DIY Cree LED Fixture (need assistance)

[LukeDaly]

Hey guys, so my LFS has told me they can order the Scapers light for me if need be it is 24 Watt.
If I choose this option the light will cost me around £80.

Recently I have been seeing a lot of DIY led lights using CREE leds, would I be able to save money building my own light using this method?

I would like this to be a high light tank, but not an algae farm.
Would tank growth be as good?

Thanks in advance, Luke.

 

[Samjpikey]

Crees are awesome ,
If you've got the chance to build your own do it
I made my own using 1 watt bridelux LEDs (total 37 wats) and I have to have my light hung 750mm from the substrate to avoid problems . Also if you include a dimmable driver then there's no problem .
Cheers


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[LukeDaly]

I have got the chance, I just dont know how many LED's and what colour's it is I need exactly..

The tank dimensions are as follows:
45 x 31 x 36 cm

Thank you for the help.
Luke.

 

[James O]

Ceg would tell you plants are colourblind. All the pretty colours are more for our benefit. 6500k (close to daylight) gives nice colour rendition and the shimmer many enjoy. Maybe a few blue LEDs on a separate circuit for evening viewing.

How many depends on what wattage you choose. You can get 5x0.2w LEDs or 1x1w led. It's also handy to have a dimmer. This can help with tweaking the light on top of moving it up or down.

There's lots of threads on LEDs. Just type in LED in the search bar, tick yes for titles only and select the diy part of the forum

 

[Samjpikey]

Excuse the dodgy wiring etc. ,

I've used
28 x 1 watt 10000 k
5 x 1 watt 3000k
4 x 1 watt 6000k

All with 60 degree lenses and I need a dimmer as it's just too much like I say it's current 750 mm from the substrate .

If I was building another light I would definatley use dimmable gu10 LEDs. They are affordable and run straight off 240 v - no transformer needed .


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[LukeDaly]

Ceg would tell you plants are colourblind. All the pretty colours are more for our benefit. 6500k (close to daylight) gives nice colour rendition and the shimmer many enjoy. Maybe a few blue LEDs on a separate circuit for evening viewing.

How many depends on what wattage you choose. You can get 5x0.2w LEDs or 1x1w led. It's also handy to have a dimmer. This can help with tweaking the light on top of moving it up or down.

There's lots of threads on LEDs. Just type in LED in the search bar, tick yes for titles only and select the diy part of the forum

Sweet, learn something new everyday! Ill be sure to check out some of the threads!

Excuse the dodgy wiring etc. ,

I've used
28 x 1 watt 10000 k
5 x 1 watt 3000k
4 x 1 watt 6000k

All with 60 degree lenses and I need a dimmer as it's just too much like I say it's current 750 mm from the substrate .

If I was building another light I would definatley use dimmable gu10 LEDs. They are affordable and run straight off 240 v - no transformer needed .


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Now that sir, looks awesome! What size of a tank is that? what you suggest looking into for the Scapers tank? Do you follow the one watt per liter rule?

Thank you guys, all help is very much appreciated!

 

[Samjpikey]

The tank is 100cmx30cmx40cm

The light is 80cm long .
I did have a 12v fan but the heatsink doesn't get hot so I removed it , I didn't use a rule I just done some research and came up with this, I also didn't think the watt per litre was used nowadays.
I know that hoppy on the planted tank forum has posted some finding on Crees but the Bridelux ones I have used actually perform the same but jut run a fraction hotter , but they are a third of the price.

It's all based on how far apart you space them and what lenses you use etc , but I know that people use cheap Chinese LEDs and have had great use out of them .
Cheers


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[Willie B. Thomas]

Here is a good link to help you decide how many LEDs you'll need.

Hope that helps