Hi all, this is my first post. Been an RSM250 owner for 5 years now and have really struggled with keeping the temperature down in summer. I run a chiller but it sounds like a pneumatic drill sometimes which brasses my partner off something chronic, plus my son is Autistic and hates the sound it makes sometimes, so it gets switched off. Last summer I lost some corals due to overheating so am really reluctant to introduce anything new until I've got this under control. The combination of the closed hood and the 6x T5s, seems to be the major factor in this issue, so I'm determined to look at replacing the lot with led's, but have no idea where to start and need some advice please? I need to stick with the closed hood for child safety reasons and have read about tmc aquabeams being used and have looked at the retrofit solution from Steve's Led's, but can't find clear enough info to make an informed decision. I'm not exactly a diy genius so would like a simple solution if poss, and really need some advice. Please help?!?
RSM250 Led Conversion
- Thread starter Woodbeast
- Start date
Hello Woodbeast 
WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary 
Hope you feel at home here
& Start a thread for your tank...Post us up some pictures of Your tank.
Sharing is fun & we learn more together
I have Steve's LEDs. I'm very glad someone else installed them for me, not a DIY person at all. Do you have an electrician friend?
I did realize a lot less heat & less evaporation running them.
But my favorite part is the sunrise/sunset effect of them.
My tank is doing great with LEDs.
They are NOT noiseless tho....my LEDs make as much noise as my chiller does. Noise doesn't bother me, but if it's not acceptable for your situation, You might consider it.
Others may chime in shortly as there are several active members who have switched types of lighting.
Very BEST WISHES....
WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary Hope you feel at home here
& Start a thread for your tank...Post us up some pictures of Your tank. Sharing is fun & we learn more together
I have Steve's LEDs. I'm very glad someone else installed them for me, not a DIY person at all. Do you have an electrician friend?
I did realize a lot less heat & less evaporation running them.
But my favorite part is the sunrise/sunset effect of them.
My tank is doing great with LEDs.
They are NOT noiseless tho....my LEDs make as much noise as my chiller does. Noise doesn't bother me, but if it's not acceptable for your situation, You might consider it.
Others may chime in shortly as there are several active members who have switched types of lighting.
Very BEST WISHES....
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
I recently installed Steve's and they definitely help with temp. My temperature is constant now whether I have lights on or off, it appears.
It's funny, my reasons for not running a chiller and wanting a closed hood are scarily similar to yours. Child safety and significant other concerns about noise.
I'm not going to say installing Steve's would feel easy to you. It actually is easy, but doing it that first time feels intimidating and takes most of us a few hours. I think if I were doing it again, I could do it easily in under an hour and wouldn't be remotely nervous about.
I'm not a DIY either. I hate DIY.
All that said, I think I know what I'm doing now and I'd be happy to help you out if you went that direction.
Diana, you hear your LEDs? I notice no noise from them at all. How much quieter my tank is is one of the pluses for me.
It's funny, my reasons for not running a chiller and wanting a closed hood are scarily similar to yours. Child safety and significant other concerns about noise.
I'm not going to say installing Steve's would feel easy to you. It actually is easy, but doing it that first time feels intimidating and takes most of us a few hours. I think if I were doing it again, I could do it easily in under an hour and wouldn't be remotely nervous about.
I'm not a DIY either. I hate DIY.
All that said, I think I know what I'm doing now and I'd be happy to help you out if you went that direction.
Diana, you hear your LEDs? I notice no noise from them at all. How much quieter my tank is is one of the pluses for me.
to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members
Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics
sidebar - your skimmer pumps adds about 4 degrees - great advise from all ^
Hi Diana, thanks for your kind welcome and for sharing your experience. This is exactly the kind of insight that will really help, so thanks. I will certainly start a tank thread. Out of interest, what did you go for from Steve's Led's as there are lots of options?Hello Woodbeast
Hope you feel at home here
Sharing is fun & we learn more together
I have Steve's LEDs. I'm very glad someone else installed them for me, not a DIY person at all. Do you have an electrician friend?
I did realize a lot less heat & less evaporation running them.
But my favorite part is the sunrise/sunset effect of them.
My tank is doing great with LEDs.
They are NOT noiseless tho....my LEDs make as much noise as my chiller does. Noise doesn't bother me, but if it's not acceptable for your situation, You might consider it.
Others may chime in shortly as there are several active members who have switched types of lighting.
Very BEST WISHES....
Hi Pat, thanks for your reply. The closed hood is both a blessing and a curse re safety vs temp and I'm not sure whether it's child or fish safety that it secures best!! Lol. It's great to know that a couple of you guys are using the Steve's Led's retrofit solution and it's doing the business for you. It gives me real confidence in considering this as a real option. Did you find any issues with the US to UK voltage differences, or with the kit they supplied? What options did you go for? Thanks for the offer of help, may well take you up on that!! :-D
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
Definitely fish safety more than child safety. Prevents jumpers, but also prevents my 19 month old twin boys from throwing goodness knows what in the tank. It does hold heat in, but to me an open hood is flat out not an option right now.
