Rapid LED lighting and SPS corals

[Dartolution]

Hey guys!

Im building a new 40 breeder, mainly SPS reef with some LPS, and Im considering building my own LED/T5 combo using RAPID LED's kit....

I have been out of the hobby for about 5 years now, and when I was leaving it LEDs were just coming on the market...

I have a 40breeder, 36" long...

Im thinking of (2) 12 arrays from Rapid LED , though I haven't decided on the bulb choice or color... suggestions welcome!
and (2) or (4) T5's on an icecap ballast, only because I already have all that equipment, all i need are bulbs.

Any advice on this would help me out a ton!

Has anyone had any success using these LED's with SPS corals? this is my main concern...


Thanks a bunch

[zachts]

They will grow SPS great!

First off, IceCap ballast is not a great choice for T5, it was made for T12 VHO and while it will light them up (brighter than normal) they will wear out much faster and get hotter than usuall, but aside from that more than a few people run that combination, so, since you've got it already.....

Using the T5 for the white light source, I would just use Royal Blue LEDs with 80 degree lenses evenly distributed over the tank, they will give you over 100 PAR on the sand bed alone.

If you want to view the tank under LED without the T5 on you might include a few neutral whites without optics (or with optic holder as a glare shield with lens removed for a pendant light without a hood) 4 would probably be more than enough. Again evenly distribute the whites in this case without regard for where the royal blues are in relation.

You could of course use other color LEDs as well but the T5 will cover everything else. Coral Plus would be a good choice, and two bulbs would be more than enough.

[Dartolution]

Zachts thanks for the input... I appreciate it.

I was thinking of going with an actinic (420 or 470nm) for the T5's and use predominantly white and reds in the LED arrays but I'm not sure.

Im essentially trying to recreate the ATI power module spectrum with this DIY fixture

I do have a question about the RED LED's...
It says the max to run them is something like 700mA?
If the ballasts run up to 1.3A isn't that overdriving the diode? how do you run the reds with that kind of ballast?

[dunk373]

you pop the cover on the driver and set the current to the driver by twisting a dial with a screwdriver. You read the ma by hooking a meter in series with your led string and set it to amps start low rapid led Is probably the best to deal with and they will help. they're instructions are great. I just made a kit and am waiting on my reflectors and t5 bulbs to show up this was ordered from another company, and i'll just say they make rapid look that much better

[zachts]

Originally Posted by Dartolution

Zachts thanks for the input... I appreciate it.

I was thinking of going with an actinic (420 or 470nm) for the T5's and use predominantly white and reds in the LED arrays but I'm not sure.

Im essentially trying to recreate the ATI power module spectrum with this DIY fixture

I do have a question about the RED LED's...
It says the max to run them is something like 700mA?
If the ballasts run up to 1.3A isn't that overdriving the diode? how do you run the reds with that kind of ballast?

Have you seen one in person to know if that's the way you want to go?

Replicating the power module will require multi channel dimming, what is your plan for a controller to dial in the color to your liking? They also use some very tight led clusters to minimize disco and blend the LED colors, something hard do do using star chip LEDs unless you go with a multi-chip star like the ones produced by Steves LED and others.

[zachts]

Originally Posted by dunk373

you pop the cover on the driver and set the current to the driver by twisting a dial with a screwdriver. You read the ma by hooking a meter in series with your led string and set it to amps start low rapid led Is probably the best to deal with and they will help. they're instructions are great. I just made a kit and am waiting on my reflectors and t5 bulbs to show up this was ordered from another company, and i'll just say they make rapid look that much better

Or just purchase a driver rated at 700mA for the Reds. If your planing to go dimmable the LDD are very good for this but require a 5volt PWM controller to dim them (typon, storm, DIY arduino, Reef Angel, etc) as well as a power supply.

[Zoanut]

I'm actually about to do the same myself. I am going to use the T5s for white, actinic, pink and a blue and the LEDs I will use are blues and royal blues.

[Dartolution]

you pop the cover on the driver and set the current to the driver by twisting a dial with a screwdriver.

By turning the dial, does this not affect the PAR values on the other diods? How does this affect say, the 470nm diods?

Have you seen one in person to know if that's the way you want to go?

Do you mean seen the ATI powermodule or the DIY LED's?
If so, No I have not seen the ATI powermodule itself, but I have seen the RAPID LED DIY kits, and the assembled fixture in person, and I like them overall, I believe hooking two heatsinks with 12 each plus (2) 39Watt t5's on aluminum channeling to create a modern/warhouse lighting rail will suite my tastes for this build.

Replicating the power module will require multi channel dimming, what is your plan for a controller to dial in the color to your liking?

I planned to use the 3 dial multichannel dimming box that the complany sells and attach it to the two ballasts.
I was going to put the "white" diods and "reds" on one and the blue series on another to adjust as I wish... thoughts?

They also use some very tight led clusters to minimize disco and blend the LED colors, something hard do do using star chip LEDs unless you go with a multi-chip star like the ones produced by Steves LED and others.

I was thinking that using 80degree optics plus suspending it about 8 inches or so above the waters surface would minimize the disco ball affect... what do you think?

