I've been looking into LEDs for a while and I found all of your information quite helpful. I'm thinking about replacing the fluorescent lights in my stock hood with LEDs simply for the increased light. Anyways, since installing your LED system two weeks ago, is there anything you wish you did differently or any advice to give me? How are the plants looking? Have you bumped the lighting above 2/3 power yet?
High-Power LED Fixture for a Planted Tank
- Thread starter BigJim
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BigJim
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There are a few things I wish I'd done differently, but most of them are pretty trivial:
1. I should have run the wires through the fixture. It would have been a pain in the neck to drill all the extra holes and thread the wire through, but I think it would have been worth it from an aesthetics perspective.
2. I would have used smaller screws. The 8-32s I used were overkill and I had to use nylon washers to make sure the wiring was insulated from the screws holding the LEDs down.
3. I don't think I would have bothered with making the fixture rockable. I didn't take the thickness of the square tube into account so I still have to slide the fixture back on the tank a little to open the lid.
4. I would have used a linear potentiometer for dimming. The audio pot I'm using adjusts on a logarithmic scale so I don't get any dimming except for the last 1/4 turn of the pot.
5. I'd make a few minor changes in the frame design. Nothing major, just flipping a few members around and adjusting a couple lengths for easier assembly and better adjustability.
6. I'd have ordered all the electrical components together to save money.
I had to turn the LEDs down to 2/3 power after the tank had a GSA breakout in less than two days at full power. I've got dry ferts on the way and I'm hoping to get a CO2 tank for my birthday in a couple weeks. After I've got that stuff, I'll try cranking up the lights and see what happens. Even at 2/3 power, I've got a whitish film on the glass.
The good news is the plants are doing very well. I pulled out all the anacharis and most of the guppy grass to make some room for different plants. fort384 sent me some glosso and some rotala wallichii that are growing well. The rotala is a poor shipper and came out of the box looking a little wilted, but it's perked up now and turning a nice pinkish-red. My asian ambulia pretty much died off under the T5 light, but it's coming back with the LEDs. My crypt lutea is developing some pinholes in the leaves which is a sign of potassium deficiency. I'm hoping that starting a fertilizer regimen will boost the growth of the plants.
I've been crazy busy this week with work and trying to get my wife's car back on the road. If I get a chance this weekend, I'll take some pictures of the tank if it's presentable.
1. I should have run the wires through the fixture. It would have been a pain in the neck to drill all the extra holes and thread the wire through, but I think it would have been worth it from an aesthetics perspective.
2. I would have used smaller screws. The 8-32s I used were overkill and I had to use nylon washers to make sure the wiring was insulated from the screws holding the LEDs down.
3. I don't think I would have bothered with making the fixture rockable. I didn't take the thickness of the square tube into account so I still have to slide the fixture back on the tank a little to open the lid.
4. I would have used a linear potentiometer for dimming. The audio pot I'm using adjusts on a logarithmic scale so I don't get any dimming except for the last 1/4 turn of the pot.
5. I'd make a few minor changes in the frame design. Nothing major, just flipping a few members around and adjusting a couple lengths for easier assembly and better adjustability.
6. I'd have ordered all the electrical components together to save money.
I had to turn the LEDs down to 2/3 power after the tank had a GSA breakout in less than two days at full power. I've got dry ferts on the way and I'm hoping to get a CO2 tank for my birthday in a couple weeks. After I've got that stuff, I'll try cranking up the lights and see what happens. Even at 2/3 power, I've got a whitish film on the glass.
The good news is the plants are doing very well. I pulled out all the anacharis and most of the guppy grass to make some room for different plants. fort384 sent me some glosso and some rotala wallichii that are growing well. The rotala is a poor shipper and came out of the box looking a little wilted, but it's perked up now and turning a nice pinkish-red. My asian ambulia pretty much died off under the T5 light, but it's coming back with the LEDs. My crypt lutea is developing some pinholes in the leaves which is a sign of potassium deficiency. I'm hoping that starting a fertilizer regimen will boost the growth of the plants.