I'm in the U.S., so I can't speak to voltage differences. We have folks in the UK that have used them and they never mentioned issues. I'd definitely contact Steve's on it to be sure, though. Just put a question in through their website. They are knowledgeable and helpful.
Since I'm not a DIY person, I got the options where they did as much for you as possible without using existing timer or moonlights. I wanted new moonlights anyway.
The spectrum I had a hard time choosing. I think I would have been happy with any one of 4 choices.
--------
Red Sea Max 250 SPS Grade Retrofit - 100% Compatible with C-250
99% Completed System?: Build my LED System for me, with no soldering required!
Stock Timer/Moonlight Prewire w/Extra Long 10' CABLE: No prewire cable, I will be using a digital light controller.
Include Shipping insurance?: I would like insurance to cover 100% all shipping damages.
Custom LED Combination?: 14,000K Super Full Spectrum
Include a Digital Lighting Controller?: Include Typhon + Laser Enclosure + 12 foot extension
Thanks Pat - yes that definitely sounds like a very familiar scenario to me!! lol
How have you got on with the Typhoon controller and what is the 'Laser Enclosure'?
I will definitely go for the 99% Completed System version, for obvious reasons, will dump the stock timer I think and use their controller (is it something that is pretty child proof and/or easily hideable - as I could quite expect my youngest to get great pleasure from yanking it free from the system and using it as a bath toy!!?)
The site mentions dimmers? Do you use these or is this really the job of the controller? (please excuse my ignorance, I've only ever had basic on/off T5's)
Thanks again for taking the time to help - really appreciate it!
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
The Typhoon controller is, I think, the way most of us with Steve's control the LEDs. It's very easy to operate and I like it fine. I got the laser enclosure (which I think literally is just the box around the controller device itself...something most of us would *think* automatically comes with the controller but apparently doesn't. I would think any non DIYer would want the laser encloser. In fact, most of us would just assume it came with that...
I keep my cabinet "child proofed" at the moment. So, my kids "can't" get into the cabinet below my tank (most of the time). I put the controller there. You really only need to set it and forget it, so you don't really need to access it much. I have dimmer nobs from the LEDs where the stock timer/water cooling fan switches are. So, if I want to manually dim the lights, I can easily access it there on the top of the hood.
That part works well from my perspective.
The only thing with the controller is that even though it is SUPER easy to set up (it should literally take about 60 seconds to plug a few wires in), the instructions are so confusing it messes a lot of us up. If you do this, when you get to that step, have one of us help you out and/or I'll point you to my step by step write up on how to plug the wires in which is WAY easier to understand than their write up.
EDIT: Oh, on dimmers, I forgot to comment on that.
Basically, the controller handles all the on/off dimming that happens automatically on a daily basis. You set it and forget it.
However, there are also dimmer nobs in case you want to manually dim it without having to bother with your controller. It's just easier to turn a nob a little bit when you want to dim the light for a minute or two rather than use the controller. But, for the most part, you leave the "dimmer nobs" on full blast and ignore them. The controller takes care of everything.
I keep my cabinet "child proofed" at the moment. So, my kids "can't" get into the cabinet below my tank (most of the time). I put the controller there. You really only need to set it and forget it, so you don't really need to access it much. I have dimmer nobs from the LEDs where the stock timer/water cooling fan switches are. So, if I want to manually dim the lights, I can easily access it there on the top of the hood.
That part works well from my perspective.
The only thing with the controller is that even though it is SUPER easy to set up (it should literally take about 60 seconds to plug a few wires in), the instructions are so confusing it messes a lot of us up. If you do this, when you get to that step, have one of us help you out and/or I'll point you to my step by step write up on how to plug the wires in which is WAY easier to understand than their write up.
EDIT: Oh, on dimmers, I forgot to comment on that.
Basically, the controller handles all the on/off dimming that happens automatically on a daily basis. You set it and forget it.
However, there are also dimmer nobs in case you want to manually dim it without having to bother with your controller. It's just easier to turn a nob a little bit when you want to dim the light for a minute or two rather than use the controller. But, for the most part, you leave the "dimmer nobs" on full blast and ignore them. The controller takes care of everything.
Last edited:
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
Oh, the other thing I should bring up is that I *think* in your model RSM 250 that "gutting the hood" of all stock electronics doesn't disable your water cooling fan because it's on a separate power plug. In the C-250, the water cooling fans get their power from the hood, so I effectively disable them when I did my install.
Since temperature is such a big concern of yours, I just wanted to make sure that was really true that your water cooling fan is still intact even if you do no moonlights and timer version of install. I don't have your model RSM 250, so I don't know.
Of course, you can always get the option to have it pre-wired for your existing timer and moonlights. I think a lot of people do that. It does make the install a bit more complicated, but people get through it. In my case, I knew (or believed I knew) that I wanted new moonlights anyway. So, I didn't worry about disabling them.
Since temperature is such a big concern of yours, I just wanted to make sure that was really true that your water cooling fan is still intact even if you do no moonlights and timer version of install. I don't have your model RSM 250, so I don't know.