I only have about 12-13" of water to penetrate at the deepest on this build. Its a 40 breeder with an ~ 1.5" shallow fine sandbed, and a relitively open "lagoon - type" layout (pending). Most of the SPS will be in the center/3/4 sides and most likely no future down than about 8 inches below the surface...

Or just purchase a driver rated at 700mA for the Reds. If your planing to go dimmable the LDD are very good for this but require a 5volt PWM controller to dim them (typon, storm, DIY arduino, Reef Angel, etc) as well as a power supply

I couldnt string the reds and whites on the same ballast and decrease the ma? Hmmmmmmmmmm... my only concerns is just the decrease in PAR by doing this, however im not sure if these two factors are related at all... more information would be appreciated.

[zachts]

The whites and reds don't contribute a lot to usable par anyway just more for aesthetics, you might not even want to use optics on them for better spread and blending. Optics on the Blues though if evenly distributed will greatly increase PAR though with such a shallow tank you still may not need the optics but they could allow you to run the LEDs at lower power and save electricity while achieving the same par as not using any optics and running the Blues at higher power. On a more clustered light in your case you probly don't want any optics unless the Blues are spread out evenly over the length of the tank.

[Dartolution]

I see...

Do you have any of the XP-E Red's?
I noticed there are 3 types, a red, orange-red, and a deep red...

What is everyone using?
The main reason I want 4 of these , 2 per cluster is that is mimics the power module, plus Im hoping in improves pinks, and red colors?

[zachts]

Originally Posted by Dartolution

I see...

Do you have any of the XP-E Red's?
I noticed there are 3 types, a red, orange-red, and a deep red...

What is everyone using?
The main reason I want 4 of these , 2 per cluster is that is mimics the power module, plus Im hoping in improves pinks, and red colors?

I've used the red and red orange, also the deep red(those are luxeon or osram generally not cree)

If I was to only pick one I'd go with the standard Red for aesthetics but be sure you can dim it, they are much brighter than the red orange or deep red from a visual standpoint. It is widely debatable how much benefit the coral gets from reds but for aesthetics providing some red in ranges similar to MH or fluorescent sources enhances the color of many corals and fish.

Visually I find little benefit from deep reds and there is little to no research to support that anything above 640nm aids in coral coloration.

[Anemone12]

Supposly too much red can slow down growth on coral

[Dartolution]

Thanks Zachts!

So, as far as dimming them again, I go back to the concern about putting these ~600nm Reds on the same ballast as the whites, and turning the ma down....

You are saying the PAR values are going to come from the Blue diods, which is good, plus I have the T5's (2). and there is only 12" of water deptch to penetrate.

Assuming that I order the DIMMABLE 24ct kit that is listed on the website and use the 3 channel dimmer with this kit, what I am concerned about now is the red's overiding the whites, no matter if they are dimmed together or not, do you think I should install them on the same ballast as the white or blues?
thoughts?

Supposly too much red can slow down growth on coral

This would make sense from a growth standpoint, concidering and assuming that larger amounts of red spectrum are present at the reef crest (top), I would think this would tell acropora species that they are about to grow out of the ocean, hence slower growth...

[zachts]

If only using two channels install reds with the whites. very few people ever run a white string at 100 percent anyway and It doesn't hurt the whites to run them lower than max at all. Since you are supplementing t5 any way I wouldn't worry as much about white if your t5 can provide some of that.

A 3 white to 1 red ration won't be too bad and will "somewhat resemble" the equivalent of using a purple plus bulb. as long as you can dime the string you can balance it with the blues ant the T5. And yes for coral growth most of the usefull PAR will come from the Blues. Adjust the white/red string only for your aesthetic needs.

[Dartolution]

Cool guy!

You made a point though about the dimming, and if I am already getting one of the three channel dimmers with that kit, then I might as well buy another ballast for the 4 reds, and maybe a few more...

suggestions?

[Big E]

zachts metioned this already, but you'll get your best color by just using blue LEDs and getting your white from the coral+ bulbs.

You could scatter a few violet LEds in there if you want more of that, but you'll get more than enough for the corals using the coral+ bulb.

You don't need red or white LEDs.

The Ice Cap ballast gives you much higher par than ATI ballasts and will give you more punch for color.

[Dartolution]

Thanks Big E

I have an Icecap 660 Ballast for the T5's and Im wondering where I can find a wiring diagram for just 2 39Watt bulbs....

[dunk373]

search ice cap now coralvue they show all bulb configurations, I was told by rapid for my 150 to only use 3-5 reds I plan on running whites at about 10% royal blue at 40% red-green 10% and uv 50% i have tried this in the open and colors are great. I am also supplementing with ati blue plus 4 of them on an ice cap 660, so I'm in your boat lol

[zachts]

Originally Posted by Dartolution

Thanks Big E

I have an Icecap 660 Ballast for the T5's and Im wondering where I can find a wiring diagram for just 2 39Watt bulbs....

the normal two bulb diagram for the 660 will run them, it will however over drive them a bit which may shorten their life considerably. You might only get 6 months out of them but will get much more than the rated output.