The Tank

            I have a 210 Gallon, standard 6'X2'X29" reef tank that I wanted to create a lighting fixture that would grow my lps and some day sps corals.   The tank is a mix of everything.  Livestock includes Tangs: Hippo, Yellow, Chocolate, Powder Blue, Vlamingii, Red Fire Fish, Wrasses, Maroon Clown, Percula Clowns, Yellow Head Gobie, Neon Dottyback, Dragonets, Long Spine & Pencil Urchins, Anemones: Red Bubble Tip, Green Bubble Tip, Sebae, Carpet, & Long Tentacle.  Coral: Blue, Green & Pink Candy Canes, Ricordeas, Mushrooms, Zoos, Hammer, Frogspawn, Xenia, Palys, Green & Pink Gargonian, Green Star Polys, Sun Coral, Acans, Duncans, Galaxy, Kenya Trees, Devil's Hand, Toadstool, & Yellow Polyps.

Why LED?

            There were five driving factors that convinced me to go LED.  1 - HEAT - With the current MH/CFL setup I was running, the house would get so HOT in the summer, that the air conditioning could not keep up with the extra heat.  2 - ENERGY USED - Not only was the power bill going up from the air conditioning running all the time, the MHs and CFLs were using about 1134 Watts in just the bulbs, not including the ballasts - yet again running up the power bill unnecessarily. My LED setup ended up using about 612 Watts in just bulbs, with very efficient drivers, 53% less energy used!!!  3 - LIGHT SPREAD - I hated looking at my tank and seeing bright spots in the middle and having hardly any light at the edges.  I had to group my corals to a center location to allow them the light they needed.  4 - BULB REPLACEMENT - I hate replacing bulbs if they still work, even if it is recommended to change them every year.  LED would allow me to not have to worry about changing bulbs for at least 8-10 YEARS!!!    5 - COOL FACTOR - LEDs really bring a tank alive in my opinion.  The color rendition is nothing that I have ever seen with any other lighting, as well sunrise and sunset effects created by a controller are really cool.  I also love the fact with LED I can customize the color on the fly without changing bulbs.

What Is All Involved?

            I took a long time to research all the possibilities with LEDs, everything that would be involved, and answer questions that may arise along the way.  Questions like Can LEDs grow Corals?, How many LEDs would it take?, What LEDs would give the color spectrum I want?, Optics?, Will it really work?, etc.  Through all my research I finally decided to make the jump after Jake Adams did a presentation on LEDs with UTMAS - THANK YOU!

Thermal Management

            Thermal management (heat management) is a critical part to any LED setup.  LEDs get very hot and if not cooled properly they will burn up.  I went with a hefty heat sink that has 1/4"of solid heat sink material accompanied by 1" of fins to pull the heat away from the LEDs.  I found the best price for heat sinks at HeatSinkUSA.com.  With the size of my tank, and the lighting distribution I was looking to achieve, I decided to get enough heat sink material to cover 20"X20" over each section of the tank.  With Heat Sink USA, I purchased 6 pieces that were 10"X20" and then used metal clips to hold two together making my 20"X20" heat sink. 

            The next decision was active cooling or passive cooling.  I decided to do active cooling to ensure the LEDs stayed cooler rather than hotter.  I used computer fans and computer case connectors to connect the fan's together.  I found IPCQUEEN computer case fans at NewEgg.com for a very low price, a good CFM(flow rate) rating, and are relatively quiet.  I placed two on top of each 20"X20" heat sink and placed one at the back of the canopy to blow across the LEDs.

LED Selection

            After all my research I decided to 'go big' and have enough LEDs that I would not have to add more, worst case take a few out or turn down the intensity.  I decided to go with Cree LEDs for the fact that other aquarists had already used these and gotten favorable results.

            I decided to go with four different colors for LEDs.  This would allow me to get the color spectrum I want and have adjustability between the colors so I can control the exact coloring I want, even if what I want changes over time.  I decided on 50 of each: Cree XP-G Neutral White(3,700-5,000K), Cree XP-G Cool White(5000-8,300K), Cree XP-E Royal Blue(450-465nm), and Cree XP-E Blue(465-485nm).  I decided to go with this many LEDs to place them evenly across the tank to get a good even light distribution. As far as layout was concerned, I decided to go with a puck type design where one LED of each color would be within a few inches of each other allowing the color to mix and not have noticeable color spots(spot lights) throughout the tank.  I ordered my LEDs from RapidLED.com.

Drivers

            Drivers were my hardest challenge in my LED setup.  I found LEDs available all over the place but for a setup as large as I was attempting I needed some unique drivers that could power the array.  My goal was to find a driver that would power all LEDs of one color.  This would require four drivers in total, one for each color, as well something that had a dimming option that I could hook into my Neptune Apex controller.

