LED build help!

[Wankell]

So I am attempting to build an LED setup inside my Cadlight fixture, however I need some help on what type of equipment to purchase.

I know that 40 degree optics are good for my setup, however I dont know which brand LEDs to buy.

I am going off of this diagram so far -

This is for a 24x24x20 50g cube, however this diagram was listed for a 24x24x24 60g cube, im assuming it would be the same though.

 

[Dave A]

Assuming that I've guessed correctly that those are 3-ups in OCW and RB/W in 3w LEDs and violets (usually [email protected] ), I'd say it's a little over the top for your tank. It is generally claimed that you need one, 3 watt emitter for every 15 sq in of surface for tanks up to 24'' deep.. I have 70 emitters over my 90 gal and it's more than enough, they're currently at 50% but I am hoping to get them to 65-70% some day.
Lens angle is dictated by mounting height. Fourty degree optics would be correct if you plan to mount the fixture more than 20" above the water's surface.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

So I am attempting to build an LED setup inside my Cadlight fixture, however I need some help on what type of equipment to purchase.

I know that 40 degree optics are good for my setup, however I dont know which brand LEDs to buy.

I am going off of this diagram so far -

This is for a 24x24x20 50g cube, however this diagram was listed for a 24x24x24 60g cube, im assuming it would be the same though.

.

40 Degree Optics? How high do you plan on hanging the fixture?

Three Ups save soldering time... I would use a lot less Reds.

For a Reef your size I would go with 10 XT-E Cool Whites, 12 XT-E Royal Blue and 3-6 XP-E Blue

You can choose cheaper Bridgelux LEDs but they will cost more in the long run.

Bill

 

[Wankell]

It doesn't have to be the 3ups but that was the closest representation I could find without someone holding my hand! haha. I feel like such a noob on the subject...I read somewhere from that Evil guy on Nanoreef that it was good for my sized tank, what would you suggest? I do have it hung right now so I can go as high or low as I need, but right now its 9" above the water level, 20" would be much too high and I would like to keep it close to where its at now.

 

[Wankell]

.

40 Degree Optics? How high do you plan on hanging the fixture?

Three Ups save soldering time... I would use a lot less Reds.

For a Reef your size I would go with 10 XT-E Cool Whites, 12 XT-E Royal Blue and 3-6 XP-E Blue

You can choose cheaper Bridgelux LEDs but they will cost more in the long run.

Bill

I will use cree, I want to save money but not by going the cheap route, just by sourcing the parts as cheap as possible. How about for drivers? I will need 2 dimming knobs right? For acclimation and for spectrum.

 

[Pappy]

Don't forget a few green

 

[Wankell]

So based off of -

10 XT-E Cool Whites
12 XT-E Royal Blue
4 XP-E Blue

What other colors should I add?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Its personal preference. I would start with the above with two dimmable drivers so you can tweak the colour temp

The Cree XT-E Cool White is full spectrum except for the Red. Too much Red may promote nuisance algea. Most with the Radion turn this down.

Bill

 

[Dave A]

I'd skip the cool whites entirely, they are predominantly 450nm blue with just enough 510nm (green) to 600nm (orange) to give them a cold blue/white appearance. The light produced by cool white LEDs has a low CRI, meaning it looks unnatural, and many users are dissatisfied with their appearance.
Neutral or warm whites have a higher CRI and appear more natural, this is because they supply more of the visible spectrum. This includes red, and even deep red in the case of warm whites. These LEDs will produce less blue than a cool white but that is east to compensate for with the use of a couple more emitters in the blue portion of the spectrum.
Photosynthesis in corals requires adequate energy in a few portions of the spectrum. It's important to provide light in the wavelengths commonly referred to as "violet,'' ''royal blue/indigo,'' ''blue'' and ''red.'' ''Green,'' ''yellow'' and ''orange'' will make things look nice to the human eye but relatively few pigments are able to utilize these wavelengths for photosynthesis.
You should be planning to use somewhere in the neighborhood of 36 to 40 emitters for your build. I would suggest splitting that roughly into thirds, one third white, one third royal blue and up to one third "other.'' I would further split up the ''other'' category as roughly half violet, preferably in the 410-425nm range, a few blue (460-485nm) and/or cyan (485-510nm) and maybe a deep red (>640nm) or two. Green is optional as it is of little use in photosynthesis' I'd skip it because white LEDs already provide a ton of green spectrum.
As I already mentioned, warm whites supply some deep red, if you include a few warm whites you can probably skip the deep red LEDs. If you go with neutral whites you should probably add a couple deep red emitters and if you stick with cool whites you should consider adding a couple orange/reds (~600nm) as well.
Cree makes good LEDs and they are the most recognised brand in the hobby. This does not mean that they are the only good LED on the market, nor does it make them the best on the market. I've used Cree, Philips and Epi and each has it's pro's and con's. Epi makes a good violet, something Cree and Philips don't offer. The downside is that they max out at 700mA and 3.6v making them a 2.5W LED, not a full 3W emitter. For royal blue, the XT-E is a good choice, as is the Philips Luxeon. I used a combination of the two in my last build to get a broader spectrum. The Luxeon peaks at 440-450nm, the XT-E at 450-465, both are beneficial. For whites, the Luxeons are hard to beat, stick with the 5000K neutral white (85 CRI) and the 2700K warm white (95 CRI), they are the best on the market.
For your 9" height 85-90 degree optics will be fine, 60 degree will work above 10" or so. Drivers are a whole another issue. LED selection and quantity will have a lot to do with it, as will the method(s) you use to control your fixture. You mention knobs so I suspect you plan to start off dimming your LEDs manually, will there be a controller in your future?

 

[Wankell]

Appreciate the help Dave, I do have an Apex Jr. coming in soon but not sure if it can control LEDs out of the box?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Appreciate the help Dave, I do have an Apex Jr. coming in soon but not sure if it can control LEDs out of the box?

The APEX Jr will need the VDM to control 1-10vdc Drivers Like the Meanwell -48D, Inventronics or Hyperon.

 

[Wankell]

Well I ended up just buying a dimmable full spectrum 120w ebay unit for only $155, cant beat that!

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Well I ended up just buying a dimmable full spectrum 120w ebay unit for only $155, cant beat that!

Let us know the PAR Reading and the Current Draw

Bill

 

[Wankell]

PAR about 6" down from waterlevel is 500-520. Blue Channel draws 55 watts at max power, White/Red/Green/Violet/Blue channel draws 54 watts at max power.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

PAR about 6" down from waterlevel is 500-520. Blue Channel draws 55 watts at max power, White/Red/Green/Violet/Blue channel draws 54 watts at max power.

6"...

Whats the PAR at 24" and current draw with all channels???

Two Channels 109 watts total not bad if the PAR is good.

Are these 2 or 3 watt LEDs???

Bill

 

[Wankell]

6" is the top of my rock so that's what I was mostly concerned with, and my tank is only 20" deep which has 190-210 range on the sandbed.

They claim it is a 55x3w but im not sure it would go up to 165 if I measured both channels together. I borrowed a kill-a-watt meter, and didn't have the ability to hook them up to a Y splitter for both channels.

 

[Wankell]

This is with no optics btw.