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batt600
03/13/2011, 07:47 PM
I getting a 120grr tank to upgrade from my 75g sps tank . How many AI solo blue units will i need for a 120 48x24x24 tank . Will 2 units be good or will i need more.

Acrotrdco
03/13/2011, 10:35 PM
For SPS dominated tank, each AI module would cover roughly 1'x1' area, if you hung it higher up it'll cover more area but you'll lose a lot of PAR meaning it might not be bright enough for SPS.

So to be honest, for your 48x24x24 you're looking at 8 modules, or a minimum of 6 modules if you're willing to sacrifice some PAR for better coverage.

pmrossetti
03/13/2011, 10:40 PM
8? i don't think so. i think 2 is correct.

NatureNerd
03/13/2011, 11:42 PM
I think that 8 would give you 600 Watts of LED lighting. That seems a bit high. I would have thought 3 units, 4 at a max. What do I know, as my AI super blues are still not delivered. I have a 75g that is about 48"x20"x20", I ordered two and am considering a third unit or a reefbrite 48" strip to fill in the dark spaces on the margin (assuming there are some). Just my thoughts.

watsonj
03/14/2011, 06:55 AM
I run four units on my 120 it is not to much, coverage is just right IMO. I think 2 wouldn't work well and with three you have to contend with the middle brace. 8 units would be a ridiculous amount of light. I run @ 50% and get 300 par on the tank bottom and 650 4" below the surface. The lights are 12" above the tank.
http://gallery.me.com/watsonj0/100057/IMG_0230.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12984202970001

ljr
03/14/2011, 07:48 AM
I getting a 120grr tank to upgrade from my 75g sps tank . How many AI solo blue units will i need for a 120 48x24x24 tank . Will 2 units be good or will i need more.

For SPS I think you will need 4 lights. For lower light requirements you could get by with two. Check out the recommendations on the AquaIllumination website (http://support.aquaillumination.com/entries/459049-tank-recommendations) for the number of modules you will need.

jcw
03/14/2011, 07:50 AM
Awesome tank and set up.

I run four units on my 120 it is not to much, coverage is just right IMO. I think 2 wouldn't work well and with three you have to contend with the middle brace. 8 units would be a ridiculous amount of light. I run @ 50% and get 300 par on the tank bottom and 650 4" below the surface. The lights are 12" above the tank.
http://gallery.me.com/watsonj0/100057/IMG_0230.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12984202970001

batt600
03/14/2011, 03:15 PM
Thank guy i guess a DYI led is cheaper for me

lisafoster
03/14/2011, 03:31 PM
I love the way those lights look.

chadfarmer
03/14/2011, 07:56 PM
I run four units on my 120 it is not to much, coverage is just right IMO. I think 2 wouldn't work well and with three you have to contend with the middle brace. 8 units would be a ridiculous amount of light. I run @ 50% and get 300 par on the tank bottom and 650 4" below the surface. The lights are 12" above the tank.
http://gallery.me.com/watsonj0/100057/IMG_0230.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12984202970001

wow i was thanking about getting 4 for my 200DD glad i didnt

SPotter
03/14/2011, 08:06 PM
I was told directly by AI that the new units willl cover a 24" x 24" and would be more than sufficient for an sps tank. I was inquiring about coverage on the same size tank 48x24x24.

NatureNerd
03/14/2011, 08:30 PM
I was told directly by AI that the new units willl cover a 24" x 24" and would be more than sufficient for an sps tank. I was inquiring about coverage on the same size tank 48x24x24.

I was told the same thing with the caveat that I needed them to be mounted close to 12" off the water surface. I can only go 8" so I am a bit concerned about coverage. Let us know what you finally decide.

SPotter
03/14/2011, 08:59 PM
They did tell me that too. I just forgot to add that. I have the room to hang them that high so I am leaning towards that route. My only concern is if it's not enough light do I want to spend another $600 for another unit.


