There are numerous patents on LED Reef Lights. Some companies have gone out of business simply because of legal costs associated with a new product and conflicting interpretations of patent law. Our mission is to provide you with the best possible reef lighting options while respecting the patents of every LED manufacturer. Our Kits are designed to be simple, easy and very cost effective. All you need to do is glue, solder and connect. For a more finished product you may choose to drill, tap and improvise as well. If you do not want to hassle with soldering our pre-wired strips are a great option. The following is a rather simple step by step on how we built a LED fixture for our personal aquarium.
LEDs are hot, so hot by themselves they will melt the solder from the star they are attached to. A quality Heat Sink is a must. We only provide heat sinks from Heat Sink USA as they are the best for this application. With limited LEDs you can go with Home Depot Aluminum but the temp is the key. If you cannot hold your completed fixture tight between your fingers …It’s too hot, and the LEDs will not last as long.
Mark out a grid for the LEDs you plan to use. We recommend at least 1 inch between LEDs on a quality Heat Sink. The rule of thumb is if you can’t hold it tight it’s too hot! Computer fans may be necessary!
This 24”x8.46” heat sink is set up for 48 Cree XRE LEDs. We then mounted the LEDs with a two part thermal epoxy. Be careful it dries in 5 minutes so mix small portions.
You don’t need a lot; a single two part is good for over 48 LEDs on Stars. Air is an insulator so use only a small thin coat.
Position the Stars so they are easily soldered. Remember it’s a simple +-+- series arrangement.
CAUTION…Our drivers are engineered to provide the maximum light with maximum efficiency. We recommend using 3-12 XRE LEDs with our Mean Well LPC-35-700 driver. If you want to test your LEDs please ensure all connections are tight before you plug it in as our driver is constant current and will damage LEDs if all connections are not secure.
It helps to pre solder the stars. We recommend using a 63/37 Rosin-Core solder and 18-20 gauge wire. Both can be found at Radio Shack. Once you have 12 LEDs soldered in series you can attach and power up the driver. When attaching the Leviton plug, ensure the blue wire is attached the wide part of the plug and the narrow part of the plug is attached to the brown wire. The red wire is connected to the + on the LED and the black wire is attached to the – on the LED. You can directly solder the driver wire to the LED or use the provided wire caps to remotely mount the driver away from the fixture
Once you verify your string is working, place the optics on the LED by gently snapping them on. They should hold with out any adhesive. If you choose to use adhesive use a non-toxic non-conducting like the Loctite No Mess Stick’n Seal. DO NOT USE SUPER GLUE! The fumes will damage the LED.
If your LEDs do not light, check the soldering and polarity of each LED. Each + should be connected to a -. The – on the driver is connected to the – on the LED and the + to the +.
Next lay down a soft towel and turn over the fixture. The LEDs are fragile and the heatsink is heavy. Ensure the LED are properly protected. To finish the project we used a common corner brace, self tapping metal screws and aluminum strips from Home Depot to finish the project.
Total cost $526.85 plus misc hardware and shipping. This fixture is the light equivalent to a 250-400 watt Metal Halide at only 133 watts and the LEDs will still have 75% of their light after 11years! Also the fixture is cool to the touch no chiller required
JB
36-48 CREE XR-E LEDS with optics would give you the same PAR as a 250 watt MH. I would go with a 34″ heatsink with one 48 XR-E Royal Blue Kit and one 36 XR-E cool White kit. Use the ELN 60-48D and you can have a dimming option with a controller. This will be about 15K in colour
Bill
Pat
We used four Mean Well LPC35-700. To give it a cleaner look and hide the wires for Frag Swaps we put the drivers in the metal driver box.
Bill
Kareem
To save a little coral cash, I think you would be fine with a single 48″ heatsink and 80 degree optics. For SPS you would need a min of 96 Cree XR-E LEDs for PAR.
Personally, I would go with 48 Cool White and 72 Royal Blue on dimmable drivers with a cotroller for an awesome sunrise and sunset and moon light.
Bille
Alex
A lot depends on the type of coral you want to keep. You would be fine 36 LEDs on an 18″x8.46″ heatsink. This should give you enough PAR for SPS. Most like the look of two Royal Blue for every One Cool White.
Bill
Erik
With softies maybe most either add another 6 Royal Blue or go with a 24LED Kit
18 LED on our Nano Heatsink is pushing things heat wise and needs a fan. It would be roughly the equal to a 175 Watt MH as far as PAR but with a little less coverage.
Bill
Joe
This question has been asked a lot and it really depends on many factors like aquascaping and livestock.
For a FOWLR you would be fine with two 12 LED Kits on an 18″ heatsink.
