Budes45 Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I'm taking advice from others on other boards and going the DIY route rather than off the shelf lights, but now I just need some direction on what to purchase. I currently have two MH 250 watt over my tank and have had great results over the years but time to move to LED. If I want to keep LPS and SPS where should I start with bulb selection and how many. I was originally planning on using a layout similar to AI Hydra as a reference but is that a good idea. I want to have as much control as possible and have sunrise and set capabilities. Any help would be great I want to order this ASAP. Thanks Link to comment
Horerczy Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 How much are you looking to spend? Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 I would like to keep it under $650 Link to comment
jestep Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 I think you'll really be pushing it on that budget even DIY. Because of the length of the tank, you'll likely need 3 - 4 fixtures. Add the lighting control and intensity you're talking about and I think you're well above $1000. Link to comment
farkwar Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Maybe if you went with 3 Lumias. It should, if LEDs can at all, mimic the look of of HM that youre used to.. And it should be with in your budget. 3 Lumias $255 15 LDDs $120 1 power supply $100 3 heatsinks and fans $100 1 Controller $60 3 boards $35 Wire, stuff and odds and ends, $25 Optics and reflectors $45 375 watts or so at full power Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 If thats the case I could add two AI Hydra or Vega's or two Kessil 360W and be less than that with out having to assemble it myself and have to assume the risk of it not working correctly. I guess I need to re think the DIY if there is no savings vs. off the shelf. Link to comment
farkwar Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 DIY won't save you anything at all, not in my experience. But you will end up with a vastly superior light for the same price. The Lumia is 100 leds packed into a very small area, with 7 different colors. The Kessil is a toy in comparison, the Vega is still far behind. The Hydra52 comes closer, but its 600 bones for one unit. Its not shipping yet. What were Ben's PAR numbers for the Lumia, like 150 on the sand, 24" above the tank without optics? Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 1, 2013 Author Share Posted October 1, 2013 Good point farkwar. To put thins in perspective then how wold the Lumia's compare to my current set up of two 250 14k MH? I have been comparing replacement LED to be a slight upgrade over my current system, would this be over kill for LPS and a few SPS? Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Two Lumias with optics are probably all that you need over your tank. They should be about comparable to your 250 halides. If you don't have the center brace on your tank, you might want a third, but that's up to you. You could also go with "Evil clusters." Which are quite cheap for the power due to the using of a smaller number of larger LEDs. Link to comment
Horerczy Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Farkwar the lumia has 50 chips. I should know i have one hanging useless-ly over my biocube while i wait for my replacement power source. Still a lighting beast though. I would not be surprised if milad made a 100 chip model in the future though. Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 2, 2013 Author Share Posted October 2, 2013 How would that compare to a 250 mh? Do you have a parts list from your build? Link to comment
Horerczy Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 With a proper optic i think there would be a fair comparison between the two. Jedimasterbrn is better to ask for specifics. Build thread is in my sig. Though my build is purposely overtly complicated just because i like to complicate designs with last minute changes. It looks phenomenal when lit up. Just wish it had a little more royal blue. But them i like a bluer look than most people. Link to comment
farkwar Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 50. Got it.. my math and mind was wrong today. Ty Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 4, 2013 Author Share Posted October 4, 2013 I'm going to make the jump and got with the Lumia 5.1 for my 120. Here is my list please let me know what you think. What optics should I go with on a 24" deep tank? 50 - 80 or 80 - 110 2 - Lumia 5.1 - 100w Full Spectrum 5 Channel LED Version: Reef2 - MakersLED Designer Heatsink Kit - Professional Grade - Anodized Length: 12 1 - Makers CONTROLLER - Sunrise / Sunset controller for MakersDRIVER 6 - MakersDRIVER - Professional grade dimmable LED driver Driver 1 Current: 700mA Driver 2 Current: 700mA 2 - 250w 48v 5.2A DC Power Supply 1 - Arctic Silver Céramique 2 - 25g 1- Silicon lens / optic adhesive (high temperature) 45g If i want moon lights could the they be added with the extra driver channel and powered by the power source? Thanks again for all the help! Link to comment
Horerczy Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 You have two spare channels worth of drivers. You could use them for moonlighting and a fuge light. Honestly with a build like this I wouldn't use a makers driver for moon lights. The combination of the lumia, makers driver, and makers controller doesn't lend itself to moonlighting all that well. Mostly because of the way the makers dover does moonlighting. If you want to do that though I'd suggest a low voltage low current powers source. Like a 2 amp 24v power supply. Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 Can you elaborate on "lending itself" to moonlighting. Thanks Link to comment
Horerczy Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 The makers controller either controls all the channel ones or all the channel twos (or both) for moonlighting. Depending on how you have it setup you're looking at minimum 50 chips lighting up at night. It's not a whole lof of light but the channel selection means that there will be leds lit up that have the potential to agitate a corals circadian rythm. Of course that doesn't mean it wouldn't look good or nessesarilly hurt anything. I just prefer my moonlights to not do anything to bother corals sleep time. Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 could I just add some additional leds for moon lighting and control them and only use the Lumia for day lighting? Link to comment
Horerczy Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 As long as you're running it through a driver not connected to the makers controller so it can operate independently i don't see why not. A simple timer on a low current driver would be enough. Link to comment
farkwar Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 2 points. You're going to need a driver for each of the 10 channels. And moonlight leds are usually dim enough to run all the time, you don't need a timer for them really. Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 How many drivers would you recommend? I apologize for all the questions just new to LEDs Link to comment
farkwar Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 No need to apologize. Im going to order the rest of my parts for my build, they will ship on Monday.. Im not going to clutter Milad's forum with parts lists from other vendors, as a matter of courtesy. Each Lumia has 5 channels. You need a 700H driver for each of them. Ill be posting pics of my build, you're welcome to follow along if you like. Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Sorry I misread your post I thought your said you will not need a driver for each of the ten. I will follow along thanks! Link to comment
Budes45 Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 What led and how many would you recommend for moon lighting on this 120? Link to comment
farkwar Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 What led and how many would you recommend for moon lighting on this 120? I would just leave the blue channel set at 001 power at night setting, if I wanted moonlighting. Or the violet channel at 001 power. Heres a link to my Lumia build. Just ordered the parts. http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/330933-custom-starphire-50-short-cube-with-40-breeder-catch-all/?p=4496507 Link to comment
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