for the people who have make DIY LED fixtures

[Timmo760]

is making it really worth it? i'm on the fence about either making one or just buying a new T5 fixture. i know with the T5 i will have the bulb replacement cost but putting that aside, is it really worth it? i do have sps and lps corals so i do need a good amount of light

[jrizo1]

yes it is i just finish mine and i am loving it. the light quality and color is amazing never seen nothing like it whith any other lights. 100 times better than t5

[der_wille_zur_macht]

You know you're asking a biased group, right? :D

I think it's TOTALLY worth it. LEDs give you a vast degree of flexibility. No lamp replacement. Lower running cost. And so on.

On the other hand, it is a DIY project that might not be for the casual hobbyist. And though we know for a fact that LEDs will grow beautiful corals, there's only a 1 - 2 year track record, and in general it's a new technology, which means there *is* a certain degree of risk.

[Timmo760]

yes i know this forum is very biased thats why i only asked the people who have it lol. i didn't want to hear from the people who dont have it and try and tell you all the negative things about it when they haven't experienced it for themselves.

thanks for your input it has re-convinced me to for sure make one. i am going to be ordering some stuff tommorow.

one more question, i am going to be using meanwell drivers without trim pots. i'm one of those people that like the 14,000-17,000K look, i'm going to have 48 total XR-E LEDs, 24 cool white and i was thinking about splitting up the blue using 16 blue and 8 royal blue. should i maybe cut down the the number of white LEDs to 20 and bump up the blue to 18 and royal blue to 10? or what would you recommend to get that 14,000-17,000K look without using trim pots?

[der_wille_zur_macht]

with 48 total, if you want a deep blue, I'd go for 20 cool white, 20 royal blue, and 8 blue, or something like that. I'd definitely reduce the cool whites a bit, and use fewer blues than royal blues.

[Timmo760]

ok awesome, thank you der wille zur macht you have helped out a lot with my questions even on other threads

[ChuckG]

Has anyone been able to integrate one into a presentable fixture? The only DIY LEDs I've seen look like a science fair project with LEDs attached to a heat sink and wires running all over the place.. but I readily admit I have only seen a few.

Anyone have any pics of a DIY unit they are proud of?

[customcolor]

from my thread of course... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1796371

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s193/customcolor/led/fragsetup.jpg

[ka0s]

There was one posted on Hack a Day no too long ago.. because its on a non RC site not sure if I can post a link its titled 'Salty LEDs'.

[ChuckG]

from my thread of course...

Hey thats not bad.. great build thread too.. hmm :fun4:

[customcolor]

There was one posted on Hack a Day no too long ago.. because its on a non RC site not sure if I can post a link its titled 'Salty LEDs'.


that is a nice one...i remember reading that one....i read to many :p

[customcolor]

Hey thats not bad.. great build thread too.. hmm :fun4:
thanks! now i wanna build more:spin2:

[hllywd]

I dunno, have you seen Soundwave's "science fair" project? Looks pretty good to me. I'd agree there are some rough looking ones too, but effective! To me the sky is the limit with these, the fit and finish can be as ghetto, or elaborate as your creativity, and ability.

[hllywd]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1678127
Try that!

I like Custom's new fixture too... just don't have the MH housing laying around to gut...:sad2:

[ChuckG]

I dunno, have you seen Soundwave's "science fair" project? Looks pretty good to me.

ha.. sorry I did not mean to step on anyone's toes, I was just hoping to motivate someone to post pictures of a decent looking build. It worked and I've seen two so far..

The one on the other forum using a wood enclosure. Now that is a great idea.. wood can be made to look very nice. Match the stand even.

[Timmo760]

so i just ordered some of my parts i need, i ordered half of what i need except for drivers. didn't order those yet. after i get everything and start building it i'll post pics so people can tag along if they want

[hllywd]

I did basically the same thing to build two of the four 24 LED modules I need. LEDs should be here soon, but the Meanwells are still 4 - 6 weeks away. I'm also sending my heatsinks out to be anodized to start.
Tim

[Timmo760]

how much and where did you get them anodized? i didn't even think about having that done

[hllywd]

Trying to get it done locally, if I can't I'm sending them here; http://www.six-2.com/MetalFinishing/Anodizing.aspx

[terahz]

is making it really worth it?
Yes.

Has anyone been able to integrate one into a presentable fixture?
Well I managed to 'stuff' my LEDs in the original top that came with my tank, so looking from the front, there are no visible evidence of modifications. Here is what it looks like on the side:

http://joro.geodar.com/pics/albums/aquarium/normal_agalid-015.jpg

[hllywd]

Looks nice, show some detail pics!

[Timmo760]

so what guage wire should i use from the driver to the LEDs and what size from LED to LED?

[terahz]

Looks nice, show some detail pics!
here is my build: http://joro.geodar.com/diary/2009/11/04/714/lang/en/

so what guage wire should i use from the driver to the LEDs and what size from LED to LED?

I used 18 gauge but even 22 should do.

[Jstdv8]

wheres the best place to start looking to see how many LED's and what size i would need for my 90 gallon?
Alot of pics have the lighting very high off the tank, what is the purpose of this?

[terahz]

wheres the best place to start looking to see how many LED's and what size i would need for my 90 gallon?

Since you ask:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1587273

Alot of pics have the lighting very high off the tank, what is the purpose of this?
Personal preference is the most likely answer I think.