Help Sizing a DIY Led build.

Hello all,

I have been quietly reading and following along with a lot of the stuff on here.

I think I am finally ready to build my own LED fixture to replace my current light setup.

I currently stock mostly softies in my standard 48" 55g. I have a 4x54w T5. I would like to replace these lights with a DIY fixture from cree leds off RapidLED.

Can any one recommended how many LEDS I would need to match the output of my 48" 4x54w t5s?

Also, how many white and how many blue? Should I run them on a 48 inch heat sink, or do a couple smaller heat sinks?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

i know nothing about leds..but you can use the search and im sure find an led build someone did that your look at doing.. also i think you can buy everything together and you have to solder it all yourself and stuff..

orphek builds leds comparable to metal halides, not sure if its true or works but you could check out their website and see what they use and see if you can copy it..

 

I'd do 36 to 48 LEDs, dimmable kit.

Mix of white/blue depends on your own taste, but if you do a dimmable kit with a 50/50 blend of white/blue, you can set the blend to whatever suits you.

No need for a full 48" heat sink; it doesn't need to be as long as the tank. 2 different ones would be fine, or one in the 40-44" range.

I've done a DIY build myself: http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/diy-dimmable-rapidled-kit-converting-mhs-96138.html