For Softies two 24 LED Kits on an 18″ heatsink works.
For SPS and Clams either two 12″ Deluxe Strip Kits or two Deluxe 36 XR-E Kits would work. This would give you over 250 PAR.
Bill
Jeff
One of the great things DIY LEDs offer is flexibility. Our ELN 60-48D drivers can run 24 LEDs in two parallel strings of 12 and can be controlled by the Profluix or Apex controller. 48 LEDs would give you enough PAR for Clams and SPS. If the height is flexible use the 70 degree optics.
Bill
Sam
Our strip kits would work great. Given you your tank dimensions 4 12″ strip kits mounted perpendicular to the back would give you even coverage and the same PAR as 2 400 watt Radiums. Use the ELN 60-48D driver and your APEX can control sunrise/sunset along with storms, clouds and moon phase.
Bill
Graig
Running 2 Parallel Strings of 12 is more efficient and cost effective but there are some things to consider.
If one LED fails open then all the current will rush through the other string and damage the LEDs by over driving them. A qiuck blow 1000mA fuse is good protection.
Another issue is whether the strings are balanced. Some are very opposed to parallel strings for this reason but I find their fears unfounded in fact as a lot of commercial fixtures use a parallel LED configuration.
I always only recommend using the same LED from the same lot in both strings. Some recommend using a 1 Ohm resistor as well.
Also, I feel this imbalance is not a big deal and here is why:
Worse case each LED has a forward voltage range between 3.2 and 3.5. (I know this is outside the specs of the Cree XR-E at 700mA) But I choose the extreme. With two parallel strings of 12 LEDs driven by a Mean Well ELN 60-48D set to 1300mA total out put. In an absolute worse case 3.5-3.2=.3 * 12 = 3.6 difference between each string or an absolute worse case of 3.6 forward voltage difference between two strings in this example. Given a constant current at 48vDC (assumed for this question) That gives me two strings that work.
42 vs 38.4 is less than 10%
So with a 10% difference one string has a worse case of being driven at 715mA and the other at 585mA. Or a 130mA difference between the two strings. This should provide very close to the PAR of two strings at exactly at 650 mA and similar longevity results.
Given the small drawbacks of parallel strings I feel the only advantage in using a single string is you can drive your LEDs harder say 800mA instead of 650mA with the ELN 60-48D
Bill
Bob
I have 72 LEDs on a 24″ heatsink.
Fans are huge. Amazing on how much cooler the fixture is with a little airflow.
Bill
Deantae
1. You would need 3 48 LED Kits with a 1:1 Blur/White ratio. I would recommend adding 12 Royal Blue to each heatsink to give you 60 LEDs total this would be the same PAR as a 400 watt MH radium and would cover 36″x24″ at two feet with over 400 PAR
2. I attached a pic to explain this and I’m editing a you tube tonight explaining this. I have had a lot of similar questions and though it best to post on the blog with this completed. To put it simple the resistor gives you an easy way to measure current through each string of LEDs.
3. A 1:1 is 10-12K. Just evenly mix the LEDs and your good I really like a 2:1 Ratio with a row of XP-G for a High Noon effect.
4. I’m not sure what you mean by additional heatsinks. If you are referring to the driver boxes they are just for show to hide the wires and connectors.
5. I have 6 drivers soon to be 10 on my APEX. Each ELN 60-48D will run 24 LEDs just fine in two parallel strings of 12.
Hope this link helps
http://www.reefledlights.com/how-to-diy-led/using-resistors-and-fuses-in-parallel-strings/
Bill
IKyle
Thats exactly right. The optics also keep the light off the glass so there is less cleaning.
Bill
Sam
Perhaps…For the most options I would start with the Deluxe Nano and if you want to double the light ad another.
Personally after diving shallow reefs and deep reefs the corals adapt…but only when they have a good environment. I would start with 12 XR-E or XP-E LEDs and work from there.
Bill
Jesus
I would go with two 36 Kits. One with 80 degree optics the other with 70 degree optics.
This way you can arrange the 80 degree in the center front of the bow and mix the rest evenly with the 70 degree. This will give you a more even light spread.
Bill
Jason
Just a driver box to clean things up. They are not necessary but enclose our smaller drivers and connectors for a more finished DIY project.
Bill
How close can you space LEDS? Also can a XPG LED replace a XRE LED on the same parallel string of 12 LEDs. Do LEDs have to be run in strings of 12 or can they be any amount as not to exceed a maximum of 12?
Thanks
Craig
You can place them as closer as you like…However you must consider thermal management. Too many LEDs too close will get really hot.
We recommend 60 LEDs on a 24″x8.46″ Heat Sink with two fans. Any thing less as far as thermal management, you may shorten the 50,000 hour life of the LED
Bill
Are you making this up as you go along?
