High-Power LED Fixture for a Planted Tank
- Thread starter BigJim
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
The N
ratio is a concern. Everything I've read says aim for a 10:1 N ratio. I think the plants are actually using less phosphorus since I've cut back on the micros, but the N ratio has been off since I started the PPS Pro regimen. I can't imagine who can use the stock PPS Pro formula. I've got a ton of fish in the tank and I still have a nitrogen shortage. I'm nearly finished with my dosing calculator. Once I have that working, I'll start tweaking the fert mix.
On a positive note, I found a $0.97 glass bud vase at Walmart that might work as a drop checker after it meets my Dremel tool and hot glue gun. If I have time tomorrow after sanding drywall and painting trim, I'll give it a shot. I bought two vases in case of manufacturing mishaps.
ratio is a concern. Everything I've read says aim for a 10:1 N ratio. I think the plants are actually using less phosphorus since I've cut back on the micros, but the N ratio has been off since I started the PPS Pro regimen. I can't imagine who can use the stock PPS Pro formula. I've got a ton of fish in the tank and I still have a nitrogen shortage. I'm nearly finished with my dosing calculator. Once I have that working, I'll start tweaking the fert mix.On a positive note, I found a $0.97 glass bud vase at Walmart that might work as a drop checker after it meets my Dremel tool and hot glue gun. If I have time tomorrow after sanding drywall and painting trim, I'll give it a shot. I bought two vases in case of manufacturing mishaps.
Crepe
Aquarium Advice Addict
Funny you should say that since I have a nitrogen excess with pps. I believe that any ratios you've got are pretty much thrown out the window when you have excess in nutrients. I don't really test too much or worry about nutrients. If I'm between .5-5 phosphates and 10-60 nitrates I'm alright.
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
I wouldn't be worried either if I didn't have an algae issue. The plants are all growing like weeds, so I know they're happy. I'll get it sorted.
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Sorry for the long absence. Life's been getting in the way of me posting.
I finally had enough of the hair algae so I tore out the infested plants today, cleaned the leaves I could, removed the leaves that were too far gone, and replanted. The telanthera and nesaea suffered a bit, but the rest of the plants are ok.
Some good news is I think I'm starting to get a handle on my ferts. I added enough KNO3 to nearly double the nitrate per dose. To get it all to dissolve, I had to dilute the macro fert solution a bit. This should work in my favor since it'll reduce the phosphate dose. Before a PWC today, the phosphates were down to ~0.5ppm and the nitrates were 5-10ppm. The plan now is to keep dosing the macros like I was and cut the micros dose in half.
More good news is the plants are growing like weeds. The glosso carpet is nearly covering the entire bottom of the tank, including under the other plants. I think I even saw a few runners going through the crypt lutea. I also added a few new plants. I got didiplis diandra (blood stargrass) and mayaca fluviatilis. Both are doing well. I also added a few sprigs of caradamine lyrata to see how it does.
I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. The tank was too stirred up from the renovations today.
I finally had enough of the hair algae so I tore out the infested plants today, cleaned the leaves I could, removed the leaves that were too far gone, and replanted. The telanthera and nesaea suffered a bit, but the rest of the plants are ok.
Some good news is I think I'm starting to get a handle on my ferts. I added enough KNO3 to nearly double the nitrate per dose. To get it all to dissolve, I had to dilute the macro fert solution a bit. This should work in my favor since it'll reduce the phosphate dose. Before a PWC today, the phosphates were down to ~0.5ppm and the nitrates were 5-10ppm. The plan now is to keep dosing the macros like I was and cut the micros dose in half.
More good news is the plants are growing like weeds. The glosso carpet is nearly covering the entire bottom of the tank, including under the other plants. I think I even saw a few runners going through the crypt lutea. I also added a few new plants. I got didiplis diandra (blood stargrass) and mayaca fluviatilis. Both are doing well. I also added a few sprigs of caradamine lyrata to see how it does.
