I need some suggestions on a 35" deep tank

msreefer · Mar 22, 2011

Ok so I have a 35" deep tank. The acrylic is 1" so that's means I will lose 2" so now I'm at
33" I plan to add about 3" of sand so now I'm at 30" of actual water depth. I would like to be able to keep clams on the sand bed. Can anyone help with suggestions on what would work. Let's use these dimensions as a example area, 36" wide (front to back) and 30" of actual water depth and 24" long area. I assume I will have to go with like a 40 degree optic
To penetrate through the 1" thick acrylic and water. Your thoughts would be appreciated.thanks

wld1783 · Mar 22, 2011

We did an optics evaluation and 60 LEDs with the 70 degree optics gave us the same PAR as a 400 watt MH

Optics Evaluation Aquarium Lighting | LED Aquarium Lighting Aquarium Lighting | LED Aquarium Lighting

For clams on the sand bed I would go with 36 Royal Blue with 24 Cool White and 12 Cool White XP-G for a high noon effect. Optics will depend on the height of the fixture but if you have the luxury of hanging your fixture at any height I would use our Carclo ripple or soft wide.

Bill

msreefer · Mar 23, 2011

Thanks for the reply. Can u tell me more about the optics

Paul_N · Mar 23, 2011

That is amazing that the 70 degree optics give you a higher par than 60. What do you think the reason for that is? According to the charts it says center+12" so does that mean you get a 24" spread with each unit?

wld1783 · Mar 24, 2011

Paul

I was surprised by the results myself I even measured twice. The Optics are the Cree Dia.20 70 and are a different design than the other more commonly available optics. Its basically a better designed lens. We should have a pic and PDF on the site within a couple of days.

I've met with and talked to reps from Carclo and LEDLink and apparently there are a lot of design considerations. The higher end optics are optimized for a specif LED. Although the dimensions of the XP-E and XP-G are the same the optics are different to maximize efficiency.

We plan on working on a comprehensive optics page next week while we are shut down a week for Spring Break and will have a bunch of info posted by the end of the week.

Bill

msreefer · Mar 25, 2011

wld1783 said:
We did an optics evaluation and 60 LEDs with the 70 degree optics gave us the same PAR as a 400 watt MH

Optics Evaluation Aquarium Lighting | LED Aquarium Lighting Aquarium Lighting | LED Aquarium Lighting

For clams on the sand bed I would go with 36 Royal Blue with 24 Cool White and 12 Cool White XP-G for a high noon effect. Optics will depend on the height of the fixture but if you have the luxury of hanging your fixture at any height I would use our Carclo ripple or soft wide.

Bill

I would be able to put the light anywhere from about 10" to 14" above the tank.

wld1783 · Mar 28, 2011

In that case our 70 would be best for the XR-E. I still have to test the LEDLink and Carclo on the XP-E but after talking to both of their sales reps each optic is specifically designed for each LED. And will be an improvement.

We did some basic testing and the carclo frosted wide improved PAR over 100% (524 was our reading vs 247) at 24" on the XR-E we plan on doing a complete analysis after spring break.

Just a note

This is an improvement at the cost of spread...Details coming based on a center and 12" side reading.

Bill

msreefer · Mar 28, 2011

Sounds great! So for a 48" long x 36" wide x 30" to 32" deep area I should use
72 Royal Blue with 48 Cool White and 24 Cool White XP-G

chadfarmer · Mar 28, 2011

wld1783 said:
In that case our 70 would be best for the XR-E. I still have to test the LEDLink and Carclo on the XP-E but after talking to both of their sales reps each optic is specifically designed for each LED. And will be an improvement.

We did some basic testing and the carclo frosted wide improved PAR over 100% (524 was our reading vs 247) at 24" on the XR-E we plan on doing a complete analysis after spring break.

Just a note

This is an improvement at the cost of spread...Details coming based on a center and 12" side reading.

Bill

bill do you have a link to those

msreefer · Apr 14, 2011

Bump?

greg0385 · Apr 14, 2011

tagging along on this one, i have a 48"x24"31"deep 150 that im seting up. would love to get leds in the near future. would have thought i would need atleast 96 leds with two clusters of tightly packed leds with 40optics in the center of two clusters with outer edges having 60-70 optics. looks like they are getting better. i want to use the dimmable drivers so i can change the lighting from 10k to 20k just by adjusting the drivers. good luck with your light setup. keep me posted and take pictures when you can.
greg

CalmSeasQuest · Apr 14, 2011

I'm not sure if this be helpful or not, but for comparison - Here's a photo with PAR measurements I took while upgrading my AIs from the SOL White (W/W/B) to SOL Blue (W/B/RB.) These are older generations containing all 40 degree optics.

Reef Breeders · Apr 14, 2011

I would go with 400 watt mh, Its a cheaper initial cost, but it youve got the money go for LEDs

btkrausen · Apr 14, 2011

I'm currently working on setting up my 200 DD, which is 27" tall, so I'm fairly close. I plan to run the DIY LED fixtures, but haven't' made a move on them yet. If I don't go that route, I'll be running my 150w halides a little closer to the water and see how it works out.

wld1783 · Apr 15, 2011

Just an update...

Still working on a comprehensive comparison article. At Reefledlights our goal was to have the most options with optics because they can play such a large role in the performance of your fixture. We will post it up once its completed!