Need advice on new DIY LED for a 400G tank.

[Mr_Stian]

I have recently finished my 400G plywood aquarium (see link to the left). For this i had a DIY led fixture laying around. it consists of 3 heatsinks of 20"x6" in one long fixture. so 60"x6". This is powered by 7 Meanwell 60D-48 drivers. Not sure about the total number of LEDs and the colour match of these. But I think this light is not big enough. So i want to build a new one. Since everything else on the tank is DIY i want to do the DIY on the light as well.

In stead of having one long lamp, i would like to split it up and have several 20"x6" fixtures so that it covers more of the aquarium. Maybe even doubling it.

Since it is quite some time since i have built my own LED light i would like to get some input. I guess the world has moved forward since the last time i built. Last time i used the ledgroupbuy CREE Lumia 5.2 chips. This was probably 5 years ago, and i see that there has not been issued a 5.3 version. Is this still OK to use? I was quite pleased with the last one i bult. Alot easier to have one big chip instead of using single led's.

Is there anyone that can point me in the right direction? There is alot to read out there, and my time is limited at the moment, so if someone could show me some setups that has been successful it would be much appreciated.

The tank has the outer measures of 225x85x90cm WxDxH.

 

[Mr_Stian]

Is there anybody here that still do DIY LED lights that can point me in the right direction?

 

[oreo54]

That's a huge tank w/ very demanding dimensions..
It would be hard to find 1) Someone w/ that kind of DIY experience
2) hard to save any money

 

[lpsouth1978]

I built a DIY LED fixture a few years back for a 300DD. It weighed almost 100lbs and had 396 LED's on it. It took weeks of planning, weeks of building, and cost just as much as purchasing new LED fixtures. If I was to do it again, I would go with MH pendants and T5 for supplemental blues if needed.

 

[oreo54]

Or a boatload of these..

VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control 2pcs 165W LED Aquarium Light For Coral Reef Fish Tank 640206933377 | eBay

Timer 165W Led Aquarium Light Specifications: - Dimension:15.8x8.3x2.4 inches - Weight: 6.8 lbs - One light is ideal for 24x24x24” tank - Max Coverage at 8" Height: 30x24” - Core Coverage at 8" Height: 24x24” - LED Quantity: 55pcs 3W LEDs - Channel one: Violet/Indigo(420nm), Royal Blue(450nm)...

www.ebay.com

NOTE they FINALLY list real wattage..
"we" won!!!

Actual Power Consumption::

105W±3%

 

[oreo54]

These wouldn't be too hared to emulate..

Amazonas 320 Aquarium LED Lighting • Orphek

Orphek Amazonas 320 LED Light Fixtures are developed specifically for public aquariums and other venues displaying reef or freshwater aquariums.

orphek.com

Using a more stripped down spectrum...starting w/ this

Citizen Royal Blue COB CLU048-1212CF-B455

Affordable LED Lighting for Growers and Makers. Build your own high quality LED lights using name brand parts at an affordable price. Minimal knowledge required, let us show you how!

www.rapidled.com

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

These wouldn't be too hared to emulate..

Amazonas 320 Aquarium LED Lighting • Orphek

Orphek Amazonas 320 LED Light Fixtures are developed specifically for public aquariums and other venues displaying reef or freshwater aquariums.

orphek.com

Using a more stripped down spectrum...starting w/ this

Citizen Royal Blue COB CLU048-1212CF-B455

Affordable LED Lighting for Growers and Makers. Build your own high quality LED lights using name brand parts at an affordable price. Minimal knowledge required, let us show you how!

www.rapidled.com

That and/or K16. They're absolutely dirt cheap for a quality LED array. But man, that a big tank lol.

 

[oreo54]

That and/or K16. They're absolutely dirt cheap for a quality LED array. But man, that a big tank lol.

O/T sorry op..
wonder whatever happened to the Russians???

For saltwater tank

reefll.com

They had some cool tech..

Aquarium Lighting: Building a LED Fixture: How We Did It

Last year, Dmitry Karpenko and Vahe Ganapetyan explored the science of light in the reef aquaria. They apply their previous work in this new paper explaining the theory and process of building a DIY LED fixture.

www.advancedaquarist.com

to the o/p
Use the calculator..

Component selection Wizard

reefll.com

 

[Mr_Stian]

Or a boatload of these..

VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control 2pcs 165W LED Aquarium Light For Coral Reef Fish Tank 640206933377 | eBay

Timer 165W Led Aquarium Light Specifications: - Dimension:15.8x8.3x2.4 inches - Weight: 6.8 lbs - One light is ideal for 24x24x24” tank - Max Coverage at 8" Height: 30x24” - Core Coverage at 8" Height: 24x24” - LED Quantity: 55pcs 3W LEDs - Channel one: Violet/Indigo(420nm), Royal Blue(450nm)...

www.ebay.com

I have actually been considering these. Maybe buying 6 of these. It seems to be the cheapest option.

I have been reading alot the last few days and it seems like it is not worth doing the DIY stuff on lights anymore...

 

[oreo54]

It depends.. Sometimes one can build a more err.. "efficient" light (be it a preferred spectrum or power factor) than one can get off the shelf..as to $'s well that depends..

As to the bb's I can't see less than 12...

Roughly 1200W... You have depth and spread to contend with.

Consider this just "theoretical "advice but I'm sure others could confirm..
I normally don't get involved w/ "what light to buy" (not my area) just what tech is capable of..
So consider this just an outsiders opinion..