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grigsy
03/14/2011, 08:59 PM
Why only 12" off the water?

Personally, for that size tank, I would suggest either two metal halides or an ATI fixture instead of LEDs.

I think you will be happier with the color and growth especially after a year or two into it.

http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/ATI-2027.html

SPotter
03/14/2011, 09:03 PM
Why only 12" off the water?

Personally, for that size tank, I would suggest an ATI fixture instead of LEDs. I think you will be happier with the color and growth.

http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/ATI-2027.html

I have been considering the ATI dimmable pm. The other thing I was thinking of was 2x250w MH with about 36 royal blue LEDs.


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grigsy
03/14/2011, 10:19 PM
ATI T5 would be a great choice. Better than LED IMO.

Also, two 250 watt halides + either VHOs or T5 actinics would be also a great choice.

Both are good, high quality lighting for a lot less $$$

NatureNerd
03/14/2011, 10:23 PM
Why only 12" off the water?

Personally, for that size tank, I would suggest either two metal halides or an ATI fixture instead of LEDs.

I think you will be happier with the color and growth especially after a year or two into it.


The 12" is to get enough spread and avoid dark margins. I have an existing canopy that limits how high up I can go, so 12" is not an option for me.

I have had 2 x 175W MH supplemented with T12's for as long as my 75g tank has been setup. That's 15 yrs of experience with MH's. Its a grand experiment and a chance to get rid of the heat load that has always caused many problems for me. I am nervous about it but willing to give it a shot.

batt600
03/17/2011, 06:15 PM
I have T5 now and there great but getting tired of buying bulbs . Led are good for 10 years so thats a plus and lower electrice bill to

Anemonebuff
03/18/2011, 09:00 AM
I was afraid of the initial price of LEDs, but after calculating the cost of replacement bulbs and the lower electrical consumption, I made the switch. My electric bill has already gone down $30 a month(balanced billing) after just 3 months of use at the end of my billing cycle. I suspect that it will go down further when they are used for a full year and when I use less air conditioning this summer.

I spent about $900 on LEDs.

$30x12=$360 electrical savings
$225 for 3x175 watt MH
$45 for 2x40 watt actinics
That's $630 in savings just the first year. My LEDs will pay for themselves in less than a year and a half.

Plato
03/18/2011, 11:20 PM
Doing a 300dd and will be using 12 modules. They will have to go under the stock hood which I believe is 8". If the light could go higher I am sure 3 would be fine but I want full coverage.

batt600
03/20/2011, 08:38 AM
ATI T5 would be a great choice. Better than LED IMO.

Also, two 250 watt halides + either VHOs or T5 actinics would be also a great choice.

Both are good, high quality lighting for a lot less $$$


I really dont think ATI is better then LEDS . One you have to buy bulbs every 6 to 12 months add up the cost . And the T5 still throw out some heat and wattage . The LEDS run very cool no bulb replacement for years and very low low wattage buy far way better then the ati and lets not forget way way more par then the ATI . Most people here that have LEDS are not powering them at 100% that should tell you alot.

reefkeeper78
03/20/2011, 10:17 AM
I have a 120, 48x24x24 and I just swapped over to a diy led fixture. I have two heat sinks, 12x14ish (I bought 6 smaller ones and had them welded together) mounted in a canopy 7" from the water. Each heat sink has 30 leds on it with a total of 60 altoghether. 30 rb and 30 cool white. I went as far to wire all blues to separate drivers and all whites to separate dimmable drivers. This gives you infinite adjustment for a bluer or whiter tank and also can ger rid of the all on or off syndrome when lights turn on or off, associated with other lights (thats just a personal perk for me, some people don't care). I don't have access to a par meter but I did have access to a lux meter. My orginal currnet fixture with 2x150mh 14k and 4x54w attinic was putting out about 1500-1600 lux on the sand and about 7000 lux 6" into the water. With my led's I have now, I have 6000 lux on the sand and 12000 lux 6" in the water. So far after 3 weeks, I have been happy with the colors, still to early to judge growth. My tank is a mixed reef with only a couple of sps but hopefully this gives you an idea of what can be done.

