180g DIY LED Lighting

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Psylant

Fire Eel
MFK Member
May 24, 2011
1,079
5
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Canada
Well... I took the plunge. I ordered everything I'll need tonight. I can't look at my credit card bill without crying. I'll update this thread with the build and final product receive the supplies.
 
Well... I'm in Canada so I have to pay duties and brokerage fees as well once I get them since they're coming from the USA. I have no idea what that will cost, but it won't be cheap. I bought supplies from the websites of RapidLED, and Heatsinkusa.

From RapidLED:

Lens Width: 60 Degree, Driver Type: P (PWM), Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive, Wire Length: 6", LED Color Ratio: 18 Cool White 18 Neutral White 12 Royal Blue)
$385.00 USD
2x 80mm Vantec Stealth Fan Kit
$86.00 USD
AA Battery LED Tester
$2.00 USD
Arctic Alumina Thermal Adhesive
$7.00 USD
30 feet Bulk Wire (Black)
$7.50 USD
DDC-01 PWM Controller w/ remote control
$75.00 USD

HeatsinkUSA:
2x 1.813" Wide Extruded Aluminum Heatsink
(Choose Length (Inches): 72")
$97.92 USD
 
There will be two 6 foot long heatsinks, each with 24 5W LEDs on them (9 Cool white, 9 Neutral White, and 6 Royal Blue). Each heatsink will have two 80mm fans to cool them. There will be 4 drivers and a controller (WITH REMOTE CONTROL!) to allow for control of each color individually so I can get exactly the look I'm going for, as well as sunrise and sunset. I bought extra adhesive, an LED tester, and wire because I feel I might need it and better to be safe than sorry for another $16.50
 
Sounds great, but dang, that is a lot of money! Did you happen to calculate a payback with LED for life vs replacing tubes 2X a year + power savings?
 
I did not calculate the difference because it's a little tricky. The LEDs I will be creating will be on a dimmer, so energy consumption will depend on how dimmed they will be. Up to 240W + fans at max power, and I'm guessing they will probably run around 50W most of the time, and still be very bright. My emphasis isn't really on saving money (although it's a nice bonus) -- I already had Beamworks LEDs on the tank. I just wanted to create something cool, that will really make my fish colors pop and be good for pictures (more light = better pictures). Another nice bonus is that when I upgrade tanks in the future, I overbuilt these lights and they should be more than adequate for a 300g tank... and if they aren't... they're modular :)
 
What models of Led did you buy? Cree XM-L, XP-E, ect...?
 
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