I started looking at Meanwell drivers and after calculating out my need, it would require about 16 drivers to power my entire array.  The cost would have been way too high, as well I only had four dimming ports on my Apex!  I then heard about Thomas Research Drivers and identified a driver that would fit my application perfectly.  After contacting them directly, as well Nano Tuners to check price and availability, I hit a huge brick wall.  Thomas Research does not sell to individuals, only business, and Nano Tuners holds an exclusive distributing license for the aquarium trade.  Between contacting both parties the lead-time I was told was 12 weeks!  This was killing me - I wanted them NOW! 

I turned to ReefLEDLights.com due to recommendations and great information on the website.  I worked with Bill to help identify a possible driver for my application.  We discovered a LED driver manufacturer that was very similar to the Thomas Research driver that would be perfect for my application.  The company was called Inventronics-Co(.com) so I called them directly and was able to purchase my drivers directly from them, and have them shipped to my home.  ReefLEDlights.com now sells a few of the Inventronics drivers and likes these drivers a lot.

I used model number EUC-200S105DT from Inventronics: Constant Current, 200W, 1050mA dimmable driver.  I decided to go for a larger current rating to get as much light as possible from the LEDs.  I really cannot say enough positive things about Inventronics and their huge selection.  Their drivers work perfect, I do not have to worry about doing adjustments, as they self adjust, and they are very efficient, just as much as the Thomas Research Drivers.

Wiring & Connectors

            What a feat this was!  I destroyed a solder gun and almost a second in this process from all the soldering that is required!  With four channels of LEDs and the drivers I had selected, I decided on series wiring for each of the four drivers.  Each LED required two wires soldered to it, one positive and one negative.  200 LEDs X 2 Solder Joints Each = 400 Total Solder Joints, this took about TWELVE hours total.

            With that said it was definitely worth it.  I used a different color of wire for each LED color to easily be able to know which LED was which, as they look identical when not powered up.  I got the wire from Lowes in the sprinkler section.  I found 25 feet of solid core, 5 strand wire with good insulation for about $10.

            My next challenge was how to connect each array together.  I wanted some form of connector so that I could remove just one panel if I needed to replace a led or make any changes.  RA-ELCO to the rescue!  RA-ELCO is located in Salt Lake at 2780 S Main Street, and is HEAVEN for any electronics nerd!  They have fans, connectors, resistors, capacitors, and anything and everything you would ever need.  The store is floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall packed - it is almost daunting when you walk in.   I was able to find Molex connectors that I could put between each panel and a good strong connector to connect my drivers to the LED arrays, and a power supply for my fans.  They are very helpful and I paid so little for these items that I will absolutely be back for any other electronic needs.

Rail/Tray Design

            I designed a system that would hold each led array and be easily removed if I needed to do any adjustments.  I used aluminum 90-degree strips from Lowes, and screwed them into angle brackets, and attached them to the top of the canopy.

Glass Protection

            I used the same rail/tray design to put glass under the LED setup to keep any water or salt from getting on them.  I did not want to cut myself any time I needed to remove them so I picked up automotive door trim at AutoZone and cut it to length to cover the edges of the glass.

The Cost

            Brace yourself! LEDs are never cheap compared to other forms of lighting available today. Even after the cost I still feel it was worth it based on the Efficiency, Heat, Energy Used, Light Spread, Bulb Replacement, and the Cool Factor.

Even with this high of a cost, other comparable fixtures were almost twice the cost for functionality and output.

The Final Product

            I love my tank even more than before and enjoy sitting and looking at the awesome colors the LEDs bring out of corals and fish.  My Apex controls the LEDs to do a sunrise/sunset feature, as well I will be adding a cloud cover effect soon.

PAR Numbers

            My LEDs are 8" from the surface of the water with the glass sheets in between.  At 100% output just below the surface light is measured at 500 PAR.  Half way down the tank light is measured at 330 PAR.  At the sand bed light is measured at 250 PAR.  Some of the best 250W Metal Halide fixtures I have observed only output around 200 PAR at the sand bed.  I am thrilled to be getting this amount of light without optics. 

            Thank you Adam Blundell from WMAS for helping me measure PAR.

Your Next Step

GO LED!

I am willing to answer any questions you may have.  I also build custom LED fixtures as a side business, so feel free to contact me if you would like a setup done.

Also feel free to come take a look at the tank with the LEDs, I love sharing the beautiful colors that LEDs bring out of corals and fish, Everyone Should Catch The Fever And Go LED!

For full sized images Click Here