As far as the mentality of this is an impossible task, I think that anyone with a little common sense and instruction can do this. Its really very simple just a lot of work but now that mine is done, its very rewarding. People that have seen my tank are amazed with the tank and blown away with the fact that I have built everything for the tank myself, including the lights. As well my power bill will drop significantly over the late spring, summer and early fall due to not running the mh. I live in vermont, winter is fairly cold here so my heaters will run more in the winter making that season a wash overall from mh but I will benifet from the lack of heat produced during the summer. And I don't have the cost of replacing bulbs every year. My light will pay for itself in just over a year by my calculations and I was able to sell my old light to offset some of the cost intially laid out for the materials.

Oh yah, my leds are running at about 40% so as to not burn corals and let things aclimate. I also run 60 deg. lens to put the light down on the sand

batt600
03/20/2011, 12:19 PM
I have a 120, 48x24x24 and I just swapped over to a diy led fixture. I have two heat sinks, 12x14ish (I bought 6 smaller ones and had them welded together) mounted in a canopy 7" from the water. Each heat sink has 30 leds on it with a total of 60 altoghether. 30 rb and 30 cool white. I went as far to wire all blues to separate drivers and all whites to separate dimmable drivers. This gives you infinite adjustment for a bluer or whiter tank and also can ger rid of the all on or off syndrome when lights turn on or off, associated with other lights (thats just a personal perk for me, some people don't care). I don't have access to a par meter but I did have access to a lux meter. My orginal currnet fixture with 2x150mh 14k and 4x54w attinic was putting out about 1500-1600 lux on the sand and about 7000 lux 6" into the water. With my led's I have now, I have 6000 lux on the sand and 12000 lux 6" in the water. So far after 3 weeks, I have been happy with the colors, still to early to judge growth. My tank is a mixed reef with only a couple of sps but hopefully this gives you an idea of what can be done.

As far as the mentality of this is an impossible task, I think that anyone with a little common sense and instruction can do this. Its really very simple just a lot of work but now that mine is done, its very rewarding. People that have seen my tank are amazed with the tank and blown away with the fact that I have built everything for the tank myself, including the lights. As well my power bill will drop significantly over the late spring, summer and early fall due to not running the mh. I live in vermont, winter is fairly cold here so my heaters will run more in the winter making that season a wash overall from mh but I will benifet from the lack of heat produced during the summer. And I don't have the cost of replacing bulbs every year. My light will pay for itself in just over a year by my calculations and I was able to sell my old light to offset some of the cost intially laid out for the materials.

Oh yah, my leds are running at about 40% so as to not burn corals and let things aclimate. I also run 60 deg. lens to put the light down on the sand



Nice thanks . Was thinking of the DYI leds to

reefkeeper78
03/20/2011, 05:46 PM
If you would like, I can send some pics to give an idea of what I did. By no means do you have to do what I did but it can give you an idea that you can run with from there. There is a guy in a local club that did this a year before I did. I took some of his ideas and suggestions and modified his design to fit my needs and wishes. Also the way that I did mine with large heat sinks, it left me plenty of room to add more leds if I decided too

batt600
03/22/2011, 05:06 PM
Well the AI are on back order and thay dont now when thay will get in stock so DIY LED Kit is the way im going 2-24Cree XPE blues and 2-12 XPE whites with 60 Deg optices with dimmable drivers.

brgmini
04/12/2011, 10:40 AM
Well the AI are on back order and thay dont now when thay will get in stock so DIY LED Kit is the way im going 2-24Cree XPE blues and 2-12 XPE whites with 60 Deg optices with dimmable drivers.

When you say "2-24Cree" and "2-12 xpe" does that mean you are doing 48 blues and 24 whites? Just curious as I have a new 120g i just set up and I am thinking about doing leds myself.

thanks.