# DIY LED reef light



## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

i am looking to build led reef light kit for my 75g tank. i need help to find out how many of each color of led i need for full spectrum led for my 75g tank..in past i was using my 175wx2 MH fixture where i added 3pcs of 10w led flood light with my MH and they worked good but now i wanna go full on with complete led setup . i also need to find out what kind of led driver should i use for these led's

i have listed the led's i have so far .. i 

1. 50pcs 3w led cool white 6500k 
2. 25pcs 3w led cool white 10,000k 
3. 50pcs 3w led Royal blue 455nm
4. 25pcs 3w led blue 470nm
5. 10pcs 3w led UV 410nm
6. 2pcs 3w led red 660nm
7. 2pcs 3w led green 520nm


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

raheelahmed said:


> 1. 50pcs 3w led cool white 6500k
> 2. 25pcs 3w led cool white 10,000k
> 3. 50pcs 3w led Royal blue 455nm
> 4. 25pcs 3w led blue 470nm
> ...


Nix the 6500K's. Especially that many. The light you will get is too yellow. A better ratio to try might be 50x 10,000K, 50x blue, and 50x royal blue. Personally I'd avoid more than 2-3 greens, but try 5-6 reds on dimmers. They'll give you the purple hue that Fiji purple T5's would. UV's are a must. They'll give your corals that neon pop they need.

For a driver you'll have to figure out if you want to use a constant current or constant voltage driver. It's all in how they are wired. Most DIY LED sites seem to recommend constant current, but I have had nothing but trouble from them (we do kitchen cabinet and accent lighting with LED's at work). It may also depend on how you want to control the lighting circuits and dimmers.

You'll need approx 500 watts of power, so you'll surely need multiple drivers either way.

Personally I prefer to run constant voltage, therefore I keep all my components running at 12 volts, which means that its easy to find cheap universal parts like timers and dimmers. LMK if you want to go this route, I can hook you up with product links.

You could also build 2 or 3 smaller modules, which would allow you to play with different setups of colours, etc.

500 watts is a lot of light power for a 75 gallon, but if you're on dimmers, you can always dial it down. Its better than not having enough power. I have 320 watts on my 90 and it's sufficient

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

i will not be using these many led's .. actually i sell led light to companies.. i have a led business so i order some led's from my supplier to make a diy project.

i just cannot figure it out the led driver for serial connection. cause my led's are 700ma and 3.2-3.6v, since i am not a electrician i cannot figure out these MA and Watts calculation. i went to this store who sell led driver & he is like just get the one with 100watts so you can run 40x3w led.. but when i ask him about the MA range he had no idea about it.. cause if i do not use a correct driver the led will not give me the correct output


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## JamesHurst (Mar 1, 2013)

Here's some reading:

http://www.rapidled.com/led-university-1/


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

after doing alot of research i found a driver and the specs are:
Constant Current LED Driver for 18-25pcs x 3W - In.85-256VAC, 680mA, 75W


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

*update*

this so far what i have done. i have a 2x175w MQ fixture the i am converting to led fixture so i do not have to buy heat sink that cost alot of money.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

This thread now requires photos.... 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

*pictures*

so this is my MH fixture..


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

i took the metal plate that slide into the fixture where the moon light were install ed and install 8x3w royal blue 455nm led's


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

i used 8x3w led royal blue 455nm each side.



these blue leds are extremely power full


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## raheelahmed (Dec 15, 2012)

at this stage i was just testing all my option to see what driver i would need or where & how should i place my led, so this is just a rough look to my project.. i am not even using the proper led driver at this time to run these lights. currently i am using a led driver that came with my 3x3w(total 9w) led bulb that i bought for my house & i am running 4x3w led on this driver.and the results r epic..cannot wait for the actual driver to arrive ..

let me know if u guys have any suggestion


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