# DIY Aquarium LED light



## Mikaela

So I've decided to do my own LED lighting for my 125-gallon tank and thought I'd show my progress here. And of course hopefully get some questions answered by more knowledgeable people... The tank has a top area of 72"x18", and the whole tank is covered by custom-fit acrylic lids, so waterproofing is not really a necessity, but I'll do it anyway just to protect from humidity.

At this point I'm still at the "shopping" stage, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to determine just how many LEDs I need. There's 2 things that need to be taken into consideration: how many Lumens (the amount of light visible to the human eye) it will produce, and the colour temperature of the light itself. Colour temperature varies greatly depending on the colour of the LEDs, but for my tank, which will have some low-light plants in it, I need a range of about 6000-6500K, which is close to the output of the sun's light. This, of course, will be the light most useful to the plants. Lower colour temperatures promote the growth of algae and inhibit the growth of plants, and we don't want that!

I've decided to go with light strips, since they're already assembled and just need to be attached (they come with double-sided tape pre-attached for that) and connected to a power source. If I get a 5-meter reel, I can get 3 strips of about 66 inches each, which can be slightly staggered to give an even distribution of lights across the entire surface area. I plan on making a wood canopy for my tank, lining some of it with aluminum foil (to direct the light into the tank), and attaching the strips directly onto the canopy. I can buy couplers (cheap) to easily attach the strips together into one long strip. Oh, and I should already have a power supply, since my dad has pretty much anything anyone would ever need. Ever.

So after some shopping around, I found these two options:

http://www.theledlight.com/flexible-...aterproof.html - a US company, so I would have to include Continental shipping, gas to drive to the Abbotsford border crossing, and the $4.50 package charge for the shipping company that I can use.
- 150 x 5050 SMD LEDs, waterproof - 5-meter reel, 120 degree view angle
- Daylight White: 5500-6500K, 480-520 Lumens per meter (2400-2600 Lumens total)
- Operates at 12VDC, current of 3000mA total (36W)
- Total price (including shipping and tax): $122.76 + gas money, ~$40

http://www.lightdepot.ca/product_inf...roducts_id=247 - much cheaper shipping (based in Toronto).
- 300 x 5050 SMD LEDs, waterproof - 5-meter reel, 120 degree view angle
- 5500-6500K, 14 Lumens per LED (4200 Lumens total)
- Operates at 12VDC, current of 6000mA total (72W)
- Total price (including shipping and tax): $127.84

So after putting this together, I figure I've decided on the Canadian one, since it's got way more light output anyway, and then I won't have to drive for hours to pick it up! My only question so far is: is there a particular advantage or disadvantage when comparing the power input and output of the two LED strips? The Canadian one has way more power running through it; will it increase my power bill by more than is practical? I'm afraid my knowledge in this field is pretty much zero.

So that's it for now! I can't say when I will actually buy this stuff and get it started, Christmas is tight for a full-time student with no job...  But when I do order it I'll update this page again, with lots of pictures!

Thanks for reading!


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Neither of your links show the LEDs you're talking about.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic

You also need to add the cost of drivers/power source, wiring, etc.


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## verkion

Hrm...the cost of a 6A driver is going to be killer!!! Might be able to use multiple lower current drivers instead. Did you look at my LED build? I used 20W emitter plates...you could probably do with 1 x 20W emitter per foot which would net you a total output of 12000 Lumens or so. Or maybe, if you don't want so much light, just 4 emitters. 1 every 1.5 feet.

Cost breakdown if you did that:
4 x 20W Prime LED Emitter Plate = $85
4 x Reflector for the LEDs = $9 (I didn't use them because my LEDs are too close to the water surface. How much height can you get between the LEDs and the water?)
4 x 1300mA 20W Constant Current Driver = $30
4 x Heat-sinks = $40-$50 (Having determined that the heat-sink I got is massive overkill, my semi-educated guess is that a 4.230"x6" chunk is plenty per LED is enough heat dissipation IF you have decent airflow. I suppose I could sit down and actually calculate it out using basic thermodynamics equations...but its 2am. )

So, approximately $175 later, you have a setup that produces about double the light with a little extra work on your end, (drilling holes in the aluminum for screws, wiring etc.) I'd throw an extra $25 in for unanticipated materials, like if you don't have spare heat-sink/thermal paste at home, or extra long wires, or AC cords, switches (if you want...although I'm guessing you'll run it on a timer).

Thanks!
verkion


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## tony1928

You might want to check out some of the factory built led fixtures as well to see if thry are suitable for you. With prices falling, you may find the prices are close to build costs without the hassle. Of course, if you like to build things, then by all means, it sounds like a fun project. I myself purchased a kit by rapidled but ended up selling it.


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## verkion

BTW, if you are intent on using light strips...

108W 6500K-7000K 600x5050 SMD LED Light Strip - 10M = $73.30 <-- This is the same stuff as the 2nd roll you have listed I'm guessing, just double the length and half the price (roughly)  It's not waterproof but then again, you said you have lids on your tank so...

Oh lookie here! WATERPROOF 72W 6500K-7000K 300x5050 SMD LED Light Strip - 5M = $56.20 <-- Hrm...looks like some company is charging MASSIVE MARKUPS! 

Did I mention that those prices are with shipping included...and without tax? Oh, its USD so I guess it's $60 for the LEDs. LOL! I love DX 

Thanks!
verkion


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## saltwaterfish

more pictures show us ?


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## Mikaela

Augh sorry I totally forgot I posted this thread!  How bout an update?

I bought a 5-metre waterproof string of 300 5050 SMD LEDs from Hong Kong (only $30 with free shipping!), and got my dad to help me wire it all together. They're 5500K. I used steel closet door tracks (covered in a layer of aluminum tape) as heat sinks, and my dad had an awesome 6-amp power source collecting dust in the basement that we used! All I have to do now is use a hot glue gun to seal the exposed wire connections and it's ready to go! I'll take pictures once it's completely done and post them here!

Thanks for all the good advice on the great products. After all the expenses (including the hand-made wooden canopy), I didn't spend more than $50 for a beautiful LED light that has enough lumens to happily grow almost any type of plant in my 120-gallon tank, which for a broke university student is pretty damn good!


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## kevinle

I'm about to switch to a combination of warm white 5050's and cool white 3528 as I want them to fit flush against a flat piece of acrylic that I'm having lasercut for the top, so that I don't see the lights and which they can fit flush against the underside of. I'll just wrap the current strip around the Edge's stock fixture but don't think I'll be turning it on as I don't need that much light.


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## aquafunlover

Cool. Have pics? I want to compare with the build I just completed.


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## shift

How didn't your SMD led fixture work out. It's been working great on a small tank. I was debating doing it on my big one


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## effox

He hasn't been back here since he last posted in July.


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## shift

That's no fun. I have an array of smd LEDs in a s all tank that works well. I'm curious how well it would scale to my 84g!

You take the dual t5ho light and pack it full of the smd led strips.


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