# LED mounting question



## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

Can somebody give me a link to some LEDS that I can mount in a canopy? I'm not doing plants, the LED are just for viewing.

advice is more than welcome.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Have you considered DIY LED that would allow for good viewing, but also allow for plants one day should you choose to go that route... DIY bright LEDs can be added to later...

http://www.rapidled.com/servlet/StoreFront

I've not ordered from the above... but wanted to show you an example.


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

Thanks number6,

LED is a world of mystery...any idea what I would need just for viewing? I'm still trying to stay in a budget, but I like the shadow effect LEDs can give.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

*ahud*
I've got tanks with LED plant grow lights, christmas lights and I am considering trying out a small reef tank with the bright whites from the site I linked to... I can "view" the fish nicely in each.

You have to think about what you mean when you say "viewing". To some, that would mean as bright as a typical daylight T8 bulb would look. To others, it means that you can see the fish without a flashlight when the room light is on.

Once you've decided how bright or how upgrade-able you want then you can start the DIY process. 
My guess is that you'd be happy with the Xmas lights from Lowes/ Home Depot.

The all white version of these: http://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/ ... Id=3093071

stapled to a wooden hood of a tank will light up the tank reasonably well... I took mine off a tank recently or I'd snap a photo for you.


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

Number6,

If I go with one of the kits from the site you suggested, how do I know how many LEDs I need? The tank will be 72x18. Is there a general rule to give you a rough estimate of how many LEDs you need per foot?

I'm not picky about light, I want it bright enough that I can see everything, but I do not need it to have the intensity of the sun lol.


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## ksk_che_che (Sep 26, 2007)

Depends on the lumens outbut by the led. There are many different kinds now a days. Cheap dull ones or very bright expensive ones.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*To others, it means that you can see the fish without a flashlight when the room light is on. *
:lol: 
That`s good
:lol:

*but I like the shadow effect LEDs can give*

If that is what your looking for, the Xmas lights will probably leave you wanting.
The LED systems that give the most "shimmer" and down to the bottom lighting are a bit more complex than a string of tree lights.
The LED are rated at 1watt, or higher.
They mount in a reflective cone(just like a flashlight bulb) and often have glass lens covers that further intensify the light.
Unless you are up to spending more than a few bucks and are pretty good with a soldering iron, go with a string, or two of the Xmas lights.
Mount them up in your existing lighting and use them for evening, darkened room lighting.
Pretty cool effect, but don`t expect much in a normally lit room.
This stuff is changing quite quickly.
I would expect by this time next year, a pretty decent direct replacement for fluorescents will be available for a more reasonable cost.
If you do the string lights, give an update on how you liked them, if you would.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

ahud said:


> Number6,
> 
> If I go with one of the kits from the site you suggested, how do I know how many LEDs I need? The tank will be 72x18. Is there a general rule to give you a rough estimate of how many LEDs you need per foot?
> 
> I'm not picky about light, I want it bright enough that I can see everything, but I do not need it to have the intensity of the sun lol.


One LED manufacturer says it takes 55 3W LEDs to replace one 250W metal halide light... another says only 32 3W LEDs to equal the metal halide... you figure out who is right, who's not. :lol: One aquarium magazine recently judged LEDs as not quite there yet so they'd say there is NO equalizing the MH lamp. 

If you are aiming to replicate a 4ft T8 fluorescent tube, then I'd guess around 12 3W LEDs would be needed... it gets difficult to estimate though since the spread of the light is totally different. LEDs shine down, and not out like fluorescent. For even coverage, you might find that you need more LEDs to light a tank.

As you can see from the site I linked to... 36 LEDs get expensive! As Kaiser mentions... another year may change thngs... :thumb:


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

Here's a product I ran across when I was considering DIY LEDs:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-...ge&category=BARS&Page2Disp=/specs/SE-WFLS.htm

You don't have to do any soldering with these. From what I can tell, you just buy as many strips as you need and then a matching power supply.

Ulitmately, I just went with the Marineland LED light fixture simply because it was easier to use a ready-made product.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

*Here's a product I ran across when I was considering DIY LEDs: *

Been there, done that.
Initially got 2 strips that covered the 48in end to end.
In a normally lit room, you could hardly tell they were on.
Added 2 more and ended up with no difference.
They do look good at night, with the lighting in the room subdued.
They just don`t have the power to replace your tube lights.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

ahud said:


> Can somebody give me a link to some LEDS that I can mount in a canopy? I'm not doing plants, the LED are just for viewing.


I haven't tried these and they're not cheap but they have decent customer reviews and do seem to meet the criteria you've indicated in your post (assuming you can't wait a year till prices get more reasonable).

http://www.petsolutions.com/storefront/ ... trips.html


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## jrf (Nov 10, 2009)

KaiserSousay said:


> *Here's a product I ran across when I was considering DIY LEDs: *
> 
> Been there, done that.
> Initially got 2 strips that covered the 48in end to end.
> ...


I'll take that link off my list then. :lol:


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## DrDoom (Mar 1, 2010)

Here is an excellent guide for DIY LED setups. It is geared for moonlights, but you can apply the information to normal daylight lighting. Some basic soldering skill would be required.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169831

I purchased my LEDs, LED holders and resistors from http://unique-leds.com for VERY reasonable prices.


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

Dr. Doom,

Can you show me what you ordered?


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## DrDoom (Mar 1, 2010)

Ahud,

Since I wanted to build a moonlight, I went with the diffused 5mm blue LEDs. The diffused ones don't give the blue spotlight effect as much as normal LEDs do.

http://unique-leds.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=1619

I purchased 5mm chrome colored plastic LED holders to mount the LEDs into my light fixture. It made it very easy to mount them.

http://unique-leds.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=1805

I used a 470 ohm resistor, but the resistor amount will vary depending on your design. Just follow the equation from the guide I posted to determine what size resistor you will need.

http://unique-leds.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=1828


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## GeriJo (May 13, 2010)

You can buy waterproof strips of LEDs in various sizes and colors fairly cheap on ebay. I just silicone them in the tank on the under side of the plastic over hand from the top bracket. It's just the right size to hide everything.


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