Yellowsound
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2015
- Messages
- 456
- Reaction score
- 162
- What state or country do you live in
- Massachusetts
Here’s my new T5/LED Hybrid DIY build. This is installed inside my hood, and is over
a tank that is 36” x 18” x 21”. The fixture is comprised of 2 24” dimmable LET Miro-4 T5
retrofit kits (total of 4 bulbs) and the Cobalt C-Ray 200 LED light. I built the frame out of
1x2’s, and reinforced the joints w/ galvanized steel corners. It’s strong, lightweight, and
has a fairly low profile, which was a requirement of the build. I tried to retain as much space above the unit as possible- once installed- so that there’d be enough air exchange for the lights. The exposed bolt heads that can be seen from the shot above the fixture slide into aluminum tracks that are mounted to the ‘ceiling’ of the hood. The whole fixture slides easily in and out if ever need to do any work on it.
The goal for this build was deliver the most pleasing light for viewing in the DT (assuming,
of course, that the first priority was to insure adequate light/spectrum for the corals). I’ve always loved the look of certain T5-lit tanks, but at the same time, they’ve always seemed somewhat ‘flat,’ for lack of a better description. So, I decided to put some T5s around an LED fixture that use a single point-source ‘puck' design. I originally planned on the Kessil fixture, but ultimately went w/ the Cobalt fixture (got a great deal on Black Friday : ) The Cobalt fixture definitely delivers a nice shimmer, which I love. For the T5s, I went w/ dimmable ballasts so that I’d have the flexibility to balance the strength of the T5s against the LEDs. For instance, if the T5s
are overpowering the LEDs at full strength- but delivering the right color- I’d just dim down the T5s to the desired strength and leave them there. I don’t have any intention to ramp
them up & down at the beginning and end of the photoperiod; I’ll use the LEDs for that.
I can’t really report on results yet- I just mounted the whole build last weekend. My tank is also going through an ugly phase, so it’s not much to look at just yet. I just wanted to share the build - any comments, suggestions, feedback are welcome!
a tank that is 36” x 18” x 21”. The fixture is comprised of 2 24” dimmable LET Miro-4 T5
retrofit kits (total of 4 bulbs) and the Cobalt C-Ray 200 LED light. I built the frame out of
1x2’s, and reinforced the joints w/ galvanized steel corners. It’s strong, lightweight, and
has a fairly low profile, which was a requirement of the build. I tried to retain as much space above the unit as possible- once installed- so that there’d be enough air exchange for the lights. The exposed bolt heads that can be seen from the shot above the fixture slide into aluminum tracks that are mounted to the ‘ceiling’ of the hood. The whole fixture slides easily in and out if ever need to do any work on it.
The goal for this build was deliver the most pleasing light for viewing in the DT (assuming,
of course, that the first priority was to insure adequate light/spectrum for the corals). I’ve always loved the look of certain T5-lit tanks, but at the same time, they’ve always seemed somewhat ‘flat,’ for lack of a better description. So, I decided to put some T5s around an LED fixture that use a single point-source ‘puck' design. I originally planned on the Kessil fixture, but ultimately went w/ the Cobalt fixture (got a great deal on Black Friday : ) The Cobalt fixture definitely delivers a nice shimmer, which I love. For the T5s, I went w/ dimmable ballasts so that I’d have the flexibility to balance the strength of the T5s against the LEDs. For instance, if the T5s
are overpowering the LEDs at full strength- but delivering the right color- I’d just dim down the T5s to the desired strength and leave them there. I don’t have any intention to ramp
them up & down at the beginning and end of the photoperiod; I’ll use the LEDs for that.
I can’t really report on results yet- I just mounted the whole build last weekend. My tank is also going through an ugly phase, so it’s not much to look at just yet. I just wanted to share the build - any comments, suggestions, feedback are welcome!
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