How many?

[tlsrcs]

Well if i can not find a used LED fixture i will want to do a DIY. So to all the DIYers out there how many LEDS should i put over my standard 55g? also what combinations of colors. i like the idea of adding more the just blue and white. also I dont want to brake the bank making this so chances are it will be made without crees. maybe bridgelux or chinese 3w ones. so any good links pertaining to the purchase of good priced bridgelux or chinese 3w LEDS would also be appreciated. Thanks guys

 

[that0neguy1126]

There are a lot of factor's that go into this.

What are the dimensions of the tank? What corals do you plan on stocking?

if you are mixing colors, I would add a few more to make up for the others just in case.

If it were my tank, I would probably do 36-48 LEDs

 

[tlsrcs]

48" x 13" x 21" and it will be mixed. but i want a clam and hard sps lps and a nem. so......48 is a good number i was looking at 120LED kits lol

 

[Cake_Boss]

Calculate the price, time you'll spend, and overall appearance. This led me to look at comparable Evo fixtures, not looking to dissuade you, just giving more to think about.

There are also the Apollo fixtures

 

[tlsrcs]

yea i looked at the evos....i think i want the ability to add different colors as well as being able to make two fixtures with exactly how many LEDS i need. But really its the price i think. thats why if i cant find any used ill be diy

 

[Metalsniper]

The general rule of thumb is you want to take the surface area and divide it by 16 to get the number of LEDs you want for a mixed tank. If you have a lot of SPS divide by 13 or so and if you have mostly softies divide by up to 20. For the number of LEDs the depth doesn't matter, that is covered by each LED individually, the number of LEDs is to do coverage.

 

[tlsrcs]

so im looking at about 624in as a surface area so divide that by 13 i get 48.......and i can dim those down so i do not kill anything. So what is you opinion on red and uv LEDs?? like what ratio to use....

 

[tlsrcs]

ok so i have been reading on LEDs and sounds like the biggest issue is killing corals by using to much light. So would it be better to use 1w bulbs? or maybe use 1w on the white or blue and 3 w on the rest. i will be using 2T5s on my setup as well. let me know what you guys think

 

[tlsrcs]

or how about 3w on all white RB and maybe blue then 1w on the greens red and uv.....and maybe the blue

 

[that0neguy1126]

I personally wouldn't bother with the 1w. The hobby seems to be moving away from them. the 3w and 10w are much more efficient.

 

[tlsrcs]

ok but for my sized tank(not very deep) dont you think the 10w are going to put to much par to the sand and also cause some spot lighting??

 

[that0neguy1126]

I am not sure. I haven't played around with the 10w. I would assume you could put it up pretty high on your tank so it acts more like a flood light.

 

[tlsrcs]

hhmm might be cool to play with using blue or maybe a different color. hmm ill probably go with all 3w though. I still would like suggestions on color combinations.... i think i will go with 48 LEDs total.