LED Selection help!

[Thamastachef]

So after a two year abscence from reefing I am back. I got a steal of a deal on a bio cube 29 that has a Steve’s led kit in it. It consists of two of the parmax micro 14 up boards. My problem is that the light is half white half blue and I do not get that pop that I remember loving and it is a bit too white for my tastes.

So I guess my question is, if you were to rebuild the lighting what led combinations would you use?

 

[Reeferdood]

Well I like Ecotech so my vote would be an xr15g4p.. I know they are a bit pricey but worth every penny IMHO...
My .02

 

[Thamastachef]

Sorry I guess I should have phrased differently. I am going to redo the existing lighting and wondered what most prefer in led colors and combinations. It is a 28 led system.

 

[Reeferdood]

Sorry I guess I should have phrased differently. I am going to redo the existing lighting and wondered what most prefer in led colors and combinations. It is a 28 led system.

I understood the question, was trying to twist your arm. [emoji6]
Good luck with the rebuild...
I am sure there are some that have some good input here..

 

[Gareth elliott]

If designing your own leds. suppose you could go off a mixture of chlorophyll spectrum usage and perhaps use ecotech’s coral labs for the intensity for each wavelength. How are you blending the light?

I find the 420nm range gives the most visually pleasing pop, but thats subjective [emoji23]

https://ecotechmarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ReefWholesale_CoralLab.pdf

chart is from captive aquatics blog 2010.

 

[Thamastachef]

I understood the question, was trying to twist your arm. [emoji6]
Good luck with the rebuild...
I am sure there are some that have some good input here..

Slick like your avatar. Haha. Trust me the next build is going to be top of the line. This is my getting back into the hobby test. I do love me some ecotech, actually running two mp10s on this tank.

 

[Reeferdood]

Slick like your avatar. Haha. Trust me the next build is going to be top of the line. This is my getting back into the hobby test. I do love me some ecotech, actually running two mp10s on this tank.

Lol,
My buddy forwarded that picture to me. He thought it was fitting, I agreed. I am a white guy and I don’t smoke.. LOL
Enjoy your build and keep the forums updated on the progress..

 

[OriginalUserName]

Any idea on what kind of blues you have? You could swap out a few whites for a couple blues and/or add some UV.

This is a great write-up on different colors of LEDs and what they give you.
https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/352618-led-colors-and-what-they-are-used-for/

 

[Thamastachef]

I am going to take it apart tonight and hopefully I will be able to get an exact idea on the leds currently installed. Seems to be more regular blues and neutral whites with a couple royal blues in mix. Tank never gets that deep color and more of that windex look described in the post you just shared. I would like to possibly boost the royal blue by 2 and add a couple violets. If the whites are neutral 5k I’m sticking with those.

 

[oreo54]

Suggest going an easier route:
boards are on sale so just order a replacement board.
https://www.stevesleds.com/PARmax2-Extreme-14-up-LED-Array--Solderless_p_323.html
Be easier than SMD-ing them yourself..
Likely cost 2-4x more though than ordering seperate diodes..

Depending on the orig. whites look to be 4000k..

Problem is no violets..

Another calculator for you:
http://spectra.1023world.net/

 

[Thamastachef]

Suggest going an easier route:
boards are on sale so just order a replacement board.
https://www.stevesleds.com/PARmax2-Extreme-14-up-LED-Array--Solderless_p_323.html
Be easier than SMD-ing them yourself..
Likely cost 2-4x more though than ordering seperate diodes..

Depending on the orig. whites look to be 4000k..

Problem is no violets..

Another calculator for you:
http://spectra.1023world.net/

I have the micro parmax 14. I am going to order another one. Witha. Couple pairs of royal blues. A pair of violets. Don’t know if I should do lime or cool blue as well.

 

[Dana Riddle]

See here for some ideas:
https://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/4/corals

 

[Thamastachef]

So I decided to order another board. I ended up going with a pair of violet, two neutral white 4K, a couple cool blues, 2 limes and the remaining royal blues. Should be a good mix for growth and color. Thanks for all the help and I’ll update when I get it installed.