DIY moonlights for saltwater tanks

[malkore]

I built my own canopy, again, with a little different design (mostly due to the desire for plenty of clearance for a skimmer and a hang-on fuge).

So, the canopy is built and PC lighting is all installed. Where to get 'moonlights'?
Well a lotta people seem to like the LED's you can get relatively cheaply...and blue is usually used.
So I found this: http://www.xoxide.com/bluledligkit.html
$4 for a little block of 3 blue LED's. I bought 2 of these kits.

These are pre-wired with Molex connectors, which are the little white power plugs inside a computer case. Luckily Xoxide.com also sells this: http://www.xoxide.com/miposunocone.html
plugs into the wall and drops voltage to 12v, and can power 7 of those Lazer LED kits.

I got my kit, and that adapter is nothing more than a cordless phone AC adapter, with the end cut off and rewired to a molex plug. (don't get me wrong, the workmanship is fine, it's just amusing to me).


And there they are...in all their glory.
Total cost for the 2 LED Lazer kits plus the adapter, and shipping, was $21. I made brackets to hold the LED lights from a scrap piece of thick aluminum (from a PC case).

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Wow, if I had a reef tank, I would definatelly give it a go for only $21. Seeing as I don't, you didn't really inspire me so I had to abstain my vote.

*edit
After looking some more, I would love to get some of those to play around with. To my dismay they are out of those power supplies, otherwise my wallet would be about $21 lighter. I change my vote to yes.

 

[WarOrks15]

is that too bright? my moon lights i cant take a pic with them to see the glow but i can see when they are one and not. it just cast a light light to the tank.

 

[dustybrannum]

I actually made the circuit for mine and they are not that bright but they are also adjustable

 

[stresco]

Ummmm, No. I made my own moonlights last year sometime. But you did a great job, just a little too bright for my liking.

 

[malkore]

honestly they are NOT that bright. my digital camera is several years old, and is a fixed shutter speed supposedly. when I shot the pic, the shutter was open for like 5 seconds, so it came thru much brighter than reality.
I also photoshop'd the image to add some contrast, which makes it look brighter since the darks are darker.
I'm gonna see how the fish like it...cuz I can always dab a bit of paint on the tip of the bulb to diffuse the light just a hair.

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

you still don't get my vote since I have moonlights with less brightness.

 

[Atari]

Good job malkore. They look great

 

[malkore]

you still don't get my vote since I have moonlights with less brightness.

Do you want a cookie?

Besides I already told you they're not really as bright as the photo makes them look.

 

[Mr Burns]

hey, great find malkore! i may change my moonlights from the cold cathodes to these LEDs. the design seems to spread the light very nicely. i already have a 12V 1A power adapter that is wired for the cold cathodes, but if they are not the deep blue color that i want, i may have no choice but to go with these LEDs. does anybody know if they could be dimmed by regulating the voltage, say with a fan controller (zalman fanmate-1)? that would be wonderful

---
edit
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i may switch to the LEDs anyway since one of the cathode tubes doesn't take well to dimming. as i'm slowly decreasing the voltage, it goes to half-lit much sooner than the other tube. :?

 

[malkore]

yeah cold cathodes aren't designed to dim really, but an LED can dim. some install a dimmer switch even.

 

[dustybrannum]

you can also use a potentiometer in series with the led's to cause the dimming.

 

[Mr Burns]

would the zalman fanmate be ok though? dusty, any chance you could find a radioshack part number for the pot in case the zalman won't work? thanks

 

[dustybrannum]

I looked at the radio shack website and they did not have anything i would use. Of course the items they actually have at the store may be better. I will see if i can stop by there this evening and get you a number. I got my parts from my lab. As for the LED's I got mine from www.bgmicro.com . You want around 430 nm wavelengths. I have the circuit at home that I modeled my system from if you want to take a look at it.

 

[Mr Burns]

malkore - i may have overlooked it, but what size is that tank? thanks

 

[malkore]

40 gallon breeder: 36"x18"x16"

 

[Mr Burns]

does it look like the LEDs could be changed if need be, maybe to a different color?

 

[JProx]

Catalog #: 271-1716 is the number for a suitable 50k pot. it's a max wattage is a
.5watts so keep that in mind.

Burns to answer you question about the fanMate 1, i don't think it will work. it limits voltages from 12 - 5volts, and blue leds only operate at 4.2 and less. chances are the fan mate will not go low enough to effect the leds, unless you moded the fan mate, by replacing it's pot/rheostat. but to mod it you will need to get a smaller pot, and by then it would be easier to use a stand alone pot in the circuit and skip the fan mate all together.

 

[perrymedik]

I think this is a great find! I will definatly use it on my tank. I will probably need to use more then 2 units since I have a 125g tank. How far apart was the spacing with the two units you used?

As for dimming them with a fan switch, that sounds like a great idea. Any type of resistor based switch should do the trick. I don't know of LED's to be picky when you cut the power settings down.

As for those that didn't have nice things to say. Hush your mouths. Your mothers raised you better then that.

 

[malkore]

Yes LED's can be dimmed (if you've ever seen an iMac's pulsing apple logo...that's just an LED inside).

There's about 1 foot inbetween the two 'bricks'...and they're maybe 10" in from each end of the tank.