Lighting my 125 T5+LED SPS Dominant

pisanoal · 09/09/2016, 01:51 PM

I'm trying to figure out the best way to light my 125 without spending a fortune. I currently have 2 hydra 26HDs and 2 36" Mira T5 retrofits over a 40B that is SPS dominant and would like to carry over the hydras to the 125. My question is do you guys think that 2 Mira 60" kits (4 bulbs) and 3 hydra 52s is enough light to keep an sps dominant 125? I'm concerned about the depth of the tank (22") and the height at which my hydras (about 8", concerned about spot lighting) would be placed due to the canopy I have on it.

Here is what the aquascaping will look like, roughly. The center island and left side will have the sps mainly. The right island will probably have an anemone, probably a bubble tip.

Right now its lit by one of the hydra 26s

pisanoal · 09/09/2016, 05:26 PM

Another option I have been thinking about is selling the hydra 26s and getting the 5' ATI sunpower 6x80w fixture and making a diy light bar to go on the outside edge angled in with narrow optics. I want to keep some form of leds for the added fluorescence and mainly the shimmer. I think this might be better and cheaper. With this setup, will I have issues with lower light corals on the edges/down low?

Thanks for the opinions!

dadummy · 09/10/2016, 12:54 PM

fwiw, I had 4X 80w T5 and approximately 72 royal blue(700ma) and 36 cool whites(350ma) LED over a 150 and grew sps just fine. At one point I stopped running the CW LED and colors got better with 4 blue plus and royal blue LED. I ran the LED's on 6'x 2" aluminum flat stock that was a kick plate on an old handrail from a jobsite. Since the canopy covered the lights I didn't have to have anything fancy.
In the long run DIY LED and T5 will be way cheaper than buying name brand fixtures. Plus if the LED's stop working you will be able to fix it yourself, instead of sending light in for service. If you haven't done so, soldering LED is not that difficult, they even sell solder less ones. Sun Power is a sweet light, but you will only be hiding behind a canopy along with the hydra's. Get the Hep Group ballasts and good reflectors for the retro and you will be good to go.
I am not sure the prices of hydra's, or LED retro from say, Rapid LED but you can price it out and see if it would be cheaper, I do believe it will be.
I since broke the tank down and set it up with a new canopy running halide/led. I miss the T5 and have considered changing the halides out but will be a pain in the butt reworking the LED's again.
here's a couple old pics, T5/LED will definately do it, whichever route you decide

DSCN2858 by daddeee, on Flickr

DSCN2861 by daddeee, on Flickr

DSCN2857 by daddeee, on Flickr

pisanoal · 09/10/2016, 02:19 PM

Thanks for the informative post, and beautiful tank.

I did decide to go with the diy retro and diy led fixture due to cost. And you are right about the fixture just hiding behind the canopy. Plus I want to run the leds down the center. I think I'm just going to do a single strip of leds to add some shimmer and shadowing to the tank for a more natural look hopefully, then I will be running 6 T5s. So it will be mainly T5 with led supplement. I'm going to start with 8 3-up stars with Royal Blue, Cool Blue, and Cool White, and 8 hyper violet wired on separate channels. I plan on spacing them out so if I decide I want more leds, all I have to do is paste some more down to the heat sink, and wire them to the existing string. I plan on running 3 blue plus and 3 coral plus as the 1:1 seems to be getting good results from others. Plus I have that over my 40B and I like the color rendition.

I have done several diy led fixtures in the past so I'm familiar with the process. If anyone has any thoughts on my color choices, id be interested in hearing them. That's where I am a little stuck. On my hydras, I use very little of the green white and red, so I think I will be fine without adding them.

dadummy · 09/10/2016, 08:48 PM

sounds good, I would skip the cool white, they seemed to wash out corals, However Bridgelux makes Vero 10, high CRI, warm white and neutral white LED chips. Either of the two have worked fine. Blended with a Lime LED, color is good with the royal blue. Takes the windex look out while corals still pop.
There's so many options for DIY led, I mimicked the nano box V3 array with different chips including the Vero 10 and am very happy with the results. When LED are on for supplement I can run the array so it's not just blue. With the blues on a separate channel can still have the wow factor after halides go off..