I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow. The tank was too stirred up from the renovations today.
OP
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Finally got some pictures.
Here you can see the carnage from my battle with the hair algae. There's still some lurking in spots, but I think I'm winning at the moment. Reconfiguring my ferts seemed to do the trick.
I took a scissors to the glosso today. It was getting too tall so I cut it down to about an inch or so. I'm going to be pulling the cuttings out for the next month. I tried skimming them, but I missed a bunch.
I moved the nesaea up to the front of the tank on the right side. Despite the algae issues, I haven't managed to kill the nesaea yet.
The ambulia is still growing like a weed. I trimmed the tops and replanted them today to fill in where the rotala was before.
Here's a shot of the blood stargrass. It's starting to take off now. You can also see the new growth on the rotala. I think it likes having some more nitrate in the water.
After playing with my mom's camera a few weeks ago, I realize just how terrible mine is. I may have to see if I can do something about it. In the meantime, I apologize for the picture quality.
I've tried twice to make a drop checker and failed miserably. I used a quarter machine egg and a baby bottle nipple for the first attempt. I tried hot gluing a suction cup to the egg and it fell off. Then the nipple started peeling away from the egg. I tried Crepe's method of using an API test tube. I had problems with the cap leaking, so I used some hot glue to seal the leaks. It worked, but today I pulled the cap off to check the solution and I cracked the tube putting the cap back on. I found a small glass jar with a screw lid. I'm leak testing the cap now. If it's sound, I'll have another go at a drop checker tonight.
I've been losing adult guppies like crazy the last few days. I've been having some issues with my CO2 setup and I'm wondering if the pH fluctuations are killing the fish. There's no outward sign of illness, but I've pulled seven dead fish from the tank in as many days.
Here you can see the carnage from my battle with the hair algae. There's still some lurking in spots, but I think I'm winning at the moment. Reconfiguring my ferts seemed to do the trick.
I took a scissors to the glosso today. It was getting too tall so I cut it down to about an inch or so. I'm going to be pulling the cuttings out for the next month. I tried skimming them, but I missed a bunch.
I moved the nesaea up to the front of the tank on the right side. Despite the algae issues, I haven't managed to kill the nesaea yet.
The ambulia is still growing like a weed. I trimmed the tops and replanted them today to fill in where the rotala was before.
Here's a shot of the blood stargrass. It's starting to take off now. You can also see the new growth on the rotala. I think it likes having some more nitrate in the water.
After playing with my mom's camera a few weeks ago, I realize just how terrible mine is. I may have to see if I can do something about it. In the meantime, I apologize for the picture quality.
I've tried twice to make a drop checker and failed miserably. I used a quarter machine egg and a baby bottle nipple for the first attempt. I tried hot gluing a suction cup to the egg and it fell off. Then the nipple started peeling away from the egg. I tried Crepe's method of using an API test tube. I had problems with the cap leaking, so I used some hot glue to seal the leaks. It worked, but today I pulled the cap off to check the solution and I cracked the tube putting the cap back on. I found a small glass jar with a screw lid. I'm leak testing the cap now. If it's sound, I'll have another go at a drop checker tonight.
I've been losing adult guppies like crazy the last few days. I've been having some issues with my CO2 setup and I'm wondering if the pH fluctuations are killing the fish. There's no outward sign of illness, but I've pulled seven dead fish from the tank in as many days.
You know you can get 3 drop checkers on ebay right now for $9 with shipping right? I know, I know... the build is half the fun.
It is looking great! I can't believe how much that glosso has filled in. That ambulia looks excellent too!
I know, I know... the build is half the fun.It is looking great! I can't believe how much that glosso has filled in. That ambulia looks excellent too!
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
The whole waiting 4-6 weeks for the drop checkers to ship from Asia bugs me. If this last attempt fails, I may be going that route though.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
Haha, they ship directly from Default, Default, Hong Kong. Must be quite a ways away... I ordered 3 too.
