Good DIY LED systems?

[reefstarter]

Im looking to cut down on the cost of an LED array by making it myself. I have a ~60 gallon, (48long x 18wide x 24deep), and am making a reef tank with the goal of eventually having some hardy corals that need low-medium light. I was told that to buy an array for this would cost around $300, and to build it myself would be around $100. That being said, I do not really know much about LED lighting or what to buy for it. Are there any good sites/kits that would show me exactly what to buy that would work well for a setup like mine?

I'm open to any suggestions or help! Thank you!

 

[Tone]

If u don't wanna spend much get n aquastyles.com kit worth the price and can pick your own colors. Etc...and ledgroupbuy.com also....

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[reefstarter]

Thanks, would a kit like this be strong enough for my tank? aquarium DIY 36 LED kits with optics

 

[that novice guy]

yea i would want to know how to build that too becasue i dont want to spend 800

and i dont think you could build a light that cheap for 100 bucks if your going to build a light that can suport sps

 

[that novice guy]

sorry i didnt see that post lol i dont really know about that light but i will look more into depth on that light but are you looking for dimmablity or not or it too be controlled by neptune or apex

 

[CraigG]

Check this out I'd request 36 royal blue and 12 cool white and 2 18" heat sinks and wire the blue and white leds on different drivers so you can control your spectrum.
48 Premium XT-E Kit | Reef LED LightsReef LED Lights

 

[reefstarter]

I don't need anything complicated, I am just going to put it on a timer. I don't have too large of a budget for this.

 

[Tone]

Thanks, would a kit like this be strong enough for my tank? aquarium DIY 36 LED kits with optics

May need a little more I put that on my biocube and added more chips from ledgroupbuy...I also bought a third driver

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[CraigG]

If you search you tube you can get step by step instructions on wiring and adjusting drivers. BTW, you can always add to your fixture to accommodate your future reefing needs.

 

[Tone]

And depending on which driver you order (they only offer 2 I believe) one can be controlled by a controller and one can't....j
Only thing is shipping is a little pricy if I remember right...but VERY VERY fast...

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[reefstarter]

Looks like my parents already ordered me this Amazon.com: TaoTronics TT-AL09 Dimmable Aquarium Coral Reef LED Grow Light (120W Output, Blue/White Ratio- 28:27; Two-Year Warranty): Pet Supplies for christmas. The reviews look good and its not too expensive. What do you think?

 

[jedimasterben]

If your tank is truly 48x18x24, you're more in the 75-80g range than 60g.

I would stay away from Bridgelux and Epistar (especially from Aquastyle) - their output (limited to 700ma) is dismal compared to a Cree or Luxeon LED at 1000ma. You need more LEDs and more power consumption to get the same amount of light, and it won't really end up being any cheaper.

For a basic NW/RB setup, I'd do 16x neutral white, 32x royal blue, and 8x cool blue. If you are going to use Bridgelux, to get the same amount of power, you'd need 24x neutral white, 48x royal blue, and 12x cool blue at the minimum.

Use large optics, 80-90 degree.

 

[jedimasterben]

Looks like my parents already ordered me this Amazon.com: TaoTronics TT-AL09 Dimmable Aquarium Coral Reef LED Grow Light (120W Output, Blue/White Ratio- 28:27; Two-Year Warranty): Pet Supplies for christmas. The reviews look good and its not too expensive. What do you think?

They look god-awful because of the high-kelvin whites they use. You'll lose a lot of color going with something like that versus something based on a warmer white.

EDIT: Besides, you'd need two of them.

 

[CraigG]

The new Cree XTE can be driven at 1500ma and it appears to have a linear out put of current to lumens.

 

[jedimasterben]

Not particularly. 1000ma vs 1500ma, you get about 20-30% more output and 60% or more power usage. 1000ma is the sweet spot.

 

[Hyprviperx]

good thread.... watching

 

[CraigG]

I agree that 1000ma is the sweet spot for XTE lamps. The thing I like about XTE is that you can put them on the same circuit as your xpgs as they are both 1500ma max current. My only source of white light is 8 premium xpgs. I have 126 3 watt LEDs in total though.

 

[reefstarter]

At your suggestions I had the order canceled. I could you suggest a light array (with a link) that would work for my system and not be too expensive.? 250 would be my limit, or but under 200 would be best! Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it.