I've been looking to build my own LED system for my 180g freshwater non-planted (maybe plants in the future?) aquarium. I've been doing a lot of research lately and I think this would be a fun project that would really enhance the look of my fish and overall setup. I also believe that this would allow me to go to a much larger aquarium in the future should I ever decide to do that, since these will be very bright, and are extremely modular and allow for easy addition of more lighting.
I've been leaning towards a Dimmable 48 LED kit, with 18 Cool White, 18 Neutral White, and 12 Royal Blue. These would be on 4 different drivers that can handle up to 14 LEDs each (1 for Royal Blue, 1 for Cool White, 1 for Neutral White, and 1 that is mixed Cool White and Neutral White). They would connect to a controller so that each color could be dimmed to my liking and simulate sunrise/sunset/full sun. I'm thinking that two 72" x 1.8" heatsinks would make for fairly even lighting across my tank. I would probably get 4 60mm fans and have them facing down onto the fins of the heatsinks to help keep the LEDs cool and maximize their lifespan. I assume I'll have to hang this system from my ceiling. I was thinking about having one heatsink about 4" from the front of theglass, and the other heatsink about 8" from the back of the tank. I'd hang the fixture high enough to get the coverage I'm looking for, and use the optics that come with the kit (60 or 80 degrees probably) if I feel they enhance the look.
Here's where my questions begin. Where do people that don't have a canopy put the controller and drivers? Attach them to a board and screw that to the wall? I'm trying to keep it as clean looking as possible but I don't really have any ideas, and I'm worried about wiring going everywhere. (I don't have access under my stand either for anyone that's thinking that!) If anyone thinks I may have overlooked something or has some ideas I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
I've been leaning towards a Dimmable 48 LED kit, with 18 Cool White, 18 Neutral White, and 12 Royal Blue. These would be on 4 different drivers that can handle up to 14 LEDs each (1 for Royal Blue, 1 for Cool White, 1 for Neutral White, and 1 that is mixed Cool White and Neutral White). They would connect to a controller so that each color could be dimmed to my liking and simulate sunrise/sunset/full sun. I'm thinking that two 72" x 1.8" heatsinks would make for fairly even lighting across my tank. I would probably get 4 60mm fans and have them facing down onto the fins of the heatsinks to help keep the LEDs cool and maximize their lifespan. I assume I'll have to hang this system from my ceiling. I was thinking about having one heatsink about 4" from the front of theglass, and the other heatsink about 8" from the back of the tank. I'd hang the fixture high enough to get the coverage I'm looking for, and use the optics that come with the kit (60 or 80 degrees probably) if I feel they enhance the look.
Here's where my questions begin. Where do people that don't have a canopy put the controller and drivers? Attach them to a board and screw that to the wall? I'm trying to keep it as clean looking as possible but I don't really have any ideas, and I'm worried about wiring going everywhere. (I don't have access under my stand either for anyone that's thinking that!) If anyone thinks I may have overlooked something or has some ideas I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
