My DIY LED lighting for 4ft planted tank

[collins]

My initial lighting setup for the 4 ft planted tank consisted of 2 x 36w T8 4ft FL tube with 2 x 24w 2ft T8 tube. The lights got really hot without a ventilation fan and actual power comsumption was approximately 33 x2 + 22x2 = 110W.

Changing to LED lighting will at least cut power consumption by half. The ultra long life span >30,000hrs of LED means i probably do not need to buy any replacement tube for the next 3-4 years (if they do not break down). In additional, without all the heat emission from traditional FL lights, i hope to reduce the water temperature of the tank to make the water cooler for my shrimps.

The DIY process of making LED FL light is pretty straightforward. I bought 03EA 4ft T8 LED FL tubes from a local LED company. The LED tube is rated at 18W @ 230V, 02 tubes are of 5000k colour temperature (natural white) and 01 is of 6500K colour temperature(Cool white).
nEO_IMG_DSC02728.jpg
Since the tube has incorporated built in driver, it takes 230v household power supply directly. The lighting casing is made from plastic aircon duct and a used 4ft FL fixture. +ve and -ve wire are connected to both ends of the tube respectively. the ballast of my existing Aqua Zonic FL light needs to be shorted and +ve and -ve 230V power is hooked directly to the LED tube.
nEO_IMG_DSC02726.jpg

Look at the result: very bright and the plants are thriving really well!
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[collins]

Connection diagram:

nEO_IMG_LED - How to wire.jpg

[teowws]

where did u get the tube? interested also, got 3ft tube?

[bslong]

How much for the LED tube?

[collins]

How much for the LED tube?

I bought the 4ft tube from www.inleds.com at S$75 each.

[Limbeh]

Hi,

Somehow, I do not see any picture in your post. In any case, what plants do you have in your tank and how are your plants doing? I am going to setup a new 4ft planted tank and I am also thinking of using LED lights but just not sure whether they are deliverying enough for the plants needs. Hope to hear from you soon.

Thank you.

[collins]

Hi, there, i think the picture attachments are lost in the server. hehe. you can come to view my tank. I live at Bishan.

[adam251]

LED... interesting but does it give enough spectrum for planted tank? Heat used to be a problem on my tank but I minimise by using electronic ballast instead of normal ballast.

[tawauboy]

led lighting will reduce heat absorption further as led does not emit ir.
however, you'll need to cool the 'back side' of the led.

[kendrick_86]

anyone knows if these led lights (http://www.inleds.com/inleds_spotlight.htm) can be a replacement for a t5ho lightset for a planted tank?

[planted86]

not sure about this LED. but i've seen tanks using PAR38 LED bulbs the effect is not bad.

[collins]

IMG_0341.jpg

MR16 or PAR spot light have a beam angle of 38deg, might be not wide enought to cover the entire tank. If a 4ft tank is to be lit, might need quite a number of spotlights, needless to mention the customization of fixture. LED T8 is still the best option in my opinion. LED T5 is also an option, but need to buy LED driver and more DIY is needed. So far i am very happy with my LED T8. the LED tubes are proven to be reliable and robust after 6 months of usage running 11 hrs per day. Will upload some new photos soon.

[bossteck]

Hi Collins,

Could you elaborate on the extra customization required for using T5 LED tubes?
I was under the impression that it is plug-n-play much like the T8 tubes, the DIY required would be to by-pass the ballast, which is also recommended when using T8 LED tubes (please correct me if I am wrong).

Thank you.

[collins]

Hi Collins,

Could you elaborate on the extra customization required for using T5 LED tubes?
I was under the impression that it is plug-n-play much like the T8 tubes, the DIY required would be to by-pass the ballast, which is also recommended when using T8 LED tubes (please correct me if I am wrong).

Thank you.

DSC04413-1.jpg
latest aquarium photo

Hi, Eric, when i called up Inwares regarding T5 or T8 tube for the fish tank, i was told that all LED T5 tubes requires 24V DC power supply whereas the T8 tube has enough internal space to house inbuilt power supply which takes 240v supply directly. In fact, modifying the light to T5 LED is pretty much the same as that of T8 LED tube, the only additional thing is a 24V DC LED driver between the light and the power plug. However, T5 LED tube is not as bright as T8, so i finally chose the T8 LED tube.

[collins]

DSC04417-1.jpg

the plant is thriving well

[bossteck]

Hi Collins,

Thanks for the information on T5 LEDs and the update on your plants' growth.
Since switching to LED, how much cooler is your tank?

[collins]

i guess heat from the lighting will become a issue for enclosed cabinet tank in which heat has nowhere to escape. 4 pc of conventional fluorescent tube plus the ballast can generate considerable heat that is trapped in the tank, pushing up water temperature. Previously i kept perforated glass cover over the tank, with my fluorescent tubes (36w x 4 = 144w), temperature on a hot day could surge to 30 - 31 deg. Now with the glass cover removed and LED light tubes in place, the tank is kept below 28 deg consistantly with only a 12w ventilation fan blowing 10 hrs a day.

[bossteck]

That's good to hear. Thanks for sharing.