DIY or STRIPS?

[the_fish_man]

Okay well i have been debating this for quite some time and haven't decided what i want to do so i will ask you guys. I have a red sea max 130D and the lighting is that much so i have decide to upgrade to LEDs but don't know if I should DIY or just buy some strips which would be these
http://www.current-usa.com/lighting/truelumen-pro-led-striplights
It would be marine fusion
Or should i read a ton on how to do a DIY LED fixture?
Thanks

 

[projectx]

Need a little bit more info. what is the cost of those strips, they look pretty slick

 

[the_fish_man]

For the ones that fit in my tank they are $80 for a 12 inch

 

[Wicked Color]

I would get the deepwater blue, I have 2 reefbrights, one is all actinic,and one is 50/50, I like the actinic one much more.

 

[the_fish_man]

Okay thanks for the info. I no nothing about LEDs

 

[projectx]

you would almost need to price them both out, see how much all the parts drivers, heatsink etc are for the DIY setup.

I am looking into going LED as well, I like the strips, but im a DIY guy, just comes down to cost as well as the ability to solder and trouble shoot it if something goes haywire.

 

[Cherub]

Well if you go with strips try to steer clear of the TrueLumen ones. Here is a comparison review on RC. Granted the ones in the review are blue it will be the same whether blue, 50/50 or white

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992015

Might be worth paying the extra 50 or so for Reefbrite at the least

 

[projectx]

wow nice find

 

[Cake_Boss]

Depends on your skill level, if you feel the need to go buy components, which could be cheaper, go for it. Remember to factor in soldering tools if you don't already have them. Strips would be really easy to mount, but could be a be more. I say could because, you need to price it weigh your options (price v convenience).

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[phillipj2]

IMO all the strips are equivalent to one t5 I personally would run 1 aqua illumination it's dimmiable and you can change the Whites and blues. If your not worried about looks go diy it's half the cost.

 

[the_fish_man]

Well if you go with strips try to steer clear of the TrueLumen ones. Here is a comparison review on RC. Granted the ones in the review are blue it will be the same whether blue, 50/50 or white

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1992015

Might be worth paying the extra 50 or so for Reefbrite at the least

Wow because of this i might want these ones
a vertex

 

[Cherub]

Wow because of this i might want these ones
a vertex

Glad I could help. I was looking at strips also at one point. I will get a set up like the ones from the group buy with settings. No rush for me since I got a MH though. If you were only going to suppliment what you had then truelumen would have been fine but as a main you should go with the quality ones. The vertex are hard to find in the US with only one or two companies carrying them. On the other hand you can get Reefbrite at Elite Reef. Things to consider. Thanks again for those frags

 

[Jfaiii]

I dont know if it will help at all but here is the upgrade thread that I made when I put leds into my biocube 29 http://www.marinecolorado.org/forums/showthread.php?6968-Biocube-29-led-upgrade&highlight=biocube . If you want you can come by sometime and take a look at my lights and see how they look in my tank. If you want to come by sometime just drop me a pm.

 

[the_fish_man]

That helped a lot! Maybe when i get everything you could come help me.

 

[Jfaiii]

If you do the strips I could but if you do diy I don't know anything about it lol. I need to still come by your place sometime to get that dbtc zoa anyway ; )

 

[the_fish_man]

Well i am sort of leaning tords strips but still not 100% sure yet

 

[Jfaiii]

IMO it is SOOOOO much easier then DIY.

 

[hurrafreak]

Definitely easier but like someone said earlier, do you prefer convenience or price?

 

[the_fish_man]

Okay well here is a bump for this thread. I know someone that is making diy leds for nano tanks like this one but if i dont do that i will do strips. With some research I am gonna dump true lumen and go with reefbrite. If i do go with strips do you guys think i should do 50/50 blue and white?

 

[Jfaiii]

In my tank I have 3 blue and white strips and 1 all blue strip and I like the way it looks