DIY LED Refugium lighting

[jjmccloud2011]

Hello all
Looking for some help on a DIY led build for my fuge growing caulperpa prolifera if that's the right spelling sry anyways my fuge is 24"Lx14"Wx12"D and im wanting to build a led fixture to grow my ma to with but don't like the red look could I use blue and white and how do I know how big or what wattage or how many leds to use I'm new to the led deal so any info what so ever I can use from size and wattage to wiring I got plenty DIY experience just never got into leds yet thx so much

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

Hi, you will not get great results with the blues and whites, you want 660nm red and 450nm royal blue in a 5:1 or 6:1 ratio to grow algae. You will get used to the red look, trust me, I have an open stand, and 3 grow bulbs in it, LOL

 

[jjmccloud2011]

Thx for the info that's bad news lol I've tried the red I have a led spot grow light w/ red and blue but I didn't see a lot of difference in growth in my chaeto so I give up on it but then again I only tried it a week lol. So let me ask this if I can grow macro good with 6500k cfl bulbs why wouldn't leds with 6000-8000k not work is it an led thing where white isn't the same as cfl white or something or is the red and blue just that much better? Another reason I'm stuck on white and not red is this add on fuge sits next to my tank so its out with everything showing but if I have to I'm sure I can get used to thx again

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

They work, but the color combo I reccomended is much more effective. It takes a week for the chaeto to acclimate, it will not grow at that time, which is why you saw nothing.

 

[Tank2379]

Sorry not trying to hijack... Does anyone recommend a DIY kit for these?

 

[Bluewater04]

Using a warm white led works good. It will give you the spectrum you need without the red color. Something in the neighborhood of 3000k. 20-40w should be good

 

[saratj1]

Get 2 of these. Simple and effective, maybe get 2 of the 20w models if you feel like a little more power. These are cheaper than building one yourself. Just get warm white.

10W LED Spotlight Flood light Warm White Outdoor Landscape 85-265V Lamp | eBay