# DIY LED lighting system.



## 4rdguy (Nov 27, 2010)

Hiya peoples.

I got an idea the other day about a DIY LED lighting system, so i designed one for my new 80g tank (dimension 40L x 20W x 24T)

this is just a test one i made up quickly. and so far i think it has turned out quite well. the amount of LEDs will more then Quadruple with my full design from what i have done now.

the real one will have a proper hood made from ABS plastic. im lucky enough to have access to a CNC machine and vacuum forming machine and a background in electronics.

the blue "moonlights" will be on a separate circuit with a separate power supply so one can have both the whites and blues run from timers if you wish, as well as having individual switches on the hood itself.

im shooting for the hood to look something like this one pictured below (with the triangular roof style design) except with LEDs.










Here are the pics of my tank with my "test fixture" mocked up.
right now 50% of the LEDs are blue and 50% are white. on my final one i think im going to shoot for about 15-25% blue and 75-85% white as i personally find the blues a little overpowering at 50%, but to each their own.
*
here is BLUE AND WHITE on*










*here is WHITE ONLY on*









*
here is BLUE ONLY on*










*And PLEASE let me know what you think about it. this is going to be a non planted African cichlid tank. and if the lighting and "hood" turn out well i may just start making these to order for people.*

Updates will follow as i get the products i need in. alot are in the shipping stages right now.

.


----------



## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Looks great, but do you really need a blue light for growing plants and for ciclids?


----------



## 4rdguy (Nov 27, 2010)

I'm not planning on growing any plants. And the blue is there for some extra coloration. To make the colors pop a bit more with the cichlids. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I really hate the look of the blue, and blue/white. Then again, I don't care for light above 6500K.


----------

