# DIY LED Panel - Easy



## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

This weekend I made a DIY LED panel. It cost me about 25 bucks and a couple of hours of time total. If someone has already covered this technique, I apologize. This technique is rough and simple, but my tank has a canopy, so I don’t really care what the fixture looks like.

I made this for my 56gal column terribilis tank, which has many Tillandsias in it, and it did NOT turn out bright enough for that application. It would, however, illuminate a 20 long pretty well, and my guess is that it would be right at the threshold for Tillandsia growth at that height. However one configures it, it is easy and cheap.

My mistake was using a roll of 3528 bulbs, when I should have used 5050s. I plan to add another 16.4 ft strip to this using 5050 bulbs, which should make this thing really blaze, but will bring my cost to about $45 total. It will still save me a ton of money. An LED fixture to light this tall tank would be expensive. You can cut the strip every three bulbs, which makes it pretty adaptable to most applications.

The brand I used was Lampux. Got them on Amazon for $10, AC converter was $10, and the connectors were like $4. The strip is self-adhesive, and it’s good 3M stuff. I used an old piece of thin counter top or drawer, not sure...to mount them on. You have to strip the silicone back from the terminals to use the connectors, almost all the way to the bulb. It was easy with an exacto knife once you do a couple you’ll get a feel for it. Make sure pos and neg are lined up, obviously. Make sure you get 10mm connectors for a 10mm strip, and 8mm for 8mm...my 3528s were 8mm. The 5050s are 10mm. Like I said...I’d use 5050s from here on out, unless making a fixture for a 10 or 15 gallon tank.

Keep in mind I have not seen 5050s rigged like this yet, so they may be brighter than I imagine. I only have the 3528s to go by, and on a 56 column, the lumens from my rig would be sufficient for low light plants only.

Lights
Amazon.com: LE Lampux 12V Flexible LED Strip Lights, Daylight White, Super Bright 300 Units 5050 LEDs, Non-waterproof, Light Strips, Pack of 16.4ft/5m: Home Improvement

Adaptor





Connector – The 10mm are more expensive for some reason.


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

For people not familiar with LED strips, what's the difference between the 3528 and 5050? Also, what about color temperature?


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

more importantly...can the village idiot do this without killing frogs or people...or burning down the house (great song BTW...)


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

Alright, found some answers on Google.



> LED strip lighting can be manufactured with a variety of LED chips. The numbers you see such as 3528 and 5050 refer to the size of the chip. The older style strips that have been popular for a few years now are the sizes seen above. Currently, there are even smaller and more efficient LED chips on the market with the sizes of 2835, 3014, 5630, and 3020.
> 
> So, what is the difference between SMD 5050 and 3528 LEDs and why should you care?
> 
> ...


Source: What is the difference between 3528 LEDs and 5050 LEDs |SMD 5050 SMD 3528

Color has nothing to do with the 5050 or 3528 numbers.


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## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

Sorry guys...I thought I made it clear that 5050s are just a bigger bulb. The strips are sold as 5m (16.4 feet), and include 300 bulbs each. There is no real wiring necessary...the only thing that is tricky at all is peeling back the silicone 1/4" or so to attach the connector. Attaching the connector is as easy as opening the little door, sliding the strip in, and snapping the door shut.

I'm serious...it was stupid easy. Ask the wife and my buddies...I'm about as NON-HANDY as they come.

The bulbs I used are 6000K, by the way. You can buy them in a few different Kelvin ratings. 

That's good info above...now I REALLY wish I would have bought 5050s.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

I have bookmarked this thread on my computer for further study...sounds almost doable...thanks


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## DakotaB (Jan 8, 2015)

Ive tried these exact LEDs before.(5050 form) On a 90 gallon reef. I used 6 strips 4 feet in length. Visually they are very bright but the actual output was not strong enough to support growth. 

Lumens have no effect on any type of growth. Its just how we measure the visuasl brightness of light. What is important for plant growth is PAR (Photosynthetically active radiation). And these just do not produce enough. Maybe for low light plants but nothing more. 

This is just what ive found through my own personal exp with these lights. It would be nice to see how they do for you. 

Really as far as leds go. CREES are the best way to go. 6 - 3 watt CREEs should be enough to do a 20 long and give you the ability you growth any species of plant. And personally id go with 4-6500k, 1-blue, and 1-red. Just to give a more full light spectrum and make the colors pop.


