DIY LED Questions

Probably. It really depends on how much freedom you have in the distance from the surface the fixture will be.

 

I basically have a max of 12 inches above the water, as I would like to put them in the canopy I built to house the halides. That leaves 4 inches for the actual fixture. (total internal canopy height is roughly 16 inches) So really anywhere between 3-12 inches works for me. I just want optimal coverage and par for such a deep tank with clams and a few SPS. I really don't mind putting them on a tighter spread or varying the optics in order to have it work out, but in the same breathe I am not confident with any one plan that I have thought up, thus I came here to hear from the masses of far more qualified individuals than myself.

If you were in this situation, with the same basic requirements (30 inch penetration, sufficient for clams/SPS, limited canopy space) what would you suggest as a game plan?

 

Working in those constraints, I'd use one 30" x 8" heat sink with 48 LEDs and use 60deg optics. If you have a center brace or want two seperate arrays, you could use two heat sinks. The biggest issue at that short distance from the surface with 60deg optics is spread. Hence why I say an 8" wide heat sink. I'm calculating your tank as 15" wide, so this will give you sufficient front/back spread at the top of the tank. Anything narrower, and you may get a shaded area at the top front/back areas.

A good source for heat sinks is heatsinkusa.com

FYI, I'm keeping a maxima clam under 24" of water with 60deg optics. It's looking great so far.

 

Awesome, thanks so much for your help.