LED Lighting Question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
You can buy aluminum heat sinks, and depending on how many leds you use perhaps add one red and one green. Are you going to go all 60* optics or a mixture?
 
Also im not completely sure how long the Radion will be around seeing as though they dont have an agreement with Orbitec
 
You can buy aluminum heat sinks, and depending on how many leds you use perhaps add one red and one green. Are you going to go all 60* optics or a mixture?

I was thinking 70° or 80° optics for the most part with maybe a few tighter ones in the center unless they should be more focused than that throughout the layout; I'm worried about burning the corals because of how bright these things will be which is why I was thinking of sticking to wider angles.

Also im not completely sure how long the Radion will be around seeing as though they dont have an agreement with Orbitec

Good to know; I guess I'll get their specs downloaded for use in case they disappear due to patent issues.
 
depending on the depth of the tank your looking to light 60* are a good mixture of spread to penetration power. but if you want max spread without using many LEDs 80* would work but your tank couldnt be very deep. you dont have to worry about burning corals if you install dimmers and run a controller like apex. than you can have lightning shows and sun rises and stuff to
 
depending on the depth of the tank your looking to light 60* are a good mixture of spread to penetration power. but if you want max spread without using many LEDs 80* would work but your tank couldnt be very deep. you dont have to worry about burning corals if you install dimmers and run a controller like apex. than you can have lightning shows and sun rises and stuff to

I'm going to be using a standard 10 gallon aquarium for this build, so this definitely isn't a deep aquarium. Maybe I'm better off going with tighter optics in the center for the high light corals, and wider optics on the edges for low light corals?

I was looking at the Apex Jr. for this application. Do you think that it would work for my planned setup? I definitely like the idea of the cool effects that can be done with a controller plus the level of control that's offered.
 
ya was going to suggest the apex Jr. And ya you could do 40s at the center of the fixture and 60s on the edges. id put the 40s on their own dimmer though as you will want them running lower than the 60s. The new AI Phoenix only has 60* optics and it will still grow high light SPS corals in tanks under 2' in depth. Just something to think about
 
ya was going to suggest the apex Jr. And ya you could do 40s at the center of the fixture and 60s on the edges. id put the 40s on their own dimmer though as you will want them running lower than the 60s. The new AI Phoenix only has 60* optics and it will still grow high light SPS corals in tanks under 2' in depth. Just something to think about

It's also supposed to be $499... Might just get a Nano (dropping to $299 once the Phoenix comes out) and then make something for the other parts of the spectrum (red & green) if I don't got full on DIY LED.
 
nanos are 299.99 right now. and can have one shipped to your door right now.
 
Just an update on this project: I'm thinking of doing a custom 5 gallon rimless aquarium (or something else with a small footprint and large height) instead of a standard 10 gallon or 15 gallon column (neither fit where I wanted to put it), so I'm probably going to use fewer LEDs than originally planned unless there are other things that I'm missing.
 
I'm getting ready to order stuff over the next few days, so I'm bumping up this thread.

As of now, I'm thinking of going with something under 10 gallons due to space constraints for my stand (12" x 18" on top). I am thinking of sticking with zoanthids (specifically Zoanthus) for now, but I might add some other softies and LPS in the future. I was looking at the different PAR 38 bulbs that are out there, but they appear to be too powerful for an aquarium of this size.

Any suggestions as to what I can do as far as LED lighting goes?
 
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