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

For that size tank you should really look into the MH and t5 recommendation above. Especially if you are from Norway where I expect you will be spending a substantial amount of money to heat your tank. Three 250 watt halides and some T5's would work wonders for a 400.

 

[oreo54]

For that size tank you should really look into the MH and t5 recommendation above. Especially if you are from Norway where I expect you will be spending a substantial amount of money to heat your tank. Three 250 watt halides and some T5's would work wonders for a 400.

Support.. Slightly shallower tank. 1190-ish Watts of light..

I'm using 3 250w MH in Lumenbright reflectors supplemented by 4 lines of T5s and couple of LEDs between the halides just for actinic and moonlights... Tank is 88x34x30 and I have SPS (monties scrolling and encrusting ) growing fine on the sand bed.
Believe you're fine with the halides and the added T5s will allow you to tweak your colors to your liking.

Lighting a 6ft, 30in deep tank ?

This question is for a 225g 72"X30"X24" tank. What would be the best way to light this enough to where I could keep SPS corals from at least middle to slightly lower than middle of the tank? I have acquired an OLD Current USA 6' 3X 250w MH and 4 X 96w PC fixture. I was thinking that i could...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Mr_Stian]

For that size tank you should really look into the MH and t5 recommendation above. Especially if you are from Norway where I expect you will be spending a substantial amount of money to heat your tank. Three 250 watt halides and some T5's would work wonders for a 400.

The problem is that I dont know of any store in Norway that sells MH fixtures or bulbs! I might get some used MH Fixtures, but i have no experience with this, since i have only ever used LED`s. So do anyone have any good online references for MH? What kind of bulbs and reflectors do i need etc?

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

The marijuana growers in your country have all the MH gear. Do not buy a magnetic ballast. They degrade over time and are less efficient. I am pretty sure you can find a good deal on a used digital ballast. There are basically 3 kinds on the market.. 400,600,and 1,000 watt. Many of which are selectable. I use 400 watt ballasts that push 300 watts on low power mode which is perfect for 250 radium bulbs.

You are going to want the smallest hood you can find as reflectors for growing typically throw a wide angle light. The super sun II but sunlight supply is a good one. What are the dimensions of your tank again? I am going to set up my hood and do some PAR readings. I am looking for 4x4 coverage.

Mh fixtures are ugly however.. unless you get a gesieman or something.

 

[Mr_Stian]

It looks like MH are out of the question. There seems to be no-one here that uses this kind of light anymore. The bulbs are super expensive and hard to get.

I think i am going to try the Viparspectra lamps. They are manual lamps (No wifi) and are effective 100+ watts each. The light i have today are controlled by my smarthouse system and it shows that it is only generating 300 watts! I moved the light slightly so that i could put up one of my CTLite G4 lamps (which i really like, but they are not to be found anymore) to see how this works over one of my montipora that is loosing color. This lamp uses 100 watts and i have had success with this lamp over this coral earlier. I will give it a few weeks and if this light works i will get 6 of the Viparspectra lamps and see. The DT will not consist of only SPS corals so in the beginning I think this will work.

Edit: Apperance of the light is not that important as it is not visable from the front of the tank.

 

[oreo54]

Norway doesn't like mercury..

 

[oreo54]

Current eek bay pricing:
$109.68 controllable. Crude but hey why not. Not sure if max intensity can be set and it's def. on/off AFAICT

Built-in-Digital-Timer System to control two channels separately
- Remote control available
Apex does not currently support this product.
- Can not program sunrise, sunset and moonlight.
- Can not be daisy chained.
- Does not have a shimmering/ storm effects mode setting.
- One operation can not setup two lights. You would have to setup each unit separately.

VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control 165W LED Aquarium Light For Coral Reef Grow Fish Tank 640206933377 | eBay

Timer 165W led aquarium light Specifications: - Dimension:15.8x8.3x2.4 inches - Weight: 6.8 lbs - One light is ideal for 24x24x24” tank - Max Coverage at 8" Height: 30x24” - Core Coverage at 8" Height: 24x24” - LED Quantity: 55pcs 3W LEDs - Channel one: Violet/Indigo(420nm), Royal Blue(450nm)...

www.ebay.com

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Current eek bay pricing:
$109.68 controllable. Crude but hey why not. Not sure if max intensity can be set and it's def. on/off AFAICT

Built-in-Digital-Timer System to control two channels separately
- Remote control available
Apex does not currently support this product.
- Can not program sunrise, sunset and moonlight.
- Can not be daisy chained.
- Does not have a shimmering/ storm effects mode setting.
- One operation can not setup two lights. You would have to setup each unit separately.

VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control 165W LED Aquarium Light For Coral Reef Grow Fish Tank 640206933377 | eBay

Timer 165W led aquarium light Specifications: - Dimension:15.8x8.3x2.4 inches - Weight: 6.8 lbs - One light is ideal for 24x24x24” tank - Max Coverage at 8" Height: 30x24” - Core Coverage at 8" Height: 24x24” - LED Quantity: 55pcs 3W LEDs - Channel one: Violet/Indigo(420nm), Royal Blue(450nm)...

www.ebay.com

Not sure if OP has a controller, however these lights can be modified for 0-10 pwm and can be modded to work with an apex.

 

[oreo54]

Hmmm not sure about these models. Have you see the innards yet?

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

Hmmm not sure about these models. Have you see the innards yet?

I've got a viparspectra that I've moded to work with ReefPi. The insides were almost identical to the ones in the above YouTube video. The dimming circuit was wired slightly different but the same general idea.