# Easy DIY LED Upgrades from AHS



## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi All,

Last month at the AGA Convention some very lucky people got to see the newest offerings from AH Supply; their LED lamp arrays! That's right, AH Supply - the company that brought us the Power Compact kits with the MIRO 4 reflectors, is now offering LED's lamp arrays for the DIY hobbyist.

Many of us that have been in the planted aquarium hobby for a while are familiar with Aquarium Hobbyist Supply (AH Supply / AHS). They developed the Power Compact kits with the MIRO 4 reflectors that set the standard for Power Compact (PC) performance both for planted aquariums and saltwater. Even today a quality AHS Power Compact kit outperforms most of the 2 bulb T5HO fixtures that are on the market. In addition AH Supply has a reputation for using quality components and providing excellent support. It's no secret that I like AH Supply kits; I have used them since I re-entered the hobby almost 5 years ago and have been very pleased with the equipment. What I especially like about their kits is if a component goes bad and needs to be replaced in one of my lights it is as simple and as ordering it and having it shipped. Since I put the fixture together in the first place, repairs are a snap.

I have had the opportunity to see and test the original prototypes of these LED lamp arrays as early as last spring. Then this fall I received an unexpected package from AH Supply, it was their 20 watt LED lamp array mounted in a vintage Aqueon/All Glass strip light housing. I was amazed; it was so simple in design! It consisted of the housing, power cord, and switch which were all part of the original Aqueon/ All-Glass strip light. What was new was a 2G11 (4 pin straight) socket/base, two stand-offs for holding the LED lamp array, and a box with the new design 20 watt LED lamp array&#8230;.that was it!

For those of us that have wanted LED's for our lighting but were intimidated by the sizes, spectrums, lenses, heat sinks, drivers, series wiring, parallel wiring, connectors, etc. these LED lamp arrays give us an alternative for easy DIