Advice fo small diy led

megs_clark · #1 08-19-2011, 04:59 PM

Hi, Im looking to make a small DIY led light for my 5.5g nano. I was wondering

Where is the most affordible place online to buy them while still getting quality lights?

Also which lights do you recomend?

And how many blue and whites do you think I should buy for a tank this size, the dimensions are 16" x 8"?

I would like the option of putting sps in the tank for quarintines (just for short periods before putting in the main tank) so want it strong enough for that but dont want that White look Iv seen on some.

Any advice is apprieciated.

Bblinks · #2 08-19-2011, 06:11 PM

I have used rapidled.com, ledgroupbuy.com they are both good. There is also a new comer modularled.ca which is canadian owned and operated. They seem to have a good product which doesn't need you to solder anything hence the word modular. I don't like soldering so if I wouldve known a little earlier my led wouldn't have been so ugly but they work fine.

check it out, I just did my biocube 29 and my buddys, let me tell you, both tanks look awesome.
btw I use cree XPE royal blue and XPG neutral white with dimming function. Dimming was pretty cool when I first got it, but now I don't use it anymore unless someone is over and I am trying to show off all the flourcent LPS.

megs_clark · #3 08-19-2011, 06:23 PM

Hi Bblinks. Thanks Ill check ou the sites you mentioned. How many of each did you use for your biocube? I want to try to do my biocube next. Did you use a heatsink or aluminum?

Bblinks · #4 08-19-2011, 06:40 PM

http://www.rapidled.com/servlet/the-...its/Categories

How big is your bio cube? I used 12 led on my friends tank and 20 on mine. I have clams in the tank without any issue on 12 leds. let me know if there anything else you want to know.

Bblinks · #5 08-19-2011, 06:41 PM

forget to mention nano tuner. check them out too, expensive but nice.

Milad · #6 08-20-2011, 02:08 AM

FYI if you dont have a controller and want to do sunrise and sunset and power your LEDs and have moonlights, check this out:removed

Just plug in one of the power supplies depending on how many LEDs you want to run, and you dont need any extra drivers and you can fully control it. Its designed for the nano guys to have control on the LEDs and save you money on drivers.

msjboy · #7 08-20-2011, 02:18 AM

lotsa cheap hong kong companies like http://www.aquastyleonline.com/ etc. just check our american counterpart sites like reefsanctuary, nano-reef, reef central etc.

msjboy

megs_clark · #8 08-20-2011, 04:37 AM

I just bought a 29 biocube off another member here. Theirs to many options on everything, lol. I feel like im going to be reading forever. The controler thing is neat. I read a diy journal and someone used a Arduino off ebay. Their only like $20 and it said you can buy seperate Buckpucks and hook them up to the one Arduino and controll how bright the lights are, like if the blue were to blue or whites were to bright you could lower them seperatly. It seemed like a cheap way to have that power lol. I was only planning on doing a led for my little 5.5g nano buy it sure seems like you can do an affordable one yourself for only a little more then it would cost to buy replacment lights.

Had anyone mixed in the true violet leds from the ledgroupbuy site.
Also for the ones you solder on, did you use a special soldering gun? I read you need a stronger gun and they looked to be about as much as the build would cost?

MarkoD · #9 08-20-2011, 03:21 PM

why not use one of those LED PAR 38 bulbs?

megs_clark · #10 08-20-2011, 04:58 PM

Id never heard of a LED PAR 38 bulb Mark. After a fast google It looked like they only have one Led in the bulb. Can you add more to them. I want some blue mixed in. The fixture lookes nice.