Supplementing with LED Strips (Stunner LED, ReefBrite?)

F

foxandhound

New member
Hey guys, I need some serious help.

I have a t5 4-bulb assembly, but I just started adding SPS corals and kinda wanted to combine this assembly with an LED strip or two to enhance color and growth.

But how do I know how much wattage and what color/type of LEDs to add??

Right now, I am running 4 t5 bulbs: ATI Blue Plus, Purple Plus, Aquablue Special, and another Blue Plus. This is not as blue as I would like.
So, I wanted to add blue LEDs, but I'm worried I dont know how many and what type.

So, should I add:

a) 48'' ecoxotic Stunner LED Strip 403nm UV Blue + Magenta LED (96 LEDs, 24 Watts) $136
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=21598

b) 48'' ecoxotic Stunner LED Strip 8,000°K White/453nm Blue LED (96 LEDs, 24 Watts) $136
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=21598

c) 48'' ReefBrite Tech LED Strip Blue Actinic (36 LEDs, 3W each) $240 (Eeek!!! That's some serious cash...)
 
I have a 48 inch all-white Reefbrite 37 watt strip. I bought it because in my peninsula tank, I needed to supplement the white light on the "back" side of the tank, since the rocks are all in the middle and there are some dark spots on the "back" side. I really enjoy it and was thinking of getting another one in blue. People at some of the LFS have said that blue LEDs are just as good for growth as white LEDs for some corals, but I don't know for sure. I think if you are going to go just for highlights, then you could save the extra $$ by going with the Exotics.
 
what size tank do you have? if you are looking for growth you are most likely going to have to go with the 3w leds.

i had almost the exact lighting setup you have, except i had a red sun in place of your aqua blue special (i replaced an ab special with the red sun) i added 48 3w (36 royal blue, 12 white) leds to supp those lights and i was able to sustain a large clam on my sandbed (110 gallon 30'' deep), i was getting sps growth mid to high (birdnests and acros)

look into the rapid led diy supplement strips. they arent hard to build. i soldered for the first time after a quick lesson on youtube to build mine. and now they even have the solderless ones. you probably only need 24 royalblues, and you wont need a diimmable driver. im sure you will want all the blue and pop you can get out of them.
 
Last edited:
I agree with TomatoTom 3watt cree homemade is the best. Rapid led is a good source. Stunner strips wont do what you want. I have them and will replace soon as they dont put out enough light. Hope your frags are doing well.
 
Custom is probably the best way to go but if you have a T5HO fixture, I would go with a pre-made unit so it doesn't look rigged unless it's under a canopy.

Although the 3w Crees are the rage now, technology is moving fast. Some of the 1w LEDs are more effective then the 3w considering that most people turn down the power on the 3w units due to too much power. It would probably be more efficient to run more 1w LEDs at full power due to less heat output, more clusters of LED colors to eliminate the disco ball effect, effective use of ballast, and just to say I have more LEDs then you. lol

I've looked into integrating LEDs into my set up, but at this point... 6 T5HOs will grow just about anything and give me most of the color spectrum I want. If I ever do, it's simple to do by just removing one or two bulbs and adding LEDs into it and then running the wiring/ballast.
 
I have a 75G....

In running 4 T5s, if I do RapidLED, how many 3-Watt LEDs should I add? I am looking at Rapid, but Im a little nervous.

I was considering the 18 LED (3 Watt each) Actinic Supplement Kit, but I havent a clue how to put it together. Is there a build thread or anything on this??? LOL!

By the way, will adding Actinic LEDs to a t5 setup be a waste? Am I supposed to add 50/50? My t5 is blue plus, purple plus, aquablue special, and blue plus.

My head hurts. lol. :)

Otherwise, I'll do
 
I have a 4 bulb T5 fixture with 3 Reefbrite LED strips (2 blue and 1 50/50) and am very happy with the colors and growth. The Reefbrights are no joke and put out a lot of light. What is nice about the RB, is that they come with brackets so you can mount any angle you wish. I am sure the other LED's mentioned are good as well. I only can speak from what I have.