Tank looks great. That glosso looks fantastic. How long did it take to grow that much? And how do you keep BBA off of it?
Tank looks great. That glosso looks fantastic. How long did it take to grow that much? And how do you keep BBA off of it?
OP
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks mfd. Looking back, the glosso has been in the tank since about the beginning of march, so about 10 weeks. I've found the first BBA in the tank just this week and I'm pretty sure it's there because I was screwing with the CO2 because I switched bottles. It's on the mayaca, not the glosso.
The good news is I've got a drop checker that works. I found a little glass bottle with a screw cap in my garage. I drilled a hole and pulled a piece of clear air line through the cap. I had to make a gasket out of a piece of plastic, but it's working well.
The good news is I've got a drop checker that works. I found a little glass bottle with a screw cap in my garage. I drilled a hole and pulled a piece of clear air line through the cap. I had to make a gasket out of a piece of plastic, but it's working well.
OP
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Plans for a busy weekend forced tank maintenance to this evening. Things are looking up in the tank.
The good:
- No more fish deaths. I finally got a drop checker to work well so I have a qualitative idea about how much CO2 I've got in the tank. I was able to cut back on the BPS rate a little and it's been stable.
- The hair algae is receding. I've been dosing 2mL of macros and 1-1.5mL of micros. Cutting back on the micros seems to have worked.
- The plants are growing well. The mayaca and diandra have settled in nicely and the rotala wallichii is actually starting to grow.
The bad:
- I've got a small breakout of BBA. I'm blaming it on me screwing with the CO2. I need to get some H2O2 to treat it.
- My nutrient levels are off again. I'm completely bottoming out on nitrates. Test results today were:
NO3 - 0ppm
PO4 - 3-4ppm
I'm tempted to start dry dosing nitrates to keep up. I'm also contemplating moving some guppies and adding some heavier bioload to the tank. Any suggestions? Off the top of my head I'm thinking maybe a mystery snail or two.
The other:
- Now that I get home from work at a reasonable hour, I'm thinking about switching from my split photo period back to a single period to see if I get any better growth.
- I've got a rough plan for the hardware necessary to create sunrise/sunset effects. I need to get some ICs and start playing with the code.
The good:
- No more fish deaths. I finally got a drop checker to work well so I have a qualitative idea about how much CO2 I've got in the tank. I was able to cut back on the BPS rate a little and it's been stable.
- The hair algae is receding. I've been dosing 2mL of macros and 1-1.5mL of micros. Cutting back on the micros seems to have worked.
- The plants are growing well. The mayaca and diandra have settled in nicely and the rotala wallichii is actually starting to grow.
The bad:
- I've got a small breakout of BBA. I'm blaming it on me screwing with the CO2. I need to get some H2O2 to treat it.
- My nutrient levels are off again. I'm completely bottoming out on nitrates. Test results today were:
NO3 - 0ppm
PO4 - 3-4ppm
I'm tempted to start dry dosing nitrates to keep up. I'm also contemplating moving some guppies and adding some heavier bioload to the tank. Any suggestions? Off the top of my head I'm thinking maybe a mystery snail or two.
The other:
- Now that I get home from work at a reasonable hour, I'm thinking about switching from my split photo period back to a single period to see if I get any better growth.
- I've got a rough plan for the hardware necessary to create sunrise/sunset effects. I need to get some ICs and start playing with the code.
Pecktec
Aquarium Advice Freak
So if I wanted to set somthing simular up for a 55 could I just double the parts? Im not real savy on these things and Im wondering if I need one big driver or two smaller ones. Also did you look at the higher watage LEDs or is that over kill?
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
It really depends on how you want to set up the light. You could simply double my setup or you could use a different driver. You need 1A of power per leg of LEDs and ~3.5V per LED in the leg. A 4A 15-18V driver would allow you to double my 2-leg x 5 LED setup. A 2A 30-36V driver would let you run a 2-leg x 10 LED fixture. It's really how you want to lay it out and wire it.
