LED Build Show and Tell - Has anyone else built something like this?

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Fragman

Fragman

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 5, 2003
Messages
261
Location
Edgewood, WA
About a month ago, when one of my IceCap 660s died for the 5th time in as many years, I decided to check out this LED craze that seems to be going around the reefkeeping community. I wasn't interested in one of those $650 retail fixtures so this really appealed to me. I found a couple of long threads on RC and NanoReef... that were over a year old with explicit details about how to build an LED lighting fixture. So I placed an order with RapidLED for a 12 LED kit and ordered some heat sinks. My initial project was somewhat unusual as it was a six foot fixture for a shallow compartment tank that I have. So the plan was for each of the 6 compartments would get 1 blue and 1 white LED. It came together nicely and I learned a lot about working with the LEDs and soldering, etc... The light was crisp and clean looking but there just wasn't enough of it so I ordered another 12LED kit and doubled the number of LEDs. Now it looks GREAT and is quite bright. So I traded 500 Watts of VHO and PCs for 72 Watts of LEDs and have better lighting.

With this success under my belt, I decided to build another similar fixture for my other 6 foot compartment tank. This time using the slightly more expensive dimable LED Kit from RapidLED. Now its time for some pictures!!! :D

Separate heat sinks over each of the six compartments will have 4 LEDS ea.
led2b.jpg

led3o.jpg


This is the dimming circut using potentiometers
led5.jpg


Two dimable drivers control the white and Royal Blue LEDs separately
led4h.jpg


The finished fixture just prior to mounting above the tank.
led8.jpg


This is the Fire Hazard wiring mess that I just got rid of.:D
led9.jpg


Ya these LEDs are bright!
led10.jpg


A peak above the tank
led12.jpg


Full tank view - The Hammers and Frogspawns are loving the new lighting!
led11.jpg


My next project will be for a more conventional sized 20Gal tank. I will use a single heat sink (this time with a fan) and 24 LEDs. This should Rock! Dialing in my desired range of 10k to 20k color temperature is the really fun part! I know that Tagpol built one, Has anyone else?
 
this looks like an awesome project...just a side note from my personal experience though in regards to LEDs...tread lightly (no pun intended). I've been running aquaillumination units over 12 different reef systems for the last year for work. Reefs vary from softy only to full blown sps (100-900 gallon systems)...i've found that in the long term coral health declines after about 6 months under this type of lighting. Some LPS you see the negative effects within a couple of days or a week. I know it's a nice reduction in lighting costs and chillers etc but i've been pulling units off of tanks and replacing with T5s to combat the growth and health issues associated with LEDs after about a year of use.
 
I was lucky to see these the other day, impressive. Paul great work! You know I was diggin em.
 
nice build Paul. i gotta come down again sometime soon and buy some more frags.


treehugger said:
this looks like an awesome project...just a side note from my personal experience though in regards to LEDs...tread lightly (no pun intended). I've been running aquaillumination units over 12 different reef systems for the last year for work. Reefs vary from softy only to full blown sps (100-900 gallon systems)...i've found that in the long term coral health declines after about 6 months under this type of lighting. Some LPS you see the negative effects within a couple of days or a week. I know it's a nice reduction in lighting costs and chillers etc but i've been pulling units off of tanks and replacing with T5s to combat the growth and health issues associated with LEDs after about a year of use.
Click to expand...

what kind of negative effects?
 
Last edited:
treehugger said:
this looks like an awesome project...just a side note from my personal experience though in regards to LEDs...tread lightly (no pun intended). I've been running aquaillumination units over 12 different reef systems for the last year for work. Reefs vary from softy only to full blown sps (100-900 gallon systems)...i've found that in the long term coral health declines after about 6 months under this type of lighting. Some LPS you see the negative effects within a couple of days or a week. I know it's a nice reduction in lighting costs and chillers etc but i've been pulling units off of tanks and replacing with T5s to combat the growth and health issues associated with LEDs after about a year of use.
Click to expand...

no offense bro, but i find your comments about LED's not working to grow coral anecdotal compared to the hundreds(if not thousands) of people now using even cheap LED's to grow out corals for well over a year now. I would ask you to consider the possibility that there is probably some other husbandry issue that is going unadressed in the systems that you are working on...
I have seen several systems that have been running AI's LED's well over a year and no negative effects whatsoever. color and growth have all been stable.
as long as the frequencies and output are correct i sincerely believe corals could care less what source is producing that light. now, have there been LED fixtures that wernt good?? im sure, but the AI isnt one of them.
 
Tree Hugger,

Thanks for your input. I have heard some concerns of corals fading out in color due to a lack of UV radiation. Your experience sounds larger than, "Hey I changed my lighting over to LEDs and my tank steadily declined for the last six months". As Mark points out that type of decline could be due to any number of other factors. I'd be interested in hearing more details about your experience. 12 different systems is a pretty good sampling. If this type of lighting was slowly killing corals, wouldn't news of this phenomena be more widespread?
 
sorry it was early lol
i was saying it might be his water and not the leds as i am using them and every thing is looking good and have lost no color
lots people are happy with them so they cant be bad unless you are putting too much light to the corals mabey that was the problem he was having
 
Moto where did you buy the max units? Ive been debating building them or buying those units.
 
Nice build. I too built an led light for my 25 gallon cube. I used 39 3w Crees. Have had great growth and color. Everything in the tank seems to like them: softies, SPS, and anemones
 
39 LEDs?

So if you used 39 LEDs was that 3 x 13 (13 on each driver?)




moovinfast said:
Nice build. I too built an led light for my 25 gallon cube. I used 39 3w Crees. Have had great growth and color. Everything in the tank seems to like them: softies, SPS, and anemones
Click to expand...
 
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