*DIY led fixture ADVICE*

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THE serrasalmus rhom
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Nov 3, 2011
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Been looking and comparing led aquarium plant fixtures and they are obviously inflated in price!

So I've decided to just make my own, I can get a 48watt 10' roll of leds and buy some aluminum and go that route, but I stumbled across this recessed lighting meant for homes!

This light can sway once mounted 30° making adjusting easy!
uploadfromtaptalk1392401952237.jpguploadfromtaptalk1392401971948.jpg

Specs are:
6000k
80cri
500lm
12x 1watt leds
All Aluminum (non corrosive)
Driver included
120volts

So at 20$ per unit I was thinking 4-5 of these would be perfect! I would essentially buy a flat piece of oak wood -32"x16"- and cut 4.5-5" diameter holes where I want the lights mounted then making a sort of box with vent holes to avoid moisture, then attach the drivers possibly on the back of the tank for adequate cooling even though I have a high power fan blowing air into my canopy which will help the longevity of the leds. I've done a lot of DIY in this hobby so this doesn't seem to be a big challenge.

Was wondering for a high tech, injected co2 tank if this is sufficient light! Also the light specs seem ok to me and 48-60watts of led is pretty high powered so I will like mount a dimmer on the canopy to dial it in. Was thinking of possibly using a ramp timer or buy a similar 3500k fixture @ 7 Watts to come on before the mains to act as a sunrise and not shock my fish with 60watts of led at once.

If you guys with experience think these fixtures are suitable for plants then im going to give it a shot and document this build because leds them self aren't that expensive and I'm sick of seeing the ridiculous price for pre built planted led fixtures, almost paying 30-50% more just because of different led spectrum isn't cool..

A 100$ 60watt led fixture is almost 2x cheaper then those I see online meant for aquariums!

Thanks.


×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title×
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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
 

joe jaskot

Dovii
MFK Member
Sep 16, 2011
3,864
390
107
Clifton, NJ
Have you looked into E27 LED grow light bulbs that just screw into a regular light fixture socket? Might be much cheaper to use.
 

A_K_Kicker

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 25, 2013
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KC, MO
The ability to rotate the led is a feature I would love to have.

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LS2012

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Feb 24, 2013
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Northern NJ
This will be an interesting project. I'm really curious to see your results. Have you taken a look at the buildmyled.com website/forum?

Btw, Does your mind ever rest? :)

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THE serrasalmus rhom
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2011
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Have you looked into E27 LED grow light bulbs that just screw into a regular light fixture socket? Might be much cheaper to use.
No I haven't but I've had leds bulbs in my house for room lighting and for some reason the ones that screw into the bulb sockets always crap out between 8-12 months, probably because the driver is in the fixture and it is cheap? Only used to brands tho.

The ability to rotate the led is a feature I would love to have.

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Yea that's 1 feature I like a lot!

This will be an interesting project. I'm really curious to see your results. Have you taken a look at the buildmyled.com website/forum?

Btw, Does your mind ever rest? :)

Sent from my Nexus 10 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Yea I've seen some of their stuff but it still isn't as cheap as it should be, plus the wiring/mounting etc is half the fun :)

Only when the puppy is asleep, my cats not begging me for food, the girlfriend is at school and my WC are all done does my mind find some rest but then I think of making things more efficient! BTW happy V-Day LS, hope you get some more bling ;P

I think I shall do this

So the led specs look decent for a high tech tank? I wish the cri was 90 but 80 isn't bad.


×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
 

LS2012

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Feb 24, 2013
782
3
33
Northern NJ
BTW happy V-Day LS, hope you get some more bling ;P
Thank you! You too :D and happy first V-day to Emma, who is one lucky little puppy.
A girl can never have too much bling ~ hope yours didn't see my ring or else you're in big, big trouble!
 

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THE serrasalmus rhom
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2011
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INDY
Thank you! You too :D and happy first V-day to Emma, who is one lucky little puppy.
A girl can never have too much bling ~ hope yours didn't see my ring or else you're in big, big trouble!
Haha she has actually bugged me about it a few times recently but that's after a few drinks... we will see how we raise our puppy together and that should give me a good realistic vision on a possible hitch! She's enduring her clinicals ATM for nursing school so I guess I'm lucky i got a smart and honest woman, those are hard to find! 4.5 years is a looooong time to put into a relationship but until she's done with school next winter I wont make any rash decisions


×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
 

LS2012

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Feb 24, 2013
782
3
33
Northern NJ
Haha she has actually bugged me about it a few times recently but that's after a few drinks... we will see how we raise our puppy together and that should give me a good realistic vision on a possible hitch! She's enduring her clinicals ATM for nursing school so I guess I'm lucky i got a smart and honest woman, those are hard to find! 4.5 years is a looooong time to put into a relationship but until she's done with school next winter I wont make any rash decisions


×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
Sounds to me like you realize what you have and your decision is already made.... Its just a matter of timing ;);)

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coonass

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 8, 2011
57
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Lake Worth, FL
6000K is going to be very blue. I think you will be disappointed with the color rendition from using only those LEDs. LEDs have very sharp peaks in their spectral output. The great thing about building your own is that you can get a more even spectrum by mixing in different color LEDs. I had to mix four different colors of LED (2700K, 5000K, 5650K, 6500K) to get the spectrum right on my tank.

I also wanted to control the lighting automatically with an Arduino to simulate sunrise and sunset. If you want automated dimming, it might be best to use drivers that accept a PWM signal.

Check out Steve's LEDs. You can order pre-assembled fixtures from them or get all of the components separately and assemble it yourself. Their drivers are designed to work with the 3 volt PWM signal from an Arduino and they use 3 watt Philips Luxeon LEDs. They also use square aluminum tubing for heat sinks instead of expensive finned heat sinks.

Here is my canopy with parts from Steve's LEDs.

LED canopy.jpg

LED canopy.jpg
 
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