LED Aesthetics: What do you really think of your color?

[Machupicchu]

anyone have any NW RB vs CW RB shots?

[DaveFason]

Working on it!

 

-Dave

[blasterman]

Quick update. I recently moved and just had time to get one of my 10gal tanks set up, which is what you're looking at. I also switched the lighting in it to three 10watt 445s and three neutrals. I also flipped it 'peninsula style' which is something I should have done long ago. Tank looks great and is my favorite config so far. I gave away all my SPS knowing I was going to be moving (losing interest/patience with the stuff anyhow), but LPS and Zoas and glowing really nice. Color, as I predicted, is a nice deep color very similiar to 20k, low wattage XMs. I should take the time and scrape back all the GSP, but it does look cool with the pumps blowing on it, and the color is downright offensive under those extreme 445s . More Zoas coming, along with some purple deaths if I can track down the darn things.

 

I still need to add some CB's to the mix, but the test rebels I ordered fizzled. Even with just a 350mA drive and 2ohm resistor they still popped due to current rush. Oh well. I'll order three CB Crees and figure out some way to limit them with current. Maybe a 9volt walwart will work and just pack resistors on until I hit that sweet spot.

 

[Miami797]

I can't wait to try the violets when nanotuners gets them in. Any idea when they will be ready to distribute?

 

This weekend I finally started testing LEDs and am pleased with pop I get with the Royal Blues. I was worried that I wouldn't notice the LEDs with my MH on, but the effect is obvious even with the MH on. The only problem I am having now is that the LEDs are much brighter than I thought they would be, so the tank is looking bluer than I would like.

 

I am using a strip of 5x Cree XR-E royal blues driven at 700 with no optics.

 

Would you guys suggest driving the XR-Es at 350 rather than 700, or should I look into a lower wattage LED? I might replace 1-2 of the RBs with some whites, but I'm sure I am still going to have to do something to lower the brightness.

[blasterman]

I'd cut them to 350mA

[evilc66]

True violets won't be in until early November.

[Hans Dorn]

True violets won't be in until early November.

400mW?

 

That sounds pretty impressive at this wavelength.

[beeker]

the layout here shows 16inches but i think ill do something more like 13 or 14.

Beeker, you dont think 6 cools would overpower the tank and get the windex look? Also, is this enough neutral?

 

Have any of you guys had success with using say a 4mm aluminum sheet as a heatsink with high fan cfm? Im trying to keep this low profile. This is my only off topic question

 

 

No i don't think they'd be too over powering at all, but unless you make the fixture and try it you will never know, and if you are unhappy with the color or think it's too blue i'm sure you could change around some of the cool blue with some of the Royals, just swap there locations and i think you'll be able to get the desired result your looking for

 

it is really all trial and error, even my setup i've switched my bulbs around atleast 5-6 times changing there positions and angles just to get the look i was going for, it takes time but the end result is worth it

[evilc66]

400mW?

 

That sounds pretty impressive at this wavelength.

 

And at only 500mA to boot.

[jfarabaugh]

I must say for a thread about aesthetics one would think that it would be flooded with pictures. I believe I have posted the most pictures so far (yes I want a medal). That was a month ago and they were just different pictures of LEDs on a white backgrounds.... something that took about 1 hour in total to do.

 

Folks on here who have builds... even half way (if they fire up) or are still experimenting with the best combo, please post some pics! Let the community see what you have even if you don’t think it is the best combo. You will more than likely help the other guy/girl out who is working on this and that is the whole purpose of this thread.

 

I guess I will pick up the slack since I am starting back into my LED project now.

 

Sorry about the rant not directed at any individual.

[Hans Dorn]

I'm waiting for an "ugliest tank" contest to post my pics

[blasterman]

I'm waiting for an "ugliest tank" contest to post my pics

 

Plenty of those in a thread right now in the DIY forum, but I won't name names (stop laughing Evil)

 

The problem I'm running into is capturing the real color of the entire tank on camera. When I shoot macro of a specific coral I'm really, really close to how it looks in person. Entire tanks shots though just don't convey the color well. Too much dynamic range.

[Mr. Microscope]

Plenty of those in a thread right now in the DIY forum, but I won't name names (stop laughing Evil)

 

The problem I'm running into is capturing the real color of the entire tank on camera. When I shoot macro of a specific coral I'm really, really close to how it looks in person. Entire tanks shots though just don't convey the color well. Too much dynamic range.