Herta Reiter
No we do not make this up as we go along
Over time we do modify our opinion based practicable observation, research and customer comments.
Constructive comments both positive and or negative are greatly appreciated. Could you be more specific. As in any endeavor more knowledge is key.
We do not sell Flashlight LEDs we sell specific Bins of LEDs that have proven to make corals grow and look great.
Bill
Why cant you just use a couple of LED spotlights with the followings specs which work out much cheaper?
Parameter:
LED Consumption: 10W
Input Voltage: 85-260VAC
Frequency Range: 47-63Hz
Power Supply Consumption: 1W
Power Efficiency: 86%
Power Factor (PF):＞0.9
Working Voltage: 16-17VDC
LED Luminous: 800LM-850LM
LED Colour: 6000-7000K
LED Colour Index (CRI)Ra ＞85
Intensity Angle120-150°
Lamination (E) of Height 1M 9238Lux
Lamination (E) of Height1M 2M 989Lux
Effective Illuminated Area of Height
3M 2R=3.5M
4M 2R=4.5M
6M 2R=6.5M
Working Temperature -30 ~ 50°C
Working Life >50,000 Hrs
Light Body& Lampshade Aluminium Alloy And PC
The Dimensions (Units: mm) 114(L) x96(W) x 87.5(H)
Weight(g) 750
IP Rating IP65
Andre
Andre
That will light your standard fish only tank quite well. In fact we only used 3-6 3watt LEDs on each tank to light the fish section at several Local Fish Stores.
To grow coral you need a minimum of 100 PAR at the sand bed more would be better. To achieve this with a good colour you need more LEDs
i have a 90g fowlr tank, and currently using a pink bulb and a white 12000k bulb to bring out the color of the fish, if i were to try to replicate the color with LED’s what combination would i use?
Martin
I would use Three Premimum XP-E Royal Blue to two Premimum XP-E Cool White. for a close to 12K look with dimmable drivers you can tweak the colour perfectly. Our Premimum XP-E LEDs are specific Bins which are more suites for marine tanks. The Premimum Royal Blue has a more actinic look than the standard Royal Blue and our Premium Cool White has a cooler temp compared to the standard Cool White.
Hello,
How would I wire 3 strings of 9xLED total 27 LEDs with 2 ELN 60-48d?
Fred
The ELN 60-48D has a forward voltage of 24-48 Vdc. I would run two parallel strings of 9 LEDs on one driver and 1 string of nine on the other. You must adjust the output current for the single string to around 700mA. For the parallel string, adjust the total output to 1.3A works as thats what the driver is rated for 1.3A. Roughly 650mA will power each string.
Bill
Hello i was going to switch over to LED lighting coming from T5 HO lighting. I currently have a tank that is 36″L x 18″W x 24″ deep. This is a freshwater planted tank. I also wanted to have lunar lights for night. I eventually was going to install the neptune controller to this system. What would you recommend for a heatsink? 2x 18″ or special order 1x 36″? how many LEDs do you think i should have for this setup. I was thinking about 68 Cree XP-E LED’s.
Also, do the XP-E LED’s work with the BJB soderless connection?
Erik
The BJB work perfectly with the XP-E.
Two of our 12″ Pre Drilled and Tapped would work well with the BJB Connectors.
For Freshwater I would recommend 48 of our regular XP-E and 24 of our premium Royal Blue. This is based on spectrum. The Regular XP-E will give you better fresh water growth, The Premium Royal Blue will make your fish colours pop. For the moon light our 9 LED Kit will work quite well.
I have a 55 gallon aquarium and would like to be able to have some live plants in it . Could you suggest on a kit that would be suitable for me . I think the tank is 48 inches in length . I need to go the least expenisive as possible . Also would like to have lunar lights as well . Thanks for your time . Eric V. Roberts
Eric
As a min I would recommend two 18″ heatsinks with 12 XP-E Cool White and 6 Royal Blue. This is a fresh water minimum depending on the plants. Personally I would do a few more as the budget allows. For the Lunar 6 Regular Blue would work great.
For Fresh Water Planted our Regular XP-E are more than fine.
Bill
Hey I have a 120 gallon reef tank 48x24x24 what should I get?
Ryan
It really depends on livestock.
For SPS and clams on the sand bed here is our standard recommendation which is the equivalent to a 400 watt MH
36 Royal Blue, 12 Cool White & 12 Cool White XP-G for a High Noon. This will cover 36″x24″ with the same PAR as a 400 watt MH with an awesome 20K look.
With two 18″ heatsinks you could use this mix with good results and cover your tank. For SPS and Clams I would do 120 LEDs Total.
Bill