Here is what is looks like under the hood.

Lights OFF
LEDandT5003-2.jpg


I have since lowered the lights 1"
Lights ON (Filtered to see bulb colors)
66E635F0.jpg


Lights ON (No Filter)
29FBA724.jpg


After 1.5 yrs with Reefbrites added to 4 bulb T5
317B5083-1.jpg



Hope this helps.....

GL!!!

-----------------------
 
ek9vboi said:
Custom is probably the best way to go but if you have a T5HO fixture, I would go with a pre-made unit so it doesn't look rigged unless it's under a canopy.

Although the 3w Crees are the rage now, technology is moving fast. Some of the 1w LEDs are more effective then the 3w considering that most people turn down the power on the 3w units due to too much power. It would probably be more efficient to run more 1w LEDs at full power due to less heat output, more clusters of LED colors to eliminate the disco ball effect, effective use of ballast, and just to say I have more LEDs then you. lol

I've looked into integrating LEDs into my set up, but at this point... 6 T5HOs will grow just about anything and give me most of the color spectrum I want. If I ever do, it's simple to do by just removing one or two bulbs and adding LEDs into it and then running the wiring/ballast.
Click to expand...

Not quite. The 3 watt Crees like the XPG for example is most efficient @ 350 mA an R5 bin will put out 139 lumens per watt. The forward voltage of an XPG @ 350mA is approximately 3V ( 3v x 350mA equals 1.05 watts ) so while yes most run their Crees at a lower current they are significantly more efficient than a 1 watt LED being driven at full power. The same XPG R5 driven at it's max is putting out around 465 lumens, which is only about 88 lumens per watt. So at its max the XPG is running at over 5 watts but not as efficient as the 350mA. Plus the 3 watt LEDs do have better penetration for deeper tanks. Hope that helps.

Op my vote would be to go with the rapid actinic sup kit.
 
Looks awesome. In all honesty, jc-reef's build thread and tank highlight entry were what prompted me to combine t5s with LED. I always thought I would just throw out my t5 set-up, but that tank told me otherwise. :)

I think the Stunner LED strips are sweet, but they are a little low in wattage for me. I am torn between Rapid LED's 18 LED (3 Watt each) Actinic Kit -----or----- ReefBrite's Tech LED 18 LED 30 Watt.

ReefBrite sounds nice because you can mount it many ways and the reflectors look amazing. I dont think Rapid LED has any reflectors for the kit???

Question, can I mount a ReefBrite Tech LED 30inches to my 48'' fixture or do they both have to be 48''???

Rapid is still the cheaper option though... :)
 
I have been thinking that next time I get to replace my four T5 bulbs of my Elos fixture, to replace one or two of the bulbs with LED's. Not sure what I will use, the Elos option is a little out of my budget, but I'll be looking for something I can fit in place of the bulb. Maybe a stunner will work? maybe not...
 
jc-reef said:
I have a 4 bulb T5 fixture with 3 Reefbrite LED strips (2 blue and 1 50/50) and am very happy with the colors and growth. The Reefbrights are no joke and put out a lot of light. What is nice about the RB, is that they come with brackets so you can mount any angle you wish. I am sure the other LED's mentioned are good as well. I only can speak from what I have.

Here is what is looks like under the hood.

Lights OFF
LEDandT5003-2.jpg


I have since lowered the lights 1"
Lights ON (Filtered to see bulb colors)
66E635F0.jpg


Lights ON (No Filter)
29FBA724.jpg


After 1.5 yrs with Reefbrites added to 4 bulb T5
317B5083-1.jpg



Hope this helps.....

GL!!!

-----------------------
Click to expand...

Are those the xho reefbrites? Im getting one and wondering if its worth the extra money.
 
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