DIY LEDs

I'd like to try some LEDs but don't know what kind of LEDs I would need or equipment to make them work i have a 29 gallon tank that is 30" long x 18" high x 12 wide ifthe measuremenst mean anything. How many would I need? Wat type? ????I'm on a budget so I'd like to keep the price low. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

Leds and cheap don't always belong in the same sentence but what kind of corals if any do you plan on keeping as that is probably the biggest question.

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that is the million dollar post these days. Search the reef lighting forum for "diy led" and you will have more answers to your questions than you ever imagined.. There are so many variables and you will see arguments pulling you in every direction. I hope you find what you are looking for.. IMO we are all guinea pigs when it comes to led lighting on our tanks.

 

That is also true. There isn't really set rules as there is so many variables while setting up such as amount of leds and optics. I think from what I read as to number of leds is an led per 10-15 square inches. And optics is kind of more based on the intensity you will need.

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Well when I mean cheap mean the least amount of money I can spend for an appropriate amount of lights for my setup. So if te least is like 150 let it be that if not then whatever it is I saw someone use 64 LEDs on a 75gl reef tank with I think 80 degree optics. So if mine is only 30 gallons then i'd use maybe half of that

 

Again this depends on what you have/will want to keep in your tank(ie,sps lps softies mixed etc...)..but I think the sorta norm these days is cree`s with a 1:1 ratio cool white to royal blue(again if you like a bluer tank you could go 1:2)..then there are optics.these wil allow you to tun certain areas of te tank with more direct/intense light..smaller the optic number the more intense it will be,but will also give you less spread.HTH..

 

i was thinking something thats easy to care for. i was thinking maybe 20 or 24 leds a few optics that direct light on a specific area and the others somthing that spreads out more.

 

What do you want to keep?? If you want advice, you her to tell us what your lighting requirements will be. There are a million variables but letting us know what you want to keep will be very helpful. Sps, lps, mushrooms, etc.

 

Indeed...kind of need to know that. But i would say 24 or 36 leds with probably 80deg optics.

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thats what i was thinking and what i might do