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## Wusserton (Feb 21, 2014)

I use strip lighting on both my fish tanks and vivs, usually buy them off ebay for about $10 @ 2ft including power supply, and usually just blue at that, I have to trim them down to about 6 inches to create a realistic looking moon glow for night lighting, looks great over a fish tank and not bad over a viv, the nice thing is they have that peel and stick aspect, if you cut them you have to seal the end and tbh you should seal the connector too just to be safe, especially over a fish tank, silicone works for that. Honestly though I thought about buying a roll like you did and just making my own, especially at that 6" length, one roll would last forever lol and I could see using white for supplimental lighting too or for bigger applications where you need more than a standard light can put out to reach the floor. the frog whisperer posted an article about light sensitivity on a frogs eyes recently, I have a few Fire Bellies and I have read that they dont like bright light especially while feeding/chasing prey, the article outlined how frogs can actually see the spectrums being thrown at them, very interesting read, Im sure it can be googled


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## in2Diy (Dec 15, 2014)

For our applications it is better to use cree xml leds especially for tall tanks. But pretty cool build my only critique would be to mount these on a 5/32 thick sheet of aluminum


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## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

Thanks for all the input. I'm gonna use this one for an accent light behind my TV. It just ain't got the juice for its size. I'm gonna look into those CREE LEDs. I'm planning to make a 75 gallon viv in a few months, and don't want to pay retail for the lighting required. I'll be able to make it real low profile too.


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## Bigsease30 (Jul 11, 2014)

Thanks for the great information on the LEDs. I was wondering if something like this would work. I am currently building a 150 gallon (48Lx24Wx36H) and didnt want to use a t5 bulb. I will continue to do my research. Thanks again!


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## bstohrer (Jan 16, 2015)

DakotaB is right. PAR is what you need to be focusing on. I'm new to the board and just getting back into darts. Just got 3 R. imitator Varaderos! Had a nice breeding colony of auratus back in the 1990s. Had to give it away due to work, etc. 

I have had a reef tank with corals for 25 years and have been using LEDs for about 6 years. I have built my own rigs for a 135 reef tank. I have built or modified 5 LED setups so far. Cree LED are one of the best and brightest. The XT-E and XL-M series are the brightest and most efficient. 

My most recent build is using eight LED "chips" which consist of 25 high power LEDs each arrayed on a single copper base. See photo for bottom side view. Really easy to wire! I plan to do a similar rig for my soon to be constructed 65g dart tank. I'll post once I'm done in a few weeks/months.

If you go the high power LED route, you need to mount them on a heatsink. They get very hot and will fail due to heat if not heatsinked. You also need drivers, maybe power supplies and a few other optional items. 

Note that you will not need the high light levels that a reef tank requires. I'm still trying to figure out how may and colors of LEDs are best for the 65g dart vivarium.

Bob


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

bstohrer said:


> DakotaB is right. PAR is what you need to be focusing on. I'm new to the board and just getting back into darts. Just got 3 R. imitator Varaderos! Had a nice breeding colony of auratus back in the 1990s. Had to give it away due to work, etc.
> 
> I have had a reef tank with corals for 25 years and have been using LEDs for about 6 years. I have built my own rigs for a 135 reef tank. I have built or modified 5 LED setups so far. Cree LED are one of the best and brightest. The XT-E and XL-M series are the brightest and most efficient.
> 
> ...


Keep us posted on what you find. A detailed write-up with pictures for people who are not electricity-savvy would be phenomenal. 

I reused my saltwater LED array for my darts. It uses 48 CREE LEDs in a 60x24 area. Definitely not enough for coral but my broms color up and flower and most plants grow well. I still think it could be brighter, though.


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## Nick_ (Mar 24, 2008)

bstohrer said:


> DakotaB is right. PAR is what you need to be focusing on. I'm new to the board and just getting back into darts. Just got 3 R. imitator Varaderos! Had a nice breeding colony of auratus back in the 1990s. Had to give it away due to work, etc.
> 
> I have had a reef tank with corals for 25 years and have been using LEDs for about 6 years. I have built my own rigs for a 135 reef tank. I have built or modified 5 LED setups so far. Cree LED are one of the best and brightest. The XT-E and XL-M series are the brightest and most efficient.
> 
> ...


