Alittlefishy Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Well, after all the discussion on the different forums about the use of LED's as a light source, I took the plunge. I did not go the high current Luxeon route, but instead used 150 5 chip 100mA LED's. 100 are white, and 50 are blue. I am not advocating that this is the right way, nor is it the only way, just the way that I chose. This is the chronicle, good or bad, of my tank. Here is the link to the photo album, but I will be inserting pics along the way. http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh285/B...ddy750/AquaPod/ I posted some of the details on another post about DIY Led lighting, but was informed that it would be better if I started my own post, so here it is. Equipment AP 24...should've saved some money and just bought a normal tank. Magnum HOT canister filter Rena Heater Koralia Nano ViaAqua 180 PH DIY Skimmer box Life 27lbs Live Rock 40Lbs "Live sand" 24 snails of different types Toadstool GSP Hammer Candy Cane Goniopora Long Tentacle Plate Small Purple Tip Acro Frag. 6-Line Wrasse Pods, starfish, and worms out the yin-yang. The tank cycled for a month to ensure stability. As of today, it has had corals for about 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks, the GSP and candy cane have grown enough to visibly see. The acro frag has put out 2 new tips from the stalk and has retained it's purple tip color. The hammer had a lot of die off when I bought him, but seems to have stopped dying. Now on to the pics. First a pic of the lights. This shot has been darkened to show the lights and the pattern. And a little comparison of the Stock PC's and the New LED's This is actually a pretty even comparison of the viewable intensity. I don't have a PAR meter, so I will let the future coral growth, or decline speak for the quality of the lighting. I just bought a new camera, so the pics will get better as I figure it out. Coral Pics Plate Toadstool Candy Cane Goniopora GSP and 6-Line Acro Frag - a partial tank shot, but really shows the purple tips The obligatory FTS Well, there it is. I'll keep this post updated with new pics every week. I hope that you enjoy the pics. -Adam Link to comment
Izzue Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Looks pretty good... How much did the lighting end up costing ya?? Izzue Link to comment
lilredneckman Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Well looks and sound great! love it! Link to comment
Nick's Reef Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Pretty neat setup, I see you took out the false wall if I'm correct? Link to comment
proraptor2 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I woul also like to kno how much all the LED's cost you Link to comment
Alittlefishy Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 I got all 150 led's for $75 shipped. The project board was $3 a sheet. I did add the Silenx Fans and actually just added some 80mm fans to push room air into the LED area. I already had an Omega MML600 powersupply, so I don't know what that would've cost. Add a sheet of .125 acrylic for $6, and total was less than $100. This was supposed to be a quick easy All In One tank. I told myself, I will not tweak it. I will not mod it. I will just leave it alone. :lol: Right now, the only part that is fully stock is glass in the tank itself. I chopped the hood to pieces and put it back the way I needed it. It actually looks pretty good. I did remove the divider and pump to give me more room. I really like the LED's. They have diminished, a little, in intensity since starting them up, but are still way brighter than the PC. Generally, I think that this tank is about as deep as these LEDs should go. I moved the tank around today so that the hammer and acropora would get more direct light. The hammer was not very happy in his old spot. He is looking better tonight. Everything got mad that I moved them. Check out how small the flower pot was after I put him on the sand. I will take another pic tomorrow after things open back up. Here is the latest FTS for now: I need something to fill that space in the upper left side. Preferable something LPS or leather. It just can't move much in the current. Any suggestions? Link to comment
Hans Dorn Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'm curious to see how the 5-chip LEDs will hold up. I've ordered a bunch of them myself, but they still haven't arrived after 4 weeks Regards Hans Link to comment
Alittlefishy Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 It took about 2.5 weeks to get mine. I've used the 5 chips before in other projects and had great success. My main uses before were as mirror mounted turn signals and under-dash lighting in my last car. Link to comment
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