Lighting on a standard 210g

homemadepopcorn · 03-26-2012, 05:47 AM

Hey guys,

Been reading up a lot about LED lighting for a standard 210g by All Glass Aquariums. Supposedly better penetration than T5s and generally cheaper in the (really) long haul.

I want to be able to do pretty much any plant as far as lights go. Fertilizers will probably be regular, CO2 done if I can remember. I'd like to use substrate heating and regular beach sand mixed in with red clay.

Heres the kicker:

Ideally this would be a DIY project, CREE XM-Ls (10w) with 2 different color temps, 3 dimmable drivers. I'm still early in researching how the LED setups work but I heard that this is the place to go.

Now a couple questions (you knew it was coming):

1. How much wattage am I looking at from these LEDs? Lumens are higher for LED vs. T5 as well as PAR, but are there any rough ratios?

2. Will I be able to grow high light plants? I know they require around 60-70 PAR max (right?).

3. Has anyone got a 210g running with LEDs, DIY or not? What are your results looking like?

Thanks for all the help guys!

nchumley · 03-27-2012, 12:48 AM

This is relevant to my interests as well (setting up a 150 gal in the next week, it is 28 inches deep)

The sticky started by samamorgan is a perfect intro and gives great info on what to expect from pre-built units.

LED technology is still gaining momentum in the hobby, but it seems people are generally very successful when they plan an LED fixture around their specific aquarium needs and there is alot of room for flexibility with fixtures, colors, spectrums, and dimmers. This amount of options and the risk of screwing up is intimidating for me personally.

As far as I can tell, watts per gallon are MUCH less important when dealing with LEDs. Estimated PAR and coverage area are the keys to ensuring good plant growth (as well as the obvious CO2, substrate, ferts, etc).

I found an excellent DIY project by Jose, found here.

Optics and LED placement are important to ensure proper coverage. It seems 60 degree optic lenses are regarded as the best for aquarium purposes. Here is a good discussion started by Hoppy.

homemadepopcorn · 03-28-2012, 12:48 AM

Thanks for the info! I've given it a good read and its cleared some things up and not some others. I think I'll post in the DIY thread to see what people have actually done.

03-26-2012, 05:47 AM	#1
homemadepopcorn Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (16/100%) Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 350	Lighting on a standard 210g Hey guys, Been reading up a lot about LED lighting for a standard 210g by All Glass Aquariums. Supposedly better penetration than T5s and generally cheaper in the (really) long haul. I want to be able to do pretty much any plant as far as lights go. Fertilizers will probably be regular, CO2 done if I can remember. I'd like to use substrate heating and regular beach sand mixed in with red clay. Heres the kicker: Ideally this would be a DIY project, CREE XM-Ls (10w) with 2 different color temps, 3 dimmable drivers. I'm still early in researching how the LED setups work but I heard that this is the place to go. Now a couple questions (you knew it was coming): 1. How much wattage am I looking at from these LEDs? Lumens are higher for LED vs. T5 as well as PAR, but are there any rough ratios? 2. Will I be able to grow high light plants? I know they require around 60-70 PAR max (right?). 3. Has anyone got a 210g running with LEDs, DIY or not? What are your results looking like? Thanks for all the help guys!

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03-27-2012, 12:48 AM	#2
nchumley Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 44	This is relevant to my interests as well (setting up a 150 gal in the next week, it is 28 inches deep) The sticky started by samamorgan is a perfect intro and gives great info on what to expect from pre-built units. LED technology is still gaining momentum in the hobby, but it seems people are generally very successful when they plan an LED fixture around their specific aquarium needs and there is alot of room for flexibility with fixtures, colors, spectrums, and dimmers. This amount of options and the risk of screwing up is intimidating for me personally. As far as I can tell, watts per gallon are MUCH less important when dealing with LEDs. Estimated PAR and coverage area are the keys to ensuring good plant growth (as well as the obvious CO2, substrate, ferts, etc). I found an excellent DIY project by Jose, found here. Optics and LED placement are important to ensure proper coverage. It seems 60 degree optic lenses are regarded as the best for aquarium purposes. Here is a good discussion started by Hoppy.

03-28-2012, 12:48 AM	#3
homemadepopcorn Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (16/100%) Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 350	Thanks for the info! I've given it a good read and its cleared some things up and not some others. I think I'll post in the DIY thread to see what people have actually done.