Anything other than the leds mentioned above (high power 1-5 watt per led) will be very leggy growth reaching straight to the light even in a shallow 10g horizontal (speaking first hand).
The 5050 and all led strips in general are extremley low power per led despite their visual brightness, with no lenses to focus the light. Maybe they have changed them but last time I tried them I could only get good growth on cuttings in a humidity dome about 5" from the plants.


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## Nick_ (Mar 24, 2008)

Here are the some of the ones I have landed on after a few years of trial and error (and waaaay to much money invested lol).
These are my goto type of lamp;
http://www.amazon.com/LEDGREELIGHT-Warranty-Waterproof-Floodlight-Landscaping/dp/B00FIKX2YI/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1422382656&sr=8-19&keywords=20+watt+led+glass+lens

I add a focusing lens such as this:

Led World 44mm Lens+Reflector Collimator+Fixed bracket For 20W 30W 50W 100W LED - - Amazon.com

The result is a deep penetrating light with enough spread to cover a good area depending on the beam angle and the output of the led chosen. The floods are very easy to repair and modify as well as you can swap drivers, chips, wiring in the future if you have to after they are out of warranty. I don't mean to come off as negative, just want to share my experience to hopefully help out.


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## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

This is great info. 

From what I'm seeing, For 75 gallon viv, I'm not sure a guy would save too much money going with the high power LEDs, rather than just buying from Lightyourreptiles.com or someone like that. You might save some money, but with the time involved...not so much.

I can see the value for corals...but Tillandsias...I don't think so. I may just end up buying some over the counter LED fixtures.

What about this thing??? I could set two of these on a 75g for $120. The light bean may be too narrow...not sure.

http://www.amazon.com/120w-Light-Combo-Driving-Bumper/dp/B00C0SQ8KG/ref=sr_1_32?ie=UTF8&qid=1422391060&sr=8-32&keywords=CREE+LED


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## Nick_ (Mar 24, 2008)

Smashtoad said:


> This is great info.
> 
> From what I'm seeing, For 75 gallon viv, I'm not sure a guy would save too much money going with the high power LEDs, rather than just buying from Lightyourreptiles.com or someone like that. You might save some money, but with the time involved...not so much.
> 
> ...


That would be overkill lol...what a beast of a fixture 
There is no time investment for the floods really, takes about 5 mins to glue the culminator on and wire the plug (connecting three wires that's it). Totally would agree for the air plants but even with lower light vines I got crazy stretch with low power strips reguardless of configuration with a wide variety of plants. I totally missed that these were for air plants and the like.


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## bstohrer (Jan 16, 2015)

JPccusa said:


> Keep us posted on what you find. A detailed write-up with pictures for people who are not electricity-savvy would be phenomenal.
> 
> I reused my saltwater LED array for my darts. It uses 48 CREE LEDs in a 60x24 area. Definitely not enough for coral but my broms color up and flower and most plants grow well. I still think it could be brighter, though.


Nice size enclosure!

I sure will writ something up. My photo didn't show up. i'll try again. 

I'm trying to decide on going the same route as I did with the reef tank and use the simple but expensive 25 LED arrays or to use my leftover 3W and 5W Crees. I have about 200 of them along with drivers and heat sinks. More complex, but at this point, no additional cost, just a bit of soldering.

I was going to go with 24 to 36 LEDs over a 36 X 18 footprint at a 24" height. I am thinking of a mix of 5W XT-E royal blue, neutral white and warm white, with few 3ups (red, blue, green). 

What color ratios are you using? 

Bob


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## bstohrer (Jan 16, 2015)

I should clarify one thing, PAR values aren't everything. Typical high PAR LED "grow" fixtures use a mix of red and blues to hit photosynthetic peaks. It would really look bad in a display situation. you really need some neutral whites and or warm whites to get a nice "natural" look.

Bob


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## Nick_ (Mar 24, 2008)

bstohrer said:


> Nice size enclosure!
> 
> I sure will writ something up. My photo didn't show up. i'll try again.
> 
> ...


Those look nice! I've swapped over some small xte 3watt bars from a nano reef with great results.


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## bstohrer (Jan 16, 2015)

Nick_ said:


> Here are the some of the ones I have landed on after a few years of trial and error (and waaaay to much money invested lol).
> These are my goto type of lamp;
> http://www.amazon.com/LEDGREELIGHT-...82656&sr=8-19&keywords=20+watt+led+glass+lens
> 
> ...


