DIY LED Help

[jag200k]

Hi all,

In regards with the LED setup, I am really interested in doing one for my reef. But the issue is i am a

complete noob in this. I really would appreciate some advise from you experts.

Please find below the details of my tank.

Length: 24 inches
Breadth: 15.5 inches
Height: 23 inches

It is a 30 gallon tank.

I am looking forward to keep sps in my tank. I do have a zoa frag which is doing well as i have kept it

near the light.

Currently i am using T5 for my setup 4 x 8 watts (2 blue and 2 white) .

A few question which came in my mind.

1. How many LED do i require for my setup.

2. What driver i need to use for them

3. Do i need a dimmer.

4. How many degree optics i need to use.

5. What is the thickness of heatsink i need to use.


The above are just a few things that cam in my mind.

Would really appreciate if someone helps me with the data. Also i live in UAE where many of the

equipments are not available so will need to use something’s easily available or alternatives

Thanks in advance

 

[Anonymous]

hi, I've ben doing some research on LEDs as I'm in the planning/build period for my new reef tank - I'll try to answer you ?s as best I can(I think I recognise your writing style on RC, no?).

1.How many LEDs depends on what kind of corals you plan on keeping, and so far by my estimates, 24-36 LEDs will actually allow you to run the LEDs at less than full power(36 I think would be over board, but I'm not 100% on that) to keep SPS.(again, not sure if you're planning on a SPS dominant tank)

2 & 3. yes you need a driver for them. As for a Dimmer, some drivers are dimmable, some are not(RAPIDLED dot com has presompiled kits that so far as I can tell, are the most complete and at the best prices I have found -they also have a controller/dimmer that only features on/off, and max power level, or you can either buy a controller like Reef Angel, or Profilux, or build your own via Arduino circuit boards and open source programming)

4. depends on how high off the water your fixture will be, but from others designs I've seen so far, a combo of 60 degree and 40degree seems most capable- 60 for blues and 40 for whites)

5.again, Rapid LED has heat sinks for sale, which one depends on how you plan to set up you light fixture(light block, linear strips, etc)


Not sure if Rapid Led ships to UAE(dunno why they would not) but their kits have material listings, and if you cant order from them, you can use their material listings from their kit descriptions to order exactly what you need from elsewhere.

Anenomebuff lit his tank with PAR Bulbs(LEDs in a lightbulb fixture) which is another easy viable method, although its more spotlight oriented - you can do a quick search to find his thread on lighting his tank with LEDs here on RDO.

 

[firechild]

1. How many LED do i require for my setup.

That depends largely on what typ of LEDs you are planning to use. For example you may need nearly 3 times as many if you are planning to use cheap ebay emitters vs Cree XM-Ls. For a typical build (using Cree XP-G white and XP-E blue/royal blue) you'd probably need about 24 LEDs.

2. What driver i need to use for them

That depends on what your requirements are. If you want the setup to be dimmable, then you will need different drivers than you would use if you don't want dimming. There are quite a number of options available and again, it will depend on what LEDs you wish to use and how you want to run them. The typical setup I mentioned above would use a 2:1 ratio of blue:white so you'd be looking at 8 white and 16 royal blue. A 48V driver (which are the most common) such as a meanwell ELN-60-48 will run up to 12 emitters. This is fine for the whites but would mean 2 drivers for the royal blues which is less desirable. There are several brands available such as Inventronics, Thomas Research and Maxwellen that make drivers that would be suitable for 16 emitters.

3. Do i need a dimmer.

Personal preference. If you are happy to have your lights switch on as you would have fluorescent or metal halide lamps then dimming is not necessary. If you want to run a controller that allows for a sunrise/sunset effect then you will need dimmable drivers. What type of dimming you need (analogue or PWM) will depend on how you wish to control them. Dimming is also handy to manipulate the overall colour to your liking.

4. How many degree optics i need to use.

That depends how high above the aquarium you want the fixture to be. If it is just a few inches from the surface then no optics are required. Larger optics (by angle) are required for lower fixtures. If you want to mount your lights 4 feet above the aquarium then you might need 12 degree optics. Most people tend to go for around 60 degree optics at a distance of around 12-16".

5. What is the thickness of heatsink i need to use.

The heatsink will depend on the density of the emitters and the colling method used. Thicker heatsinks will remove heat from the emitters faster, especially if passive (no fan) cooling is used. A lot of people are using simple U-channel from the hardware store and colling them with fans.