pisanoal · 09/11/2016, 09:16 PM

What would you say to 4 of the V3 arrays wired for the full 4 channels? I'm thinking that would be similar amount of power from leds to what I'm thinking of doing. Maybe even a little more

09/09/2016, 05:26 PM	#2
pisanoal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 705	Another option I have been thinking about is selling the hydra 26s and getting the 5' ATI sunpower 6x80w fixture and making a diy light bar to go on the outside edge angled in with narrow optics. I want to keep some form of leds for the added fluorescence and mainly the shimmer. I think this might be better and cheaper. With this setup, will I have issues with lower light corals on the edges/down low? Thanks for the opinions!

09/10/2016, 12:54 PM	#3
dadummy Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: S.Fla Posts: 1,041	fwiw, I had 4X 80w T5 and approximately 72 royal blue(700ma) and 36 cool whites(350ma) LED over a 150 and grew sps just fine. At one point I stopped running the CW LED and colors got better with 4 blue plus and royal blue LED. I ran the LED's on 6'x 2" aluminum flat stock that was a kick plate on an old handrail from a jobsite. Since the canopy covered the lights I didn't have to have anything fancy. In the long run DIY LED and T5 will be way cheaper than buying name brand fixtures. Plus if the LED's stop working you will be able to fix it yourself, instead of sending light in for service. If you haven't done so, soldering LED is not that difficult, they even sell solder less ones. Sun Power is a sweet light, but you will only be hiding behind a canopy along with the hydra's. Get the Hep Group ballasts and good reflectors for the retro and you will be good to go. I am not sure the prices of hydra's, or LED retro from say, Rapid LED but you can price it out and see if it would be cheaper, I do believe it will be. I since broke the tank down and set it up with a new canopy running halide/led. I miss the T5 and have considered changing the halides out but will be a pain in the butt reworking the LED's again. here's a couple old pics, T5/LED will definately do it, whichever route you decide DSCN2858 by daddeee, on Flickr DSCN2861 by daddeee, on Flickr DSCN2857 by daddeee, on Flickr

09/10/2016, 02:19 PM	#4
pisanoal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 705	Thanks for the informative post, and beautiful tank. I did decide to go with the diy retro and diy led fixture due to cost. And you are right about the fixture just hiding behind the canopy. Plus I want to run the leds down the center. I think I'm just going to do a single strip of leds to add some shimmer and shadowing to the tank for a more natural look hopefully, then I will be running 6 T5s. So it will be mainly T5 with led supplement. I'm going to start with 8 3-up stars with Royal Blue, Cool Blue, and Cool White, and 8 hyper violet wired on separate channels. I plan on spacing them out so if I decide I want more leds, all I have to do is paste some more down to the heat sink, and wire them to the existing string. I plan on running 3 blue plus and 3 coral plus as the 1:1 seems to be getting good results from others. Plus I have that over my 40B and I like the color rendition. I have done several diy led fixtures in the past so I'm familiar with the process. If anyone has any thoughts on my color choices, id be interested in hearing them. That's where I am a little stuck. On my hydras, I use very little of the green white and red, so I think I will be fine without adding them.

09/10/2016, 08:48 PM	#5
dadummy Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: S.Fla Posts: 1,041	sounds good, I would skip the cool white, they seemed to wash out corals, However Bridgelux makes Vero 10, high CRI, warm white and neutral white LED chips. Either of the two have worked fine. Blended with a Lime LED, color is good with the royal blue. Takes the windex look out while corals still pop. There's so many options for DIY led, I mimicked the nano box V3 array with different chips including the Vero 10 and am very happy with the results. When LED are on for supplement I can run the array so it's not just blue. With the blues on a separate channel can still have the wow factor after halides go off..

09/11/2016, 09:16 PM	#6
pisanoal Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 705	What would you say to 4 of the V3 arrays wired for the full 4 channels? I'm thinking that would be similar amount of power from leds to what I'm thinking of doing. Maybe even a little more