lets say i do jump into DIY LED's...

[afernandez]

i have a 60g 24*24*24 cube

1)how many leds would i need? whites & blues
2)how big would the heat sink need to be?

things to keep in mind..

*i want to keep sps & lps
*i want to avoid shadow or dim spots
* i am a complete noob on leds :duh:

 

[afernandez]

No one...

 

[Mattl22]

I'm trying to learn more about LEDs also!
is there a website that teaches how to build them and what the different components are?


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[chinatown]

i got a 20x20x20 cube that will have a 8 1/2" x 14" heatsink with 12x blue and 12x white. just to give you an idea.

 

[afernandez]

i got a 20x20x20 cube that will have a 8 1/2" x 14" heatsink with 12x blue and 12x white. just to give you an idea.

:scratchch ecoray 60d are the same dimesions( they are 1w :irked.... can i ask you how much did you pay? you can pm me if you want. im just trying to get a clue on how much this thing is goign to to cost. cost of set + cost of equipment + time = is it really worth the hassel in my case.

 

[stbarnabas]

Try ecoxotic runner ..you can stop at my place I can show you my led lmk

 

[chinatown]

:scratchch ecoray 60d are the same dimesions( they are 1w :irked.... can i ask you how much did you pay? you can pm me if you want. im just trying to get a clue on how much this thing is goign to to cost. cost of set + cost of equipment + time = is it really worth the hassel in my case.

so far, costs ~$300 on all parts, including dimming parts.

 

[afernandez]

made by Panorama? i can do that just lmk when is a good time to come by

 

[brick-brothers]

I'm going to get a 60 cube also. I'm going to do a 12x12 plate with 12 3w white and 12 3w blue with optics. here my link to my DIY Led build for my 120g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNsXgXQEIZM

 

[afernandez]

the leds look super bright! first i said 12*12 thats it. but i see from your tank those are bright . have you checked your par?

 

[brick-brothers]

na I havent check it. Since I set it up i had no problems and all my corals love it. I havent really got to the sps yet. I do have a frag or 2 in there and they also are doing good. Thats why I want to do the 60 cube. Just for sps.

 

[afernandez]

oh ok. im puting together a 60 also but i want to mix it up. about how much did it cost you for each? btw hows your naked clown doing lol

 

[brick-brothers]

i for got, i bought the leds from ledsupply.com it came with the optics. The naked clown past. I dont know if my maroon was stressing it or 1 of the fish was. :sad2:

 

[noobzy]

i got a 20x20x20 cube that will have a 8 1/2" x 14" heatsink with 12x blue and 12x white. just to give you an idea.

Chinatown, how did you decide to go with 24 LEDs?

Trying to plan out a DIY fixture of my own, and I am not quite clear on the LED / surface area / depth ratio... or is it wattage / volume still? Does anyone have a good link or good advice on the topic?

 

[afernandez]

Chinatown, how did you decide to go with 24 LEDs?

Trying to plan out a DIY fixture of my own, and I am not quite clear on the LED / surface area / depth ratio... or is it wattage / volume still? Does anyone have a good link or good advice on the topic?

I'll have what he's having lol

 

[aznt1217]

Guys... it's called the search function. So many threads on LEDs!

If you jump into LED's in the DIY realm. Ask yourself... what corals am I keeping, what is my budget, and how am I aquascaping -- for coral placement.

The spread depends on how you build it, you can also add optics. Ecoxotic Stunner Strips are built mainly for Accent/Supplemental lighting. The Panorama fixtures are good and look super clean BUT aren't high intensity so don't plan on keeping light hungry SPS on the bottom of the tank.

The Ecoray 60D might be okay for your cube but keep in mind the optics are very focused and the spread isn't huge. Not sure how high you will be hanging this thing up.

RapidLED and ReefLEDlights do kits and it will make your life MUCH easier instead of ordering parts from all over the place. I think Chinatown was right on the money on the number of LED's you need. 24 x 3w CREE LED's will provide enough for nearly anything.

 

[chinatown]

I'll have what he's having lol

no real reasoning behind it. figured 24 LEDs would be sufficient for a 34G. Smoq got 24 LED's on his Solana and it's fine. I can always dim it or raise it if it's too much light. Plus I can put on wider optics if anything, etc etc. It's just so very versatile, IMO

Plus, the heatsink i got is the same size as a legal size paper, so drawing out the placement was easy.

 

[noobzy]

no real reasoning behind it. figured 24 LEDs would be sufficient for a 34G. Smoq got 24 LED's on his Solana and it's fine. I can always dim it or raise it if it's too much light. Plus I can put on wider optics if anything, etc etc. It's just so very versatile, IMO

Plus, the heatsink i got is the same size as a legal size paper, so drawing out the placement was easy.

Good reasoning. If I had a 34g Solana, I think I'd copy Smoq's build part for part - his tank looks amazing!

Guys... it's called the search function. So many threads on LEDs!

...

RapidLED and ReefLEDlights do kits and it will make your life MUCH easier instead of ordering parts from all over the place.

...

I think Chinatown was right on the money on the number of LED's you need. 24 x 3w CREE LED's will provide enough for nearly anything.

I hear you, and I am reading everything I can get my hands on. Nonetheless, I have a smaller tank and have yet to find an LED build for a 10g. The fact that there are optics that can change the spread of light makes it even more complicated, seeing how you can probably manage with fewer or more LEDs depending on the intensity you want and the optics that you use.

RapidLED kits are great, and I am pretty sure I will be buying my parts from them, but I'd need to know how many LEDs I actually need before I start planning my fixture.

As far as 24 3W CREE LEDs being enough for anything... I am kinda hoping I need less than that for my 8g and 2.5g tanks

So... I guess the question needs to be reworded. Does anyone know of some good 10g LED builds?

 

[Widdy]

A single 3w Cree can essentially support any coral; that coral just has to live within a few inches of space. The amount of diodes you choose to use is to increase coverage, not light. Most DIY builds I've seen, the builders chose 2" as the distance between diodes. The balance is between distance between fixture from water and degree of focal lenses. This guy hung his fixture few feet away from tank, so he chose to run a might denser formation of diodes.

http://www.reefaddicts.com/content.php/70-LED-pendent-build

 

[noobzy]

A single 3w Cree can essentially support any coral; that coral just has to live within a few inches of space. The amount of diodes you choose to use is to increase coverage, not light. Most DIY builds I've seen, the builders chose 2" as the distance between diodes. The balance is between distance between fixture from water and degree of focal lenses. This guy hung his fixture few feet away from tank, so he chose to run a might denser formation of diodes.

http://www.reefaddicts.com/content.php/70-LED-pendent-build

Awesome. I get it now