DIY LED retrofit

fyrfytr · Jan 1, 2013

Not sure how hard this is going to be, but I want to retrofit my exhisting canopy to have LED lighting. I have an Aqueon T8 fixture that I am wanting to strip out and put the LEDs in to keep the stock/factory look to it but still have all of the benifits of LED lighting

Singlefin · Jan 1, 2013

Go for it. It's easy. Just need to find a Heatsink to fit in the fixture.

Socoreefer · Jan 1, 2013

I did the same to my coralife mh/t5 hood when it blew out, did the whole DIY 43 3w lights with drivers and controller ! Keep your fans in the hood too !

Posted in your other thread as well but in addition to fans,heat sinks can be easy, mine is aluminum channel drilled and screwed to the old heatsink mount in the hood

Troylee · Jan 1, 2013

Seems to be the new trend.. No problems with it at all just make sure your heat sink is efficant that's key to any led fixture... Less heat the better, heat kills LEDs fast.. Hth

fyrfytr · Jan 2, 2013

@singlefin you post on everything, thanks for the encouragement :)

@socoreefer thanks for the tips

@troylee I wasnt looking at a trend as much as I was that I want LED and the light hood is right there already. The hood fits well with the bowfront (it should, it came with it) so there is no reason to reinvent the wheel here. If I did a standard LED setup I would have to come up with a way to secure the fish in the tank, and with a bowfront that may not be so easy.

So it is just something as simple as taking all of the lighting guts, including the reflector, out of the fixture and just replacing them with the stuff for the LEDs? For a clean look, were would you put the drivers?

rajkovich207 · Jan 2, 2013

Get a slightly shorter heat sink and put the drivers right next to it. That's how I have mine set up in my BC hood

Singlefin · Jan 2, 2013

Haha. Sorry. There's only a couple things in this hobby I know a little about to post. This **** app on my phone makes it too easy to browse forums.

fyrfytr · Jan 2, 2013

@rajkovich thanks for the idea, hadnt thought of that. Sadly there isn't a lot of room there so I am not sure that idea would work. Any pics of your setup so I can see what you have done?

@singlefin Well I am glad that you can help me. Rest assured, once I know what the heck I am doing it will be paid forward.

fyrfytr · Jan 9, 2013

So as I look into this more I seem to get more questions. Since it sits so low to the waterline will I want optics on it, or is it the reverse, the closer to the water the more optics you want

Dave A · Jan 9, 2013

Optics focus the light so it will project further. Below 5-6" from the water you won't need optics. The higher you go, the narrower the optic. Use optics that are too narrow for the height and you end up with ''disco effect.''

fyrfytr · Jan 10, 2013

So I was right...since I am going to retrofit a T8 hood I wont need optics, and if I do I would want a wider optic

Singlefin · Jan 10, 2013

No. No optics at all.

Singlefin · Jan 10, 2013

Optics make them like a spot light instead of a flood light. You want all the colors to blend to prevent disco effect.

fyrfytr · Jan 11, 2013

So how many LEDs do I want to do here? 36gal tank, like 30 3w LEDs? 2:1 white/blue? red, greed? UV? Seems as many LED build threads I read is how many different opinions there are on this.

fyrfytr · May 5, 2013

bumping my old thread here...hoping for a spring/summer project here.

Would I be good with a heatsink here, or would I be better off for the u-channel that people have been doing and mod some fans in the top? Not looking for a TON of lights here, enough to maybe so some palys or zoas, or ricordia (sp). Something clorful and moving