was about 290 PAR right by the back glass (shaded by the rock a little) and 350 PAR by the front glass, 450 PAR in the middle.

The tank is 96" wide, 24" front to back, and 32" high.

 

[sditch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12839211#post12839211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pdelcast
Spectrum of the LED bars from lab (All white LED bar -- using a spectroradiometer) The peak in yellow is typical for white LEDs..

Any experts want to give an opinion on the spectrum? (I'm interested in how the spectrum fits to use in a reef tank)


<a href="http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e92/pdelcast/?action=view&current=led_08.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e92/pdelcast/led_08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

Looks good, it would be nice to have a some good 420nm and have you spike more in the 440 range if you are looking to really make the corals pop. That may be hard to do as your higher spectrum is pretty high and would over power your lower spike.

 

[pdelcast]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13031939#post13031939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sditch
Looks good, it would be nice to have a some good 420nm and have you spike more in the 440 range if you are looking to really make the corals pop. That may be hard to do as your higher spectrum is pretty high and would over power your lower spike.

For the actual tank, I'm using 450nm (Royal Blue) LEDs along with the white LEDs -- so there is a much bigger blue spike centered around 450nm.

The whites are pumped with a 470nm blue -- that's why the big spike at 470 in the picture.

SO -- there is more power a little lower than shown in that picture.

 

[sditch]

Looks like it would provide good growth.....keeep us posted.

 

[maddog2002]

Any update for this?

 

[easttn]

Love to see how this turned out. Still piddling.

 

[wld1783]

Usually LEDs do not dim significantly over time -- your LEDs are either getting too hot or they are being over-driven.

If they get over 120C junction temperature, they dim REALLY fast, and the dimming is permanent. So, to keep LEDs alive for long periods of time, most manufacturers recommend that you keep the LED as cool as possible.

+1

Also the Cree LEDs rock much better than the LEDs 2 or 3 generations ago. But do keep them cool.


Bill