I've been crazy busy this week with work and trying to get my wife's car back on the road. If I get a chance this weekend, I'll take some pictures of the tank if it's presentable.
Well that is a great testimonial. I think that's the route im going to go since its worked for you and it's very cheap. The leds you chose don't light up the red spectrum as much as id like but it is still much better than what I have. I might even run some tests in the future to see what works best.
I can't wait to see those pictures.
I can't wait to see those pictures.
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
I could have run both warm white and cool white LEDs to get a more complete spectrum, but that would have complicated the build. If the LEDs aren't nearly identical in their power demands, they can't be wired together. I've seen a few builds where someone tried running blue LEDs and white LEDs together in series and it resulted in a lot of blown LEDs and a very expensive lesson.
+1 for DIY and also +1 for LEDs in general.
I just recently upgraded my 26gal Bowfront to a LED fixture but I went the retail route (Marineland's Double-bright 18"-24" fixture) and I have to say that it is a fantastic improvement over the stock single CFL I had in the old hood.
I was able to replace the stock black plastic lid with a glass top (awesome for looking down on your fish) - and the improved lighting has inspired me to try growing some easy low light plants (Anarchis, Ludwigia Repens, Anubias Nana) with nothing but a gravel substrate and weekly doses of Flourish.
I just recently upgraded my 26gal Bowfront to a LED fixture but I went the retail route (Marineland's Double-bright 18"-24" fixture) and I have to say that it is a fantastic improvement over the stock single CFL I had in the old hood.
I was able to replace the stock black plastic lid with a glass top (awesome for looking down on your fish) - and the improved lighting has inspired me to try growing some easy low light plants (Anarchis, Ludwigia Repens, Anubias Nana) with nothing but a gravel substrate and weekly doses of Flourish.
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
I followed this: DealExtreme: Customer Uploaded Photo Gallery - 2000mA 30W Power Constant Current Source LED Driver (85~265V)
It's in the customer images section on the LED driver page I linked to earlier in the thread. I have no idea how the poster figured out which resistor could be used to control the current, but it does work.
It's in the customer images section on the LED driver page I linked to earlier in the thread. I have no idea how the poster figured out which resistor could be used to control the current, but it does work.
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BigJim
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As promised, here's some pictures of the tank.
Here's a shot of the tank shortly after I added the LED fixture.
Here's the tank after I removed a bunch of the low-light plants to make room for the high-light plants. Left to right: water sprite, asian ambulia, glossostigma elatinoides, crypt parva, moneywort, rotala wallichii, crypt lutea, more rotala wallichii, guppy grass.
I got my dry ferts!
I decided to give the PPS Pro method a try. I mixed up a batch of macro ferts in a 1L Green River bottle and dosed all my tanks today. I should have a second bottle soon to mix up the micro ferts. In the meantime, I dosed Flourish in addition to the macro mixture. I don't have CO2 injection on the tank yet. Hopefully my swarm of guppies will provide enough to prevent a massive algae bloom.
Here's a shot of the tank shortly after I added the LED fixture.
Here's the tank after I removed a bunch of the low-light plants to make room for the high-light plants. Left to right: water sprite, asian ambulia, glossostigma elatinoides, crypt parva, moneywort, rotala wallichii, crypt lutea, more rotala wallichii, guppy grass.
I got my dry ferts!
I decided to give the PPS Pro method a try. I mixed up a batch of macro ferts in a 1L Green River bottle and dosed all my tanks today. I should have a second bottle soon to mix up the micro ferts. In the meantime, I dosed Flourish in addition to the macro mixture. I don't have CO2 injection on the tank yet. Hopefully my swarm of guppies will provide enough to prevent a massive algae bloom.
Holy epsom salt, 4lbs!?! Tank looks good, get that thing planted heavier! I'll have some trimmings available in a week or two - Just got a new load of plants last week. I also started PPS Pro dosing yesterday with my new auto doser. I posted a build thread in the DIY section if you are interested.
