I think you'll find that every tape LED is made in China. We work with China a lot, and once you know what to look for, it is easy to spot.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I set mine up today, and the LEDs that I got run very very hot. It would not surprise me if they could damage a reactor, or themselves if wrapped in vinyl. I took a Vertex 2L and a 6 inch pvc. The PVC will act as a sleeve which the LEDs mount to. This will let them breath while reflecting off the white pvc as well. The downside is you cannot see how your algae is doing or when it needs pruned. Watching the flow should be able to determine that. I'm attaching what the sleeve looks like, and with the reactor installed. I am not done setting it up yet, so excuse the plumbing mess, there is football to watch.
Pretty much every LED is made in China. That doesn't mean they are all junk, there are quality manufacturers that have standard and decent bin selection, and then there are grab-bag and super cheaply produced LEDs. All the Philips Luxeon Deep Reds (and probably every other spectrum) are made in China, as are most (if not all) SemiLED chips. That doesn't mean they are junk, they are actually among the highest quality.
Anything that is really cheap is where you get into the low-end quality production facilities, or chips that don't pass quality control....they gotta sell those somewhere
Good job! Is it possible to notch out a few peep holes going up the pvc sleeve between the led's on the side facing away from the sump? Like if you take the sleeve off, measure where the biggest gaps are between the led's, mark it on the outside, and then use a small drill bit and/or dremel to make holes to see the growth?
Not to mention, it would add cooling to the chamber. It's not just the reactor that you gotta protect. You have to make sure the led's don't overheat either or they'll burn out. That's why a lot of the Amazon ones say not to run the led's on the reel. That is basically a reel in there unless you have air holes or a fan blowing air around in there. Because the pvc will just insulate the heat without any cross ventilation.
But nice job. Did you order any chaeto yet? And try to keep a fine screen or cut out a circle of coarse filter pad to put in front of the exit of the reactor so the clippings don't escape after you trim it. The clippings were the worst part when I had chaeto in my fuge. They would get everywhere, including back to the display tank.
@Josh Kraft my reactor is exactly the same with the PVC sleeve...only thing I did differently was to incorporate a fan to help with cooling.
I actually cut a hole in the side and mounted the fan to the PVC. I'll post a pic. That area has less LEDs but still the light distribution throughout is good. I think if I were to build again I may just use a bigger PVC pipe without a fan for passive airflow.How did you add a fan? Are you blowing down from the top, or up from the bottom? Hopefully up from the bottom, but I can't think of how to accomplish that easily.
How did you add a fan? Are you blowing down from the top, or up from the bottom? Hopefully up from the bottom, but I can't think of how to accomplish that easily.
Oh, you have the LEDs wrapped on the actual reactor, I used the adhesive to put them on the sleeve instead, it was actually pretty difficult.
Actually the LEDs are inside the PVC pipe not attached to the reactor. So I can take the reactor out of the sleeve for maintenance and not worry about getting the LEDs wet (even though they are waterproof)Oh, you have the LEDs wrapped on the actual reactor, I used the adhesive to put them on the sleeve instead, it was actually pretty difficult.
Nice! Sorry if I missed it but which LED's. Did ya go with?
I went with these mostly because it came with a power supply.Nice! Sorry if I missed it but which LED's. Did ya go with?
Yikes, your post ran together with with someone else's, made me think you put a sleeve over solely for reflection purposes. Yours looks nice.Actually the LEDs are inside the PVC pipe not attached to the reactor. So I can take the reactor out of the sleeve for maintenance and not worry about getting the LEDs wet (even though they are waterproof)