I'm already using 3W LEDs here. I don't think Cree makes any single diode LEDs that are more powerful. I know Luxeon does, but I had heard better reviews on the Crees, even though they're smaller. At this point, I think my tank is nutrient limited and that's how I want it. Any more light would just be a waste.
I'm already using 3W LEDs here. I don't think Cree makes any single diode LEDs that are more powerful. I know Luxeon does, but I had heard better reviews on the Crees, even though they're smaller. At this point, I think my tank is nutrient limited and that's how I want it. Any more light would just be a waste.
stevesleds carries epistar LEDs that are 3w and not as pricey as cree and have roughly the same PAR as the Crees. BigJim is spot on there are some drivers available form Meanwell that are relatively plug and play and you can run a string of 6 LEDs @ 700mAh without any problems and they are +/- 15 bucks a piece. Then there are BuckPuck or Bucking linear drivers available that require a DC voltage source. Go take a look at nano-reef for some awesome LED advice under their lighting section. Reefers have been using them with great results for the last few years and there are quite a few builds on there to get you started. Remember though they are shooting for a TON more light than you will need for a planted FW tank
Pecktec
Aquarium Advice Freak
I found a cool company called Rapid LED who sell retro fit kits. I wrote them and they were very nice. I already ordered this four panel set from eBay and I already regret it. But they were cheap and ready built so I will try them out.
BIGJIM
I'm impressed with your project and glosso growth and I'm sold.
Any advice on the LED temperature? You used (Cree Flux/Color BIN: Q5 WG), but on the rapid website recommended by Pecktec (Results for LEDs:White LEDs) they got quite a bit neutral/cool/warm white with/without lens, any advantage?
I currently running compact(DIYed), 55Wx2 in a plantless tank, hoping to restart my planted using LED.
Cheers
Singapore -Mike
I'm impressed with your project and glosso growth and I'm sold.
Any advice on the LED temperature? You used (Cree Flux/Color BIN: Q5 WG), but on the rapid website recommended by Pecktec (Results for LEDs:White LEDs) they got quite a bit neutral/cool/warm white with/without lens, any advantage?
I currently running compact(DIYed), 55Wx2 in a plantless tank, hoping to restart my planted using LED.
Cheers
Singapore -Mike
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
Mike, I went with the cool white LEDs because I like the bluer color and I'd seen other planted tanks thrive under them. There's some debate as to whether warm white would provide some beneficial extra red light and I may play with it on my next build, but I think the results speak for themselves.
Since the weather finally broke around Chicago, I've been busy landscaping and doing umpteen other things outside, hence the lack of updates. I'll try to get some pictures this week. The plants are finally starting to fill back in after my war on hair algae.
Since the weather finally broke around Chicago, I've been busy landscaping and doing umpteen other things outside, hence the lack of updates. I'll try to get some pictures this week. The plants are finally starting to fill back in after my war on hair algae.
BigJim, Did you had a "formula" to derive the number of LED to use?
I've been talking to an experienced aquarist, he said I would need 50pcs 3WCree to match a 150W MH in terms of lumens! Wow!
But judging from yours @2/3 power, I don't think lumen measurement applies.
Wats your recommendation for a 5ft tank (~130G)?
Thanks.
I've been talking to an experienced aquarist, he said I would need 50pcs 3WCree to match a 150W MH in terms of lumens! Wow!
But judging from yours @2/3 power, I don't think lumen measurement applies.
Wats your recommendation for a 5ft tank (~130G)?
Thanks.
Bud
Aquarium Advice Freak
Excellent job on this, BigJim. I hadn't read this thread before and just sat down and read the whole thing. The tank looks fantastic! I'm really impressed with how well the plants have done and the overall design of things.
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