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Aquatic_Adam
Aquarium Advice Addict
BigJim said:
I will be following this with eager eyes. This is exactly what I want to do for my bichir tank. I am a fourth year electrical engineering student at the university of Toledo. Good luck!
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BigJim
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That 4lb of epsom salts was something like $1 at the grocery store. I've had it sitting around for a while and my wife was getting on my case because they were taking up room under her sink in the kitchen. She's happy now because I'm putting them to good use.
I mixed up my micro ferts last night. In a stroke of luck I found a syringe marked in mL in my junk box. In a stroke of genius I modified my fert bottles so I can dose macros and micros to four tanks in about two minutes. I punched a hole in the bottle cap and pulled a piece of airline through so about 1/2" is out of the bottle and the rest reaches down to the bottom. I drilled a small vent hole next to the air line and now I can suck fertilizers out of the bottle quickly and neatly. I'll post some pictures of it if I get home at a decent time tonight.
It might be my imagination, but I think the plants are growing really fast since I started with the ferts. I found a piece of what I'm assuming is rotala sitting on the glosso this morning that's about 5" long. I know it wasn't there Saturday when I did my PWCs and I don't think it escaped from the ground. I'm thinking it might the small piece (1/2") that I'd left floating because it was too short to plant. The water sprite is definitely growing and reaching up towards the light and the GSA on the glass is growing.
I'm sure the tank will get very full very fast. I'd like to see how these plants grow before I stuff more in. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be trimming and replanting stems in a week or two. I did look at Petsmart for some telanthera rosefolia while I was waiting for my wife's Jeep to get aligned, but no dice.
I looked at your autodoser thread meegosh and several others. I'm not quite ready to try it yet. I've got four tanks with various light levels that I've started dosing as an experiment. I'd like to figure out a way to minimize the number of pumps I'd need. I know where there's an automatic watering system on clearance that could possibly be used as an autodoser for multiple tanks. It'd take some tuning though.
Predfan, don't hold your breath. Right now I've got a living room torn apart, two bathrooms in need of remodeling, and an entire house to landscape. For some reason my wife thinks the house rates higher on the priority list than my aquarium lights. The lighting effects might have to wait for my next LED build.
I mixed up my micro ferts last night. In a stroke of luck I found a syringe marked in mL in my junk box. In a stroke of genius I modified my fert bottles so I can dose macros and micros to four tanks in about two minutes. I punched a hole in the bottle cap and pulled a piece of airline through so about 1/2" is out of the bottle and the rest reaches down to the bottom. I drilled a small vent hole next to the air line and now I can suck fertilizers out of the bottle quickly and neatly. I'll post some pictures of it if I get home at a decent time tonight.
It might be my imagination, but I think the plants are growing really fast since I started with the ferts. I found a piece of what I'm assuming is rotala sitting on the glosso this morning that's about 5" long. I know it wasn't there Saturday when I did my PWCs and I don't think it escaped from the ground. I'm thinking it might the small piece (1/2") that I'd left floating because it was too short to plant. The water sprite is definitely growing and reaching up towards the light and the GSA on the glass is growing.
I'm sure the tank will get very full very fast. I'd like to see how these plants grow before I stuff more in. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be trimming and replanting stems in a week or two. I did look at Petsmart for some telanthera rosefolia while I was waiting for my wife's Jeep to get aligned, but no dice.
I looked at your autodoser thread meegosh and several others. I'm not quite ready to try it yet. I've got four tanks with various light levels that I've started dosing as an experiment. I'd like to figure out a way to minimize the number of pumps I'd need. I know where there's an automatic watering system on clearance that could possibly be used as an autodoser for multiple tanks. It'd take some tuning though.
Predfan, don't hold your breath. Right now I've got a living room torn apart, two bathrooms in need of remodeling, and an entire house to landscape. For some reason my wife thinks the house rates higher on the priority list than my aquarium lights. The lighting effects might have to wait for my next LED build.
Aquatic_Adam
Aquarium Advice Addict
BigJim said:
Well shucks...
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BigJim
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My fert bottles. The clear bottle is the macros, the dark bottle the micros.
My syringe filling system. It works pretty well.
