Equipment list for a 180 Gal Reef

[samdaman]

How much do you estimate LEDS for a 180 72" long mixed reef. How many 3Watters? Lol stop spending my money!

[jdyer88]

I am just starting my research on leds. I know I will not go with the marineland products for sure. I am a little freaked out because I run MH right now, Which I know is good for nems and SPS. There's a ton of forums for people asking about the best leds, but I can only find very few people who actually use them, and very few success stories. I know you can pinpoint the spectrums you want with led, but I just don't know if I trust the intensity yet. I will definately let you know if i find something interesting

[jdyer88]

This is from reef geek. This is considered a high end light, and it only $3300




72" Sol White 6xModule LED Light System w/ Controller

+ enlarge Manufacturer: AquaIllumination
Dimensions: 72.0" x 11.9" x 3.4" (L x W x H)
Availability: Please Call for Availability
Item #: AI0011
AquaIllumination 72" Sol White 6xModule LED Light System complete with AquaIllumination Sol Controller, mounting rails and legs, external power supply (1 per module) and active cooling system. Each module consists of 24 LED lamps grouped into a bank of 8 lenses or pods each containing two Cree XP 6500K "Full Spectrum" LED lamps and one Cree XP Blue LED lamp. Recommended Tank Width: up to 30" with proper placement of corals. Recommended Tank Depth: up to 36" with proper placement of corals. Power Consumption: up to 75W per module at full intensity. Individual Module Dimensions: 11.9" x 5.4" x 2.4" (L x W x H). Warranty: 1 Year Manufacturer Warranty.

Features:
1. Intensity is adjustable from 0 to 100%.
2. The white and blue LED lamps are controlled independently allowing the color to be adjusted from warm white (approximately 6500K) to deep blue (greater than 20000K).
3. Two control settings; Automatic and Manual. In Automatic Mode the sun rises and falls at user determined times and the fixture automatically transitions into the corresponding moon cycle for the duration of the 24-hour period. The 16 unique user defined set points can simulate cloud cover and other light variations. In Manual Mode the light may be set to the desired intensity and color and turned on-off manually.
4. Moon intensity automatically adjusts to follow the actual lunar cycle of ~29 day.
5. Fixture is cooled by blowing air across heat sinks located above each bank of LED lamps preventing salt, moisture, dust and dirt from entering the fixture and harming the LED lamps and other internal components.
6. 100V - 240V Universal Power Supply allows fixture to be used on a wide variety of power sources.
7. Seamless integration with GHL Profilux and Digital Aquatics ReefKeeper Elite controllers.

Benefits:
1. Superior Performance - Capable of producing as much light as a 400W metal halide system for effective growth of both SPS and LPS corals.
2. Save Energy - More than 50% versus comparable metal halide system.
3. Low Heat - Generates a fraction of the heat of a comparable metal halide system.
4. Long Lamp Life - Up to 10 years.
5. Multi-Functional - Sunrise, daylight, sunset and lunar light cycles all included.
6. Upgradeable - Modular design allows end user to increase the length of the fixture or upgrade to the latest in LED lamp technology.

Description Our Price Qty
72" Sol White 6xModule LED Light System w/ Controller $3,299.00

[cveverly]

Originally Posted by samdaman

How much do you estimate LEDS for a 180 72" long mixed reef

If you want all LEDs and want to grow anything then you will need 144 LEDs to cover all of your 180. If you want a hybrid like I am building I would recommended 108 LEDs and 4 T5 lamps.

You need a driver for each 12 LEDs (unless you build parallel circuits) then you can use less.

Then you need select a heat sink(s).

I have around $500 invested in 72 LEDs, drivers and heat sinks. This includes adhesives, wire and solder. I have about 4 or 5 hours of labor assembling.

BTW, I stole the idea for my build from THIS thread. I just used a little different heat sink and added the T5s.