so i seen someone recently built a led light for his 5.5 gallon i didnt wanna take over that thread so ill ask mine here. if this is wrong to do im sorry. I dont really know the Forums do's n donts.... Anyhow Will they grow good plant life? if so what type of Leds should i get im really thinking of upgrading my lighting pretty heavily i have a 29 planted, and id like to have a way better lighting system. As i know it would help my plants. Also how to the watts per gallon convert to LED's? Im just trying to make a better light for my tank as i dont make a Boat load of cash these 300 dollar lighting systems seem a bit Over priced lol. Again im sorry if i should of just asked in the other thread. thanks f
DIY LED for planted tank????
- Thread starter se7en2686
- Start date
Your fine! First off, forget the watts per gallon. Just put it out of your head. It was only somewhat relevant for T8 and early PC bulbs. With T5 and LED's, it doesn't mean anything.
PAR is what you want to know. It is the measurement of how much actual light is hitting the tank. Most people go for a PAR level of 40-50 at the substrate for Med-High light tanks. But here's the catch, PAR meters are on the expensive side. So what I did is look at what LED's and setup's other people have used and just tweak a little from there for my own needs/tastes to make a LED light for myself.
I learned a lot on The Planted Tank - Articles, Forums, Pictures, Links. They have the guys that know this hobby inside and out, and you can look though tons of tanks and lights and see what's working for other people. Don't give up though, I got really frustrated trying to learn about LED lighting before I finally had my 'AhHa!' moment and it all made sense. I don't have a PAR meter, so I just found some lights people were using for similar tanks, and just did my own thing with them.
Rapid LED Home Page is where I ordered all my stuff for the LED's. They have a good selection of what actually works without trying to sell you something that you don't actually need.
And yes, they will grow plants rather well....at least that's the rumor.
Off the top of my head, you'll want at least 12-15 LED's (Cree is a brand name, but is really popular. I thought it was a type of LED for the longest time), but probably more depending on the light levels you want. On larger tanks like this, people also like to mix up the lights, getting some white lights but also some blue's to run as well to add more to the color. And don't skimp on good drivers for the LEDs.
I'm still new at LED's, but more than happy to help with any questions you may have. I'll volunteer ChichlidMan as well for help, as he built a very nice array for a non-planted 100g discus tank.
PAR is what you want to know. It is the measurement of how much actual light is hitting the tank. Most people go for a PAR level of 40-50 at the substrate for Med-High light tanks. But here's the catch, PAR meters are on the expensive side. So what I did is look at what LED's and setup's other people have used and just tweak a little from there for my own needs/tastes to make a LED light for myself.
I learned a lot on The Planted Tank - Articles, Forums, Pictures, Links. They have the guys that know this hobby inside and out, and you can look though tons of tanks and lights and see what's working for other people. Don't give up though, I got really frustrated trying to learn about LED lighting before I finally had my 'AhHa!' moment and it all made sense. I don't have a PAR meter, so I just found some lights people were using for similar tanks, and just did my own thing with them.
Rapid LED Home Page is where I ordered all my stuff for the LED's. They have a good selection of what actually works without trying to sell you something that you don't actually need.
And yes, they will grow plants rather well....at least that's the rumor.
Off the top of my head, you'll want at least 12-15 LED's (Cree is a brand name, but is really popular. I thought it was a type of LED for the longest time), but probably more depending on the light levels you want. On larger tanks like this, people also like to mix up the lights, getting some white lights but also some blue's to run as well to add more to the color. And don't skimp on good drivers for the LEDs.
I'm still new at LED's, but more than happy to help with any questions you may have. I'll volunteer ChichlidMan as well for help, as he built a very nice array for a non-planted 100g discus tank.
thank you very much for the links. Very helpful. once i get the build underway ill post some photos .
This weekend however im going to attempt to start the build on my own DIY wet dry sump. my Father needs another filter for his Over crowded Koi tank so im going to give him mine so i can build my own... lol mostly so i have an excuse to the wife on why i need to build something LOL. ill post pics of it as well once i get it working
.This weekend however im going to attempt to start the build on my own DIY wet dry sump. my Father needs another filter for his Over crowded Koi tank so im going to give him mine so i can build my own... lol mostly so i have an excuse to the wife on why i need to build something LOL. ill post pics of it as well once i get it working