Wow! Nice prices! Cree has similar 100W arrays that put out about double the lumens but at 10 times the price. Are you happy with reliability, color and plant growth? The arrays I show in my photo above are about $98. Optimized and great for corals, not so great for dart tanks. They have a version for planted tanks but still expensive: CREE Lumia 5.2 105W Planted Tank LED 5 Channel - Planted Tank Version - LEDGroupBuy.com 

Bob


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## bstohrer (Jan 16, 2015)

Nick_ said:


> Those look nice! I've swapped over some small xte 3watt bars from a nano reef with great results.


Really simple assembly. Only took about two hours to complete.

I'm unfamiliar with the 3W bars.

Bob


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## Nick_ (Mar 24, 2008)

bstohrer said:


> Wow! Nice prices! Cree has similar 100W arrays that put out about double the lumens but at 10 times the price. Are you happy with reliability, color and plant growth? The arrays I show in my photo above are about $98. Optimized and great for corals, not so great for dart tanks. They have a version for planted tanks but still expensive: CREE Lumia 5.2 105W Planted Tank LED 5 Channel - Planted Tank Version - LEDGroupBuy.com
> 
> Bob


Those look pretty sweet! Incredible output too.


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## JPccusa (Mar 10, 2009)

bstohrer said:


> I was going to go with 24 to 36 LEDs over a 36 X 18 footprint at a 24" height. I am thinking of a mix of 5W XT-E royal blue, neutral white and warm white, with few 3ups (red, blue, green).
> 
> What color ratios are you using?
> 
> Bob


I started with a very blue saltwater ratio: 24 XP-E Royal Blue + 16 XP-G Cool White + 8 XP-G Neutral White + 2 XP-G Warm White. I have been switching RB for WWs and now I am left will all whites (not sure of the ratio between them). I never used optics.

In my experience, even a little bit of blue will give you a lot of blue/purple hues in a planted vivarium.


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## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

Digging all this info. I've traditionally just shot for 6500K. Nice prices on those rigs.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

PAR is a better measure but lets not get too carried away most LED lights that are white have a fairly similar spectral output dependent on the K rating so the lumens are suggestive of power. If you have a lot of lumens and you don't have plant growth unless the light looks really green I would suggest the LED maker is probably not being honest about the lumen output or you are not really accurate in your assumptions on how many lumens you need. 

A common thing I see is an LED maker lists a theoretical lumens based on the spec sheet for an LED, then they don't even right the proper voltage through it(to keep it cooler) and end up outputting much less light. But they never bother measuring he light and few people can measure it so they will never be called out on the issue. 

The cheap LED strips like the one the OP is using are notorious for this.


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## in2Diy (Dec 15, 2014)

You can light a 75 with very high light for well under 100 with crees, just buy aluminum channel at a scrap metal yard or even cut up an aluminum bumper you find at pick your part and other yards, I've picked up 300+ us dollars of aluminum at pick your part from certain vehicles


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## in2Diy (Dec 15, 2014)

Oh and by the bumper I mean the thick crossbar they usually put in front of a radiator, some cars post y2k have aluminum bumpers.


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## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

Check this unit out. Not sure how wise the beam would be...


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## Nick_ (Mar 24, 2008)

Smashtoad said:


> Check this unit out. Not sure how wise the beam would be...
> 
> Amazon.com: 36w LED Spot Work Light: Automotive


That is a good looking little fixture  I rue the day I opened my Amazon store card.....


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## Smashtoad (Apr 27, 2007)

Nick_ said:


> That is a good looking little fixture  I rue the day I opened my Amazon store card.....


Dude...tell me about it.

Do you think it would span the depth (front to back) of a 75? Is there any way to figure that out before buying a couple of them? Would it get too hot to set directly on a glass canopy...I bet it would, huh? I could raise it...that would widen the spread too, I suppose.


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## bstohrer (Jan 16, 2015)

JPccusa said:


> I started with a very blue saltwater ratio: 24 XP-E Royal Blue + 16 XP-G Cool White + 8 XP-G Neutral White + 2 XP-G Warm White. I have been switching RB for WWs and now I am left will all whites (not sure of the ratio between them). I never used optics.
> 
> In my experience, even a little bit of blue will give you a lot of blue/purple hues in a planted vivarium.


Thanks! I'll keep that in mind. I was planning on way too many RBs. I have no warms, will need to order a few. Will start with equal ratios of the cool, neutral and warms, then adjust based on growth and looks. Although, I'm not sure the neutrals add much with both cools and warms in the setup. I'll need to look up their spectrums.

Bob


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