Jonnywhoop Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Hey everyone, this 20L will be my first reef tank and I hope to go balls out and do it right from the get go. I want to purchase a DIY LED kit, create a fixture to hang it (ceiling or walls are not available), AC70 Fuge, with a koralia 425gph pump. I plan to purchase RapidLED DIY 24 LED Kit. http://www.rapidled.com/24-ultra-premium-led-diy-kit-with-dimmable-drivers/ 6x10 Drilled Tapped Heat Sink (should I get the "as is" product?) http://www.rapidled.com/drilled-tapped-6-x-10-black-anodized-aluminum-heat-sink/ Questions: 1) Is it necessary to purchase a fan, splashguard, or anything else to complete this setup? 2) Since I can substitute colors; what is the best color ratio to achieve a 14k-20k look? (I do not have any experience with reefs so I don't know what my "preference" is. I want to make the corals and fish pop, but give them the necessary lighting to grow.) I was thinking along the lines of: 10Blues, 8 Whites, 2 reds, 4 purple? Please correct me and offer better ratios for a 24LED kit! 3) Whats the best way to hang or mount this light? Can I use aluminum brackets to create a fixture? Should I hang it? Any links to simple methods of mounting a DIY kit? 4) How can I take full advantage of the dimming feature? I would like to have the ability to adjust my whites and blues seperately. I would also like the ability to create sunrise and sunset effects, how can I achieve this? 5) Is there anything else I should purchase from rapidLED or any other site to make this DIY build quicker and more efficient? 6) Any additional advice, comments, opinions, criticism? I appreciate any help and guidance along this build. I would like to place an order soon from rapidLED as soon as I have my questions answered. THANK YOU! EDIT I just realized I still have a 30inch PC Coralife fixture that would be perfect for the tank. Is there anyway to gut this out and put the LEDs in here which would eliminate any need for a fixture? Link to comment
Horerczy Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Gut it get a heatsink from heatsink usa. Buy some fans and power supply eBay will do nicely here. Choose your leds more care fully than a premade kit though. At least get a custom led selection. Use the splash guard from the fixture if able. Salt creep is an leds worst enemy apart from heat. Get a good thermal paste a well. Link to comment
frankdontsurf Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Is there a reason you're going with RapidLED? Its a great company, great quality. There are a lot of nice led solutions that don't require you to build it all yourself. Its hard to get a clean look when you're rigging things up yourself - that's my personal experience. I DIY'd everything my first tank. I can't wait to upgrade and buy nice shiz though lol. Link to comment
Jonnywhoop Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Gut it get a heatsink from heatsink usa. Buy some fans and power supply eBay will do nicely here. Choose your leds more care fully than a premade kit though. At least get a custom led selection. Use the splash guard from the fixture if able. Salt creep is an leds worst enemy apart from heat. Get a good thermal paste a well. Sounds good. Recommendations on the Powersupply? As for the LED's, how many should I get for a 30 inch PC fixture? Color ratio? There is a splash guard on the tank so that isnt a problem. Lastly, recommedation for thermal paste? Thank you! Is there a reason you're going with RapidLED? Its a great company, great quality. There are a lot of nice led solutions that don't require you to build it all yourself. Its hard to get a clean look when you're rigging things up yourself - that's my personal experience. I DIY'd everything my first tank. I can't wait to upgrade and buy nice shiz though lol. ^ I wouldnt mind buying a nice fixture for my tank. but I don't see many options that wow me. theres always ONE or TWO things thats wrong.. ie: overly expensive, spotlight effects, couple inches too long, etc. I would love to get that MaxSpect R420R. I have no idea for what reason. Probably because its just badass looking Link to comment
Horerczy Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 An appropriately size meanwell hlg power supply is the best option combined with meanwell ldd drivers. Specifics for those can be chosen when you have a specific choice of leds. Arctic silver is the choice for me but there's plenty of other choices that are good and cheaper. Link to comment
Jonnywhoop Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 I was looking at heatsinkUSA, what size heat sink would i need? I don't really understand all the product numbers. Also, how do I go about attaching the heatsink to the fixture? Any color ratio? How many LED's should I get on this fixture to be able to eventually do SPS, clams, and anenomes? 2 fans for each side? Link to comment
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