55 tall diy led help

I have a 55tall 36x15x24 I'm running a 4 bulb t-5 fixture now and im thinking about building a diy led for my tank but have no idea where to start. I have the ability to solder and do other electrical requirements for building a fixture so that isn't a problem. I'm mostly looking for a build list of how many and what color leds and what drivers to go along with them.

 

i did the diy route for my 55 tall and still ended up buying a fixture lol....i would recommed the 120w full spectrum that you find on ebay for about 130 shipped. It's the perfect light for the money and a good quality design with enough par to support sps coral. The reason for me giving up on my DIY is because I could never get it to what i wanted it without spending the money, for that i could've gotten a high quality fixture.

 

120W Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Reef Coral Fish Tank Marine Aquarium Light Lamp | eBay


Like this?

 

What are you planning to keep? What size heatsink(s) are you planning on using?

Since it is a tall tank, you can use 60 degree lenses and get away with less LEDs since you don't have as much surface area to cover.

But the amount of LEDs will depend on how you decide to space them out, what you plan to keep, and what colors you choose.

 

Like to keep all types of coral eventually including sps.

 

Do you want a longer heatsink or two smaller ones?

 

yup that's the one!

 

Stevesleds, LEDgroupbuy, and Rapidled are great.

 

Don't matter

 

That fixture is only about 16" long. Will one be enough for my tank or will I need 2? My tank is 36" wide