 

If you have Photoshop, I can help you adjust the images. Or you could send them to me and I can try to adjust them for you. If that is the case, we'll need to have a little back and forth to get it true to how you're seeing them, but it's doable. It literally takes me moments to adjust an image. I'm really interested in this and am willing to help. PM me.

[jfarabaugh]

Plenty of those in a thread right now in the DIY forum, but I won't name names (stop laughing Evil)

 

The problem I'm running into is capturing the real color of the entire tank on camera. When I shoot macro of a specific coral I'm really, really close to how it looks in person. Entire tanks shots though just don't convey the color well. Too much dynamic range.

 

 

I understand and have experienced that my with some of my standalone LED color pictures. What I did discover is that taking pictures of the LED light in a pitch black room with no flash and having the camera on a tripod helped a great deal on capturing what your eye is actually seeing. I noticed any other lighting besides the LED messed with the color my camera captured. The other item of interest was the difference between what I was seeing on my camera LCD versus on my color corrected Samsung LCD monitors. The monitors showed the correct color and the camera LCD was not even close especially for the cyan pictures.

 

At the end of the day even if the pictures are not 100% they can still be used as a comparison but if we can work towards that 100% via camera techniques or Photoshop that would be great.

[beeker]

I've posted plenty of pics here and on my thread of my PAR38 setup

 

but i will post some more, these are a little over a month old, my next pics will be taken by the 15th of this month

 

A few of my fav's

 

This is is a combo of Cool blue, Neutral white, Cool white and Royal blue these are in PAR38 nanocustom bulbs

 

this is with 12 bulbs over my tank, currently i have 20 though but the new pics will show that

 

 

 

 

 

enjoi

[jfarabaugh]

I've posted plenty of pics here and on my thread of my PAR38 setup

 

but i will post some more, these are a little over a month old, my next pics will be taken by the 15th of this month

 

A few of my fav's

 

This is is a combo of Cool blue, Neutral white, Cool white and Royal blue these are in PAR38 nanocustom bulbs

 

this is with 12 bulbs over my tank, currently i have 20 though but the new pics will show that

 

enjoi

 

Yes

I have seen many of your pictures and appreciate you taking the time to post them. This was more of a in general attack.

 

I really do like that combo of lights so far everything looks very nice.

[evilc66]

beeker, if I'm ever down in your area, I have to see that tank.

[beeker]

feel free to stop by evil

 

You've pretty much been the drive behind my setup and all the time and effort i've put into finding a good combo/spectrum of leds to use to gain color from my sps

 

If you could bring me some True violet and Cyan PAR38's when you stop by i'd love you long time, lol

[blasterman]

I appreciate the offer, but I've got Photoshop covered Again, this isn't a color issue, but a dynamic range issue. With really deep halides I've found it difficult to capture the violet color because the wavelength is beyond the blue filter on a digital camera, and as soon as I went to those '445's' I ran into it again.

 

Yeah, nice stuff beaker. SPS requires patience I just don't have anymore. Oh wait...I forget...'you can't grow SPS with LEDs' . Evil started all this, and I now have enough dead LEDs laying on the floor over the months to play poker with them, so we just have to blame him. I

 

Oldie but a goodie. This is what happen when you combine 1 warm-white with 4 RB's:

 

[Genj]

Oldie but a goodie. This is what happen when you combine 1 warm-white with 4 RB's:

 

 

That image doesn't look terrestrial. WTB desktop background resolution please!

[jfarabaugh]

Oldie but a goodie. This is what happen when you combine 1 warm-white with 4 RB's:

 

 

awesome

[MDreefer]

That image doesn't look terrestrial. WTB desktop background resolution please!

 

It isn't terrestrial...it is aquatic

[Genj]

well, you know what I mean! Simply put, it looks amazing.

[MDreefer]

Indeed it does. makes me start to second guess my current plans...

[blasterman]

Easy guys

 

That shroom shot is straight from camera....no adjustments. This was a fun color combo I was screwing around with and makes your tank look like Toon-Town from 'Who framed Roger Rabbit'. It's takes about 3-4 royals to offset a Cree warm-white. Even so, the tank is still on the warm/purple side, but the really cool thing is the warm-white LED doesn't cancel out the actinic effect of the RBs. The result is blazing colors, but no heavy blue cast.

 

It was fun to do, but more a science experiment into learning how different colors react on corals. For softies and LPS it makes your tank look like the night scene from 'Avatar', but it actually dulled down anything that didn't react to actinic. SPS and such looked pretty dull.