Rapid LEDs ??

[Justin_Luke]

So i have a 5.5 gallon nano tank and i was looking at doing a diy led fixture. I was thinking i would use the plug and play system by rapidled.com, but i have a few questions first.
1.These are the leds i was thinking about using, do these leds grow corals and coraline algea?
Solderless CREE XP-G Cool White LED - Rapid LED
Solderless CREE XP-E Royal Blue LED - Rapid LED

2. Are they good quality leds?
3. has anyone had any bad experience with these?
4. What driver would i need to get for these, it would be probably 5 leds
5. Are there any cheaper leds that are just as good?
Thank you for your advise!

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

Tose are probably the best leds you can get, I would use the cree XP-E whites, the XP-Gs are more for high noon lighting. you can try this kit, these guys also sell smaller heat sinks: 12 Cree XP-E SolderLess Kit « Catalog Products « Shop « « ReefLEDLights | LED Aquarium Lighting ReefLEDLights | LED Aquarium Lighting

 

[Noahp]

Rapid led uses cree leds which are very high quality. Rapid led sells meanwell drivers which can either be dimmable or constant current. You would only need one driver for 5 leds. There are cheaper leds out there but for the price and ease rapid led might be worth it. Look into bridgelux for cheaper leds althought there would be more diy involved with them.

 

[kirsten]

Rapid led uses cree leds which are very high quality. Rapid led sells meanwell drivers which can either be dimmable or constant current. You would only need one driver for 5 leds. There are cheaper leds out there but for the price and ease rapid led might be worth it. Look into bridgelux for cheaper leds althought there would be more diy involved with them.

Rapid led uses cree leds ? Customer server of lighting ever (LED Lights, LED Bulbs, LED Flashlights - Lighting EVER) told me that CREE LEDs are not the best choice for LED strips , they are not good at SMD LEDs .

 

[Noahp]

When it comes to high power 3 watt leds the cree leds are pretty high class. I have no experience with led strips but I dout those are powerful like the cree. This little diodes puts out a ton of light.

 

[lucky_snapper]

I am a new guy here at Reef2Reef but I currently have a 210 reef tank and I am using 120 Cree LED's. I have 72 Royal Blue, 36 White, and 12 Ultra Violet for night Attinics. I power everything with 3 drivers, Meanwell HLG-240-48b for the blues and HLG-185-48b for the whites and then just a little LP-35-700 for the attinics. I bought everything from Rapid LED and can tell you that they are a great company to deal with. I believe that Cree are probably the best LED for the money on the market. They give the best lumen per watt and at a very cost effective price point. 3.50 for 3watt royal blues and $4.50 for whites is not bad especially when you only need 5 LED's. With that setup you might get away with the cheapest LED build I have ever seen and use 2 royal blues and 1 white and only need one driver for all. Good luck with your build and welcome to the wonderful world of LED's.

 

[Justin_Luke]

Wow thats an awesome led set up! You think I only need 1 white led and 2 blues? Im new to leds so if thats what you recommend i believe it.
I have a rectangle tank, not a cube. What lenses should i get? 40, 60, or 80 degree? Thanks!

 

[lucky_snapper]

I would buy 2 white and 4 royal blue and one 1 UV to use as an attinic. Then you will have to decide if you want to dim them or not. I recommend that you do. If so you will need to buy 2 dimable drivers and one LP30-700 non dimable drive. It really all depends on your budget.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

I would buy 2 white and 4 royal blue and one 1 UV to use as an attinic. Then you will have to decide if you want to dim them or not. I recommend that you do. If so you will need to buy 2 dimable drivers and one LP30-700 non dimable drive. It really all depends on your budget.

Drivers have a minimum amount of LEDs required to function use the information we have here. Driver FAQ’s « « ReefLEDLights | LED Aquarium Lighting ReefLEDLights | LED Aquarium Lighting
I agree about having dimmable so you can control your color balance and intensity.

Regardless of where people buy their stuff from we always end up fixing mis information so I figured I might as well supply the right info the first time around.

 

[Justin_Luke]

i was really hoping to spend less than $90

 

[lucky_snapper]

This set up uses one dimable driver for all LEDs.. not the best choice in my opinion but fits your budget..

Rapid LED Pricing

4 Royal Blue X-RE LED w/ optics $16
1 cool X-PG white LED w/optics $5.5
1 neutral white X-PG LED w/ optics $5.5
1 4.25x4 heat sink $6.00
1 cooling fan $5.00
1 ELN 60-27d driver 34.00
1 thermal adhesive 7.00
1 power cord for driver 3.00

Grand total $85.20

 

[lucky_snapper]

Drivers have a minimum amount of LEDs required to function use the information we have here. Driver FAQ’s « « ReefLEDLights | LED Aquarium Lighting ReefLEDLights | LED Aquarium Lighting
I agree about having dimmable so you can control your color balance and intensity.

Regardless of where people buy their stuff from we always end up fixing mis information so I figured I might as well supply the right info the first time around.

You are absolutely correct !! I am sorry I was in a rush this morning when I sent this response and did not take that into account... I have used a lp-30-700 to test strings leds but come to think of it I never did just one at a time.. Sorry for my mistake.. only best intentions in mind.