[dkling]

I have decided to take the led plunge. I just ordered my stuff. I'm going with 12 cree xp-e royal blue and 12 cree xp-g cool white. 2 of the Meanwell eln-60-48d drivers and 2 Wall Adapter Power Supply - 9VDC 650mA. I plan on having two dimmers so I can adjust them individually . This will all be done on a 8.5x 18in aluminum hs. The tank is 20x10 so I should get great coverage.
I plan on taking plenty of photos. Its going to be very bright.:thumbup:

 

[kwdelre]

Awesome, you'll love them!

 

[dkling]

Awesome, you'll love them!

Thanks , your looks AWESOME!!! hope mine looks half that good.
Could you tell me if my choice of white is ok? the G series has a temp range
of 5k-8300 and the E series has a temp range of 5k-10k.

 

[kwdelre]

I've never used the G series but I heard it puts out more PAR supposedly. I choose to not go with those because they didn't have optics for them. Then, a few weeks later they did. Oh well. But if they did at the time I would have gone with the G.

You should get pretty good results with them on that size of tank and LED count.

Which optics are you going with?

 

[dkling]

I dont plan on using any. The lights will be close enough to the water and each other
that I dont think I will need them.

 

[kwdelre]

Are you protecting the leds in any way? I agree that you probably don't need optics because your tank is not very deep.

From what I just went through I can tell you that there will be a lot of lost ambient light with no optics. Is it a closed hood that you are using?

 

[dkling]

Are you protecting the leds in any way? I agree that you probably don't need optics because your tank is not very deep.

From what I just went through I can tell you that there will be a lot of lost ambient light with no optics. Is it a closed hood that you are using?

I still need to figure out where I can get a good plastic lens for the hood
I building. I plan on using black Plexiglas for the hood. If I were to go with optics could I go w/o a total lens?

 

[kwdelre]

If I were to go with optics could I go w/o a total lens?

I'm not real sure how that goes. The only actually protected by the lens is the LED's lens. The starmount and solder joints would still be exposed. I'm testing this to see how mine does without a complete cover shield.

 

[djfrankn]

How many LED do I need for my tank.

Hi to everyone. I am new to the reef tank and this is my first post, by the way. I have a 55 gallon tank (48" L, 12" W, 24" H). and I've been thinking of going on the DIY route for my tank lighting. I currently have a Current USA Sunpaq 48" dual 10,000k/blue actinic. I have to replace the light bulbs but I was thinking to build a LED system for my fish tank. I've been reading about DIY guides all over the web but I haven't fpund yet anyone who can tell me how to calculate how many I need.
I have some polyps, a duncan coral and some fish. Thanks for any response.

 

[kwdelre]

Hi to everyone. I am new to the reef tank and this is my first post, by the way. I have a 55 gallon tank (48" L, 12" W, 24" H). and I've been thinking of going on the DIY route for my tank lighting. I currently have a Current USA Sunpaq 48" dual 10,000k/blue actinic. I have to replace the light bulbs but I was thinking to build a LED system for my fish tank. I've been reading about DIY guides all over the web but I haven't fpund yet anyone who can tell me how to calculate how many I need.
I have some polyps, a duncan coral and some fish. Thanks for any response.

Hey there,

Welcome to TRT. Out of courtesy to the Original Poster you may want to start your own thread.

Your lighting requirements don't sound too heavy given the livestock you listed. What are the future plans for corals?

 

[dkling]

I'm not real sure how that goes. The only actually protected by the lens is the LED's lens. The starmount and solder joints would still be exposed. I'm testing this to see how mine does without a complete cover shield.

A thin piece of plexiglas should do the job,would you agree?
Thanks.

 

[kwdelre]

A thin piece of plexiglas should do the job,would you agree?
Thanks.

If I decide to put a sheild on mine that's what I would use. 1/8" will work fine. Just make some risers out of 2" bolts and nuts. Easy peasy. When I do mine I'll be sure to remember to let you know.

 

[dkling]

If I decide to put a sheild on mine that's what I would use. 1/8" will work fine. Just make some risers out of 2" bolts and nuts. Easy peasy. When I do mine I'll be sure to remember to let you know.

I stopped by home depot on the way home from work. Got a sm. thin piece.
WOW Plexiglas is expensive. 13.00 bucks for a 12x24 piece.

 

[kwdelre]

I stopped by home depot on the way home from work. Got a sm. thin piece.
WOW Plexiglas is expensive. 13.00 bucks for a 12x24 piece.

Yeah Home Depot is not my favorite because of that. For instance, the flat bar aluminum I used in my build was $18 at Home Depot and only $14 at Lowes. That's a pretty significant difference.

If you are located in a large city you could call around to some plastic fabrication shops and buy scrap pieces from them. That's how I get mine. My aunt works there so its a little easier but I'm sure you could find a source.

 

[dkling]

Well I have everything I need now to get started on my lights. I plan on starting the drilling and tapping of the heat sink on Monday. It would be GREAT if I was able to finish
before next weekend.