DIY LED Lighting Fixture
- Thread starter keno
- Start date
My 55 gallon has been re-scaped a number of times, so that any updated pictures are not relevant to the original images. Also in the next few weeks I am going to be swapping out my 55 gallon for a 75 gallon.
Since I built my first LED Light, I have built 3 others; 2 for my 200 galloon using the CREE xp-g R5's. For the fixtures over my 200 gallon I used 28 of the xp-g R5's in each fixture. There are two LED circuits per fixture. (I will show some images of that aquarium below). I also just finished last week a small fixture for my 34 gallon nano cube aquarium. It is also planted freshwater aquarium and I used 14 of the CREE xp-g R5's.
For my new 75 gallon aquarium, I have ordered some of the newest CREE xm-l T6 LED's. I am hoping to have the T6 LED's by the end of the year. The T6 LED's can handle up to 3 amps of current which is twice the level of the xp-g R5's. The lumen output of the T6's at this current level is 1000. I did need to order a new type of LED PS that can output the 3 amps for the LED's.
Back to my 200 gallon. I started this aquarium at the end of June. Since then I have to remove some of the crypts and B. Japonica. I had also grown a Taiwan Moss wall in the aquarium and have since removed it. It looked nice, but the fish liked to pick at it and pull pieces of the moss out. I was constantly removing small amounts of the moss that would settle to the bottom. I also removed the wood that I had in the aquarium. I wanted to have more planting space, plus the wood was leaching too many tannins into the water. I did boil the wood prior to putting it in the aquarium, but after several months it was time for the wood to go.
This first picture was taken right after I planted the aquarium.
The next image was taken about 1.5 months after the first.
The next image shows a stem of B. Japonica that was planted right in front of the left wood piece.
The next image shows the same B. Japonica after 3 months. The wood has been removed.
I don't have a full aquarium image, but this next image shows the right side of the aquarium, and this one was taken at the same time as image of the B. Japonica. If you go back to the first image you can't see the Red Rubin Sword in the back right section of the aquarium. In the following images you can start to see it. Now that the moss has been removed, the Red Rubin Sword is growing and spreading nicely.
This aquarium as well as my 55 gallon are doing great with the LED lights.
Since I built my first LED Light, I have built 3 others; 2 for my 200 galloon using the CREE xp-g R5's. For the fixtures over my 200 gallon I used 28 of the xp-g R5's in each fixture. There are two LED circuits per fixture. (I will show some images of that aquarium below). I also just finished last week a small fixture for my 34 gallon nano cube aquarium. It is also planted freshwater aquarium and I used 14 of the CREE xp-g R5's.
For my new 75 gallon aquarium, I have ordered some of the newest CREE xm-l T6 LED's. I am hoping to have the T6 LED's by the end of the year. The T6 LED's can handle up to 3 amps of current which is twice the level of the xp-g R5's. The lumen output of the T6's at this current level is 1000. I did need to order a new type of LED PS that can output the 3 amps for the LED's.
Back to my 200 gallon. I started this aquarium at the end of June. Since then I have to remove some of the crypts and B. Japonica. I had also grown a Taiwan Moss wall in the aquarium and have since removed it. It looked nice, but the fish liked to pick at it and pull pieces of the moss out. I was constantly removing small amounts of the moss that would settle to the bottom. I also removed the wood that I had in the aquarium. I wanted to have more planting space, plus the wood was leaching too many tannins into the water. I did boil the wood prior to putting it in the aquarium, but after several months it was time for the wood to go.
This first picture was taken right after I planted the aquarium.
The next image was taken about 1.5 months after the first.
The next image shows a stem of B. Japonica that was planted right in front of the left wood piece.
The next image shows the same B. Japonica after 3 months. The wood has been removed.
I don't have a full aquarium image, but this next image shows the right side of the aquarium, and this one was taken at the same time as image of the B. Japonica. If you go back to the first image you can't see the Red Rubin Sword in the back right section of the aquarium. In the following images you can start to see it. Now that the moss has been removed, the Red Rubin Sword is growing and spreading nicely.
This aquarium as well as my 55 gallon are doing great with the LED lights.
Hi,
Just joined the forum today and am looking for information on making my own LED system for a 65 gal tank with a 20 gal extra high planted tank. The tanks are right next to each other and they are both 24" deep. The 65 gal tank will not be planted, but I'd like to have a lunar light effect and a gradual fade-in and fade-out control. The 20 gal tank has nothing in it now but I intend for it to be planted and for it to function as a planted fresh water refugium for the main tank. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Just joined the forum today and am looking for information on making my own LED system for a 65 gal tank with a 20 gal extra high planted tank. The tanks are right next to each other and they are both 24" deep. The 65 gal tank will not be planted, but I'd like to have a lunar light effect and a gradual fade-in and fade-out control. The 20 gal tank has nothing in it now but I intend for it to be planted and for it to function as a planted fresh water refugium for the main tank. Any advice is greatly appreciated!
