DIY LEDs All you need to know

[DarinSchmidt]

I have been using LEDs for some time now, and i have a 300g tank with 2 200w heaters, and i hardly ever see them turn on... but i dont get to watch it all day long, just the few hours before bed and on the weekend. The LEDs do put off some heat from the heatsink and warms up the room, so maybe ambient heat from the air has a huge effect on that.

[DarinSchmidt]

well, most of that heat comes from the power supply...

[lazylivin]

well, most of that heat comes from the power supply...

Really?......Come over and put one hand on my 400w Metal Halide Bulb and the other on it's digital ballast and tell me again where most of the heat comes from.

My heaters run 65% of the time. That is 700w 16 hours per day. The only time they are off is when the lights are on. If I had LED's they would be on 100%. So this has to be factored in to the equation.

[DarinSchmidt]

Really?......Come over and put one hand on my 400w Metal Halide Bulb and the other on it's digital ballast and tell me again where most of the heat comes from.

My heaters run 65% of the time. That is 700w 16 hours per day. The only time they are off is when the lights are on. If I had LED's they would be on 100%. So this has to be factored in to the equation.

I was talking about my LEDs.

[Wall_Tank]

My heaters run 65% of the time. That is 700w 16 hours per day. The only time they are off is when the lights are on. If I had LED's they would be on 100%. So this has to be factored in to the equation.

I still want to know how your are super cooling your tank.   Probably the surface area of your 125 + 75 +75 + sump.   My basement setup does not get that cold.   Are you having a humidity problem in your basement?

 For your situation, you have to look at just the efficiency difference of the lights heating your water vs the heaters.   Lets see how heat does this summer time with your tank.   The savings in your case is probably not as high........

[Viggen]

That's a good point with the heaters...... I do not have a chiller & do not plan on using one, my last tank didn't need one so hopefully this one doesn't. 

http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/RB-PM48-W.html  48in, 72w .... not sure if 2 or 4 would be needed

http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/VX-LF-ILLW4.html  48in, consumer 17w per foot

http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/CU-USA3032.html 48in, 30w - These I can get for $150ish ea

[lazylivin]

The 125 has a sealed canopy, both 75's and 50 in basement are fully insulated with Styrofoam all the way around the sides including the front viewing area and one of the 75's top is insulated. So the only open section is the top of the 75 and 50. I don't have a humidity problem in the basement because I run a duhumidifer and always have even before the tanks were their. If I didn't there would absolutely be a humidity issue in spring summer and fall. The dehumider doesn't kick on in the winter though. Prior to to the tank insulation the 700w of heat couldn't keep up. The heaters kick on at 78F and it would get down to 76F until Insulated. Occasionally it still goes below 78 even with the insulation. Winter the basement tempatures were 64F main floor 68F. Summer I will run 72 on main floor and hopefully the basement will warm up to save money

[DarinSchmidt]

this one is close to the same design as mine, but i use XPG whites for more efficiency. www.premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/VX-LF-ILLW4.html Mine uses 28 LEDs and costs less to make. But i like that fixture, its nice and clean. Looks like they just used some of that aluminum bracketing you can get for really cheap.