Of course, you can always get the option to have it pre-wired for your existing timer and moonlights. I think a lot of people do that. It does make the install a bit more complicated, but people get through it. In my case, I knew (or believed I knew) that I wanted new moonlights anyway. So, I didn't worry about disabling them.
Last edited:
newo11
Well-Known Member
I hate to bring this up, but thought it best before you spend too much on your LED's. In my experience, while switching to LED's helps, it will not eliminate your heat challenges. The stock pumps and skimmer pump run warm, and on my tank, they still overheat the tank. I've even replaced all of my pumps and even brand new they run warm. I still have to run a chiller, although it does not run as often. (I actually do not run a heater in my tank - the pumps are enough to keep it at temp even in the coldest part of winter - but I'm in North Carolina, so my winters are, well, not really winters lol).
I do have the older version of the RSM 250. I did not use Steve's LED's though; mine was a custom install by Nanbox Reef. I do not run my cooling fans at all - no need with the chiller plus they are very loud. LED's are very, very quiet. Chiller - meh not so much. The skimmer pump is actually the loudest thing on my tank.
Thought I'd bring this up, as heat was a major concern for you. It definitely helps a lot, it just does not completely resolve the issue.
I do have the older version of the RSM 250. I did not use Steve's LED's though; mine was a custom install by Nanbox Reef. I do not run my cooling fans at all - no need with the chiller plus they are very loud. LED's are very, very quiet. Chiller - meh not so much. The skimmer pump is actually the loudest thing on my tank.
Thought I'd bring this up, as heat was a major concern for you. It definitely helps a lot, it just does not completely resolve the issue.
I put two Radion second gen in my hood.
I stripped the hood except for the wiring for the hood fans and the timer. I personally think putting Radions in was the easiest option. I looked at Steves and did not want anything really any more complicated than mounting them. Hardest part was opening the hood. I used my Dremel to cut an opening the size of the power cord and the put silicone around the cord after I ran it through the hole. I control them with my Apex.
I stripped the hood except for the wiring for the hood fans and the timer. I personally think putting Radions in was the easiest option. I looked at Steves and did not want anything really any more complicated than mounting them. Hardest part was opening the hood. I used my Dremel to cut an opening the size of the power cord and the put silicone around the cord after I ran it through the hole. I control them with my Apex.
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
This is one thing I thought was kind of funny with the switch to LEDs. My tank is now so quiet, my skimmer pump is the loudest thing and I never noticed it before because it was drowned out by the T5s/fans.
What we need is a quiet, low heat skimmer and I'll be totally golden.
Overall, still a lot quieter though. My wife is very noise sensitive, so she's happier.
newo11
Well-Known Member
What we need is a quiet, low heat skimmer and I'll be totally golden.
Overall, still a lot quieter though. My wife is very noise sensitive, so she's happier.
Agree! Mine is also very noise sensitive. It's funny how quickly she forgot how loud the tank used to be, because according to her it's still "noisy"
Thanks Newo - really appreciate your thoughts on this issue. I don't expect the led conversion to solve all my problems, and anticipate continuing to run the chiller, although I hope this will help stabilise the temperature ranges I tend to see in the summer months when the ambient temperatures shoot up.
Last summer, the chiller needed to be on almost permanently, and this was pretty unbearable from a noise perspective, for everyone in the house, let alone my youngest son who has sensory issues. If this change can reduce the amount of time the chiller needs to step in, I'll be well pleased!!
Agreed that the skimmer pump can be pretty loud too. I run the Deltec MC500 (I think / without double checking), which has been pretty quiet up until a couple of days ago oddly enough. I've never, ever had need to run the heater...the pumps keep it more than toasty!
I switched out the two stock return pumps for two Eheim compact pumps, plus the LED mod. This dropped the temp of my tank 3 to 4 degrees. I could probably remove my chiller, as I don't think the tank would go over 82. I leave the chiller on the tank because I like to keep it below 80.
Also, I added an additional hood cooling fan on each side of the hood when I installed the LED's. There is a place for them and I thought that the increased air flow couldn't hurt.
During the last couple of months, I also upgraded the water cooling fan. I accidentally cut the wire on the stock one. I had previously modded the way the stock fan mounted because it isn't designed well and when you place it in the opening it is supposed to fit in, puts the blades in a bind and that is why it makes so much noise. It used to drive me bonkers. I never hear my skimmer, but did hear that fan. I used the external frame that I built for the stock fan to mount the new one to. The new one is a variable speed computer fan with its own power supply. This fan is so quiet and does a much better job than the stock fan. Only downside is that it is thicker and a little taller, so to open the top all the way, I have to unclip it from its holder.
newo11
Well-Known Member
That's an interesting mod Debbie. I never run the stock fan because it is so loud (much, much louder than the chiller). However when I have had to do work on the chiller, I did run the stock cooling fans and it did keep the tank under 81.
I agree - the led's help a lot. I try to keep tank between 79-78 because the SPS are a lot happier at that temp. If I wasn't keeping SPS, 81 or 82 would be fine by me!