DIY BioCube 29 PC to LED (question)

So, I'm starting to gather materials for this project. I'd like to keep adding to this thread as it goes. I went to Lowe's and found some aluminum U-channel that is typically used for plywood edging. It's 3/4" wide and 4' long. It cost around $4. I also got a 1/4" wide channel that's 4' long to fit inside for $3.50. I cut them 12" long and figured it would make good heat sink and structural material with thermal epoxy.

I need to pull the hood of the biocube for measurements. I want to have everything fit just like it does now to retain that clean look. Now to the question that will be critical to design. How many LEDs are needed to keep anemone (RBTA), LPS and maybe SPS or clam? I don't want to melt the LPS. 16 Cree 3W would be nice. Or I could do 8 whites and 10 blues. 24 would also work, I just don't want to overdo it. Will 16 or 18 LEDs work?

 

I mocked things up this morning. The lights will need to be 12"x9" to fit where the stock lights are. With the 16 LED setup they are 2 3/4" apart, 1 3/4" apart on the 20 LED setup. Still wondering how many I need.

 

I will post a pic tonight of the LED lights I added into a 14 gallon bio cube total of 12 LED's

Matt

 

I appreciate it. I think I'm currently "stuck" thinking about replacing the PC lighting with something that'll allow almost anything to be kept, but I don't want to go overboard with it. After all, it wouldn't be smart to get a lot more LEDs than needed, and only be able to run them at 50% power or else kill everything in the tank.

 

Again pics not the best taken with my iPhone

Matt

 

I like that... nice and simple. Is the lighting "better" (more intense, better coloring) than the stock lighting? I'm wanting to do something similar... perhaps just with 20 LEDs

 

It's hard for me to tell, I added the blue with the stock lights for a few months and then took then out and added the white led. So it hard to remember what just the stock lights looked like.

Defiantly awesome shimmer and more vibrant color on the coral

Matt

 

That's what I like to hear... gives me hope for my project.

 

So, a lot of things have been worked out and built since my last post on here. I am pretty sure I'm going with 11-12 RB Crees and 8 Neutral White XM-L Crees.

Royal Blues
11-12 @ 3.4V (Max 1 A) = 37.4V - 40.8V (Max 1 A)

XM-L Neutral White T5
8 @ 2.9V (Max 3 A) = 23.2V (Max 3 A)

I think the Meanwell ELN-60-48D Driver will be best for the Royal Blues. It provides 0-1.3 A current (more than enough for the RB's Max of 1A). It also provides 24-48VDC which is enough to cover either the 37.4V or 40.8V required by the RBs, and allows dimming which will be essential when converting from PC lighting.

Now, the driver for the XM-L is a bit more up in the air because the voltage requirement is rather low.
I found some TRC drivers (though I'm unsure of their dimming ability)...
TRC-040S070DS - 700mA, 18-54VDC
TRC-040S105DS - 1050mA, 12-36VDC
TRC-040S140DS - 1400mA, 10-25VDC

All three of these cover the XM-L basic requirements. Are they dimmable? Is there a better driver for the 8 XM-Ls I'm planning on using?

The reason for 11 or 12 RBs is due to room issues with the Biocube hood that I'll be setting the system in.


Here's the system I have built:




This is a drop in system (into the current plastic housing for the PC lights, which should function to shield the LEDs from splash). Also, that housing has ventilation from the hood fans, so many of the cooling issues should be solved. If I had to do it again, I'd make it 8.5" long as I didn't realize the housing screws had a plastic shield inside the hood, so some minor trimming will occur. I may add extra aluminum cross bracing if it's needed to help heat transfer, but the system itself is rather rigid. I'm also debating hooking up moon lights, which would be a nice justification for other cross bracing to mount the moonlight LEDs on.


Feedback more than appreciated.

Or would the Meanwell ELN-60-48D Driver be best for both?

 

bump... someone on this forum knows the answer