I am running them at 1.5amps per the CREE spec document that updated the current to the 1.5 amp level. Started adding some stem type plants. I will need to take some additional images to show them. They seem to like the high light levels and are doing well.
Dear Keno,
I'am a newbie. I commented on your blog concerning led ligthing. Perhaps you did not see it. I 'am in the process of building my new plywood aquarium. It wil be a planted aquarium Amano-style (nature aquarium). So an aquarium with a lot of plants that need a lot of light.
The aquarium will be 120cm*50cm*60cm (60cm width and 50cm hight). I estimate that the space between leds and deepest place on the soil will be around 57 cm. What amount of led's do I need what type of led's (including color) is your advise. Do you have a electrical schema of how putting everything together and if possible a list of parts needed (incl. power supply). What is the distance between the leds on the fixture. I will maken the fixture my own. The fixture will cover the top of the aquarium.
Awaiting your appreciating reaction soon.
Greetings.
I'am a newbie. I commented on your blog concerning led ligthing. Perhaps you did not see it. I 'am in the process of building my new plywood aquarium. It wil be a planted aquarium Amano-style (nature aquarium). So an aquarium with a lot of plants that need a lot of light.
The aquarium will be 120cm*50cm*60cm (60cm width and 50cm hight). I estimate that the space between leds and deepest place on the soil will be around 57 cm. What amount of led's do I need what type of led's (including color) is your advise. Do you have a electrical schema of how putting everything together and if possible a list of parts needed (incl. power supply). What is the distance between the leds on the fixture. I will maken the fixture my own. The fixture will cover the top of the aquarium.
Awaiting your appreciating reaction soon.
Greetings.
Hey keno, how have things been going with your tanks? I have checked out and read your blog articles about your XM-L fixture and I'm very interested. I have a 110 gal (48x18x30) that I'm in the process of setting up - I had a 75 but wanted a taller tank for my tall plants. I have mostly water lillies, myriophyllum, swords, and wisteria, but they've been sitting outside in the sun in a 2.5 gal tank for a few months... not sure what's still alive, so for all intents and purposes i'm starting over with the one sword I know is still alive and a few sprigs of myrio. I have a 20gal wet-dry. Nothing is set up yet - I used to have all this in a 75g with rainbows and tetras, but when I moved I decided it was time to go with a taller tank for the tall-growing plants. Do you think a similar build to your XM-L fixture would work with that 30" depth? I'm thinking about using 16 of them with the same HLG-150H-54B meanwell you used. I like the fact that this driver has the ability to be dimmed with resistance OR PWM, so I can later build an arduino controller if I want. I'm also wondering about heat. I don't really want to use a single heat sink because of the cost, I'm fine with putting it together using a few pieces of angle aluminum. I will have everything inside an oak canopy, and the fixture can be as high as 11" off the surface of the water (~39" from the substrate) or as close as 2 or 3" if I hang it from chains from the canopy. Do you think a single fixture using 16 XM-L's at 2.7amps is enough? Also, I see you're getting the XM-L's from Cutter, looks like good prices there. What about the Meanwell? do you have a good source for that? You mentioned a source where you could buy through your business - could I get it through your business for a good price? I'm excited that I'll be able to do this and use about half the electricity I am using (almost 300W). Right now i have a 4-bulb 32WT8 light and a 150W Viper MH over the tank and get amazing growth, but am unhappy with the inefficiency of the shoplight, and the transfer of heat to the water with the MH. I hope to get the tank mostly set up this weekend and will probably use the 2 of the Viper 150's (I have another that I don't use because of the heat, but it will be less of an issue with the increased water volume of the 110+sump and I'll need the penetration of the MH for the depth). So, what are your thoughts based on the size, depth, etc? Thanks for your time and sharing of knowledge.
Oh - also wondering about optics. Seems like you didn't need them for your 75. But this 110 is 9" deeper. If I need optics, which would be the ones to go with, the 40 or the 60?
I have notice people have mentioned cooling fans for their lighting. Has anyone ever considered borrowing water cooling technology from the pc world (they have heatsinks with water jackets) and pumping water through them instead of using fans, to keep things cool? I realize that this might require a thermostat...
Water cooling was mentioned as a possibility on this thread, check a few pages back. The consensus seemed to be that it would be an worthwhile thing to try, but don't try to cool your LED's with aquarium water, it could potentially raise the temperature too much too quickly and cause temperature swings. If you're like me and don't have A/C then you definitely don't even want to think about cooling lighting with aquarium water. One thing I though of trying was using the copper tubing with the fins that is used in baseboard heating applications to dissipate the heat. I wouldn't attach the LEDs to that though, there wouldn't be enough heat transfer. I would think you'd want to attach to aluminum flat bar or square tubing, but transitioning to the copper would be challenging. You'd have to design a system that will move a separate source of water or coolant of some kind. There would have to be movement of water, by a pump or convection, but I imagine getting a convection loop started would be difficult. It just seems more pricy and complicated than the alternatives.