Here's a shot of the algae developing in the tank. I scraped the front glass to get this shot. Hope that CO2 bottle shows up for my birthday.
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BigJim
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I need to pick up a phosphate test kit and maybe a GH test kit. Does API make a master type kit that includes these? I need a new nitrate test kit also and buying three individual kits is usually as expensive as the master kit.
I'm all set to adjust my PPS Pro mixture. The original calculator in Excel I found was locked from editing, so I had to hack it a bit to make my own calculator so I can modify it as needed. The engineer in me needs a basic understanding of how something works before I feel comfortable using it.
On a slightly different note, what's the best way to plant glosso? My big sausage fingers don't let the sand cover the stems before they float back up. I'm thinking I'll probably find a pair of hemostats, but I thought I'd get some opinions.
I'm all set to adjust my PPS Pro mixture. The original calculator in Excel I found was locked from editing, so I had to hack it a bit to make my own calculator so I can modify it as needed. The engineer in me needs a basic understanding of how something works before I feel comfortable using it.
On a slightly different note, what's the best way to plant glosso? My big sausage fingers don't let the sand cover the stems before they float back up. I'm thinking I'll probably find a pair of hemostats, but I thought I'd get some opinions.
Yup I use some long tweezers. eBay usually has some good aquascaping kits for 15-20 bucks but they ship from Asia so it takes awhile. I suppose the $2 special from walmart would work fine as well...
I don't think there is a FW kit from API that will include a po4 test. It is usually reserved for SW.
I don't think there is a FW kit from API that will include a po4 test. It is usually reserved for SW.
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BigJim
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's been a busy week, so I didn't get the test kits yet. I've inquired at API about a planted tank test kit: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/request-for-an-api-planted-tank-test-kit-143760.html If you're interested, please give me some feedback.
No new pictures either. Maybe I'll get some tonight. I cranked up the LEDs to full power. I might actually have seen a reduction of GSA. I haven't seen any obvious growth on the front glass this week. The guppy grass has taken off and is reaching the top of the tank now. The rotala wallichii has some noticeable growth. The moneywort has some new growth that's practically bushy. The leaves are very closely spaced, which I'm taking as a sign that it likes the light.
I have found a mystery plant in the tank. Fort, do you have hornwort or something similar in your tank? I thought it might be a small piece of rotala, but it's growing several inches per week and it's not turning red. It starts as a tiny little thread and fans out into a bushy plant with little green needle leaves. I haven't seen any sign of roots yet.
No new pictures either. Maybe I'll get some tonight. I cranked up the LEDs to full power. I might actually have seen a reduction of GSA. I haven't seen any obvious growth on the front glass this week. The guppy grass has taken off and is reaching the top of the tank now. The rotala wallichii has some noticeable growth. The moneywort has some new growth that's practically bushy. The leaves are very closely spaced, which I'm taking as a sign that it likes the light.
I have found a mystery plant in the tank. Fort, do you have hornwort or something similar in your tank? I thought it might be a small piece of rotala, but it's growing several inches per week and it's not turning red. It starts as a tiny little thread and fans out into a bushy plant with little green needle leaves. I haven't seen any sign of roots yet.
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BigJim
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It's growing much faster than the rest of the rotala. The rotala I have planted is has grown maybe an inch. This stuff has grown three or four inches in the same period of time. The structure is a little different too. I'll just have to wait and see.
Off the top of my head, I'm wondering if spores, seeds, etc. from aquatic plants can lie dormant until they get the right conditions. When I first started with aquatic plants, maybe a year ago, I bought some filligree myrio thinking that it would grow like hornwort. It pretty much died out in my low-light 29g. I suppose there could be a small piece of the myrio still floating around in my tanks.
Off the top of my head, I'm wondering if spores, seeds, etc. from aquatic plants can lie dormant until they get the right conditions. When I first started with aquatic plants, maybe a year ago, I bought some filligree myrio thinking that it would grow like hornwort. It pretty much died out in my low-light 29g. I suppose there could be a small piece of the myrio still floating around in my tanks.
