Developing LED kits for RSM Tanks

[reefer gladness]

:smack::smack::smack::smack::smack:Hi, I have a question I have a RSM-650 that I got last month and am not happy with the lighting at all, the T -5 just doesn't look good. So I believe I'm going to convert to LEDs I've looked into it because my last tank had LEDs on it and it made a big difference. The light hood that's on the tank now looks like one big giant heatsink so I don't know if you need to put another one inside of it inside the hood. ThoseT-5 get very hot and the heatsink that's built on the tank I believe can serve to accommodate the LEDs. I just have to figure out how to wire everything up, there is a micro switch on the side of the light that when you lift the lights up it goes off so it doesn't blind you
in the face that's one thing I have to figure out how to wire that I decided to put on the 3 separate lights. let me clarify that. the hood is made up of 3 separate pieces the front the middle in the back the front section has 4 T-5 mounted the middle has 2 in the rear has 4 that's a total of 10 T-5 that's a lot of heat so I believe the LED will be a big advantage. I'm going to put 3 rows of 14 in the front section and see how that works then advance to the back with the same thing I'm probably going to be using Cree 3 watts each I'm going to split the lighting between whites and royal blue I think it will look okay.When I'm finished I should have 98 LEDs totaling almost 300 Watts of light if the SPS doesn't like that to bad. any suggestions I would love to hear from you, I start probably Monday. Let me know what you think guys. Phil

 

[sneakerhead]

Nothing yet. I got an email from a member that I have to write back to and hash out the details. He would be working with us on the 250 hood so it looks like that one will be the first.



RSM would be taking a large risk in trying to pursue making their own LED kits considering not everyone will be able to afford that option and the liability of failure rates in addition to that. I am not holding my breathe on them producing one and thats why I am taking the time to help you guys out with designing one.

Cant wait!

 

[oceanreefs]

Hello everybody, I just got all of my new Cree LEDs today in the mail, I took the front part of my light hood from the 650 Max apart it came apart very easy. A few screws and it disassembled I took out all of theT-5 and the ballest's it came apart so easy I couldn't believe it. And just like I figured the hood is one giant heatsink. I started to place and glue all of my LEDs into the hood it took me a long time I wanted to make sure everything is right, tomorrow I will start wiring everything up. I took some video for a step-by-step to show everyone how easy it is I hope I'm not stepping on any toes. Especially Red Sea I don't get them upset that I switched over all of their hard work to LEDs I think it's going to look great I'll post some video after I get everything together.Phil

 

[ReefLEDLights]

are you referring to using the reflectors as a "heatsink" for the leds?

 

[dentex]

wowww

 

[TwiceIrish]

Please don't stop with developing after the 250. The 130D has been really popular and I for one will save my pennies for when you have a mod for us! Hurry Hurry! Or I may have to take off my hood and hang something above the tank!

 

[TheGolfBallKid]

Would love to see the 250 kit. I've been looking at a lot of tanks, and the LED lit ones just have more "pop" to them. Any new progress on the 250 conversion? I'm great at assembling puzzles, but don't have the wherewithal to create the puzzle AND assemble it.

 

[shineluck]

looks like the light may not enough in 130D

 

[BigAl07]

looks like the light may not enough in 130D

For what? I'm not running a kit by ReefLEDlights but I'm running LED and I can tell you without a doubt that LED in the RSM130D can be MORE than enough light. I've been running LED on mine since November and as of right now I'm only able to run at 80% or I bleach out my SPS coral. I've got the tank acclimated to 80% so I'll be cranking up to 90% this weekend.

If it's a high quality LED system it can support just about any coral or anemone you can toss in there.

One thing to keep in mind is that water chemistry is just as important as light intensity so if your water parameters aren't within acceptable range (optimal range being the real goal here) then your coral may suffer from symptoms that appear to be "light" related but in fact are not.


shineluck what problems are you having with LED on your RSM130D?

Exactly which LED light are you running, and how many?

Are they on any type of dimmer or controller?

 

[lo7100]

do you know modular LED has a custom kit for 250?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Getting closer, we had to work with someone else on the project and last I heard it's still in progress.

 

[pocketreef]

I plan to migrate to LEDs in the coming months too. More PAR, less heat, less power consumption and long term savings are driving me.

 

[goma]

Looking forward to an update on this for the RSM 250!

 

[Saltydog1]

Hi, I write technical blogs for the Orphek Website and recently the owner and I were chatting about a LED retro for the RSM tanks. The idea is to mount their proprietary diodes on an aluminum heat sink plate and place mounting holes in the plate that would fasten to the existing mounting holes for the T5 lighting. The cooling fan in the hood should provide enough ventilation to keep the diodes cool. The driver that would be used is a Mean Well industrial grade driver and it is very light and could be mounted in place of the existing T5 ballast or could be a remote driver. I am a RSM 250 owner myself and I have abandoned the T5 hood a year ago due to elevated temperatures during the day. My thought is that I would rather invest in LED lighting rather than add a chiller which would raise my energy bill further than it already is. I presently run two 50 watt LED pendants over my system but the thought of LEDs incorporated into the hood makes the set up much more appealing. What do you think guys and gals?

 

[BigAl07]

That's very similar to what many of us have done with other RSM hoods. My RSM130D has a heat sink that is drilled to mount where the factory reflector was mounted and the EVG card (for GHL ProfiLux complete control) and Mean Well drivers are all mounted in the place of the factory ballasts. I'm running the factory cooling fans only and they are more than sufficient for the task at hand.

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Its been VERY slow going because of hood access so we may be partnering up with another company to manufacture the heatsinks. I may be speaking too soon on that but I wanted to let you guys know what was up.

 

[goma]

Thanks for the heads up, we appreciate it!

 

[bhazard]

Don't retrofit. Get rid of the 130d hood completely.

I switched to a chinese 48x3w led fixture open top, and my tank never goes above 79 degrees anymore. You can place 2-4 fans in the very back, and it will cool the water substantially. I even made a DIY clear netted top so fish can't jump out. Bulkreefsupply has a video on it.

It's so much better than keeping the hood. Temps would swing wildly with the hood, especially on a 95 degree day like today.

Pics are in my rebuild thread.

 

[dotcommer]

I just joined Reef Sanctuary and I am glad I did. I own a RSM 250 and would love to get it retrofitted with LED's. Looking forward to seeing some great solutions.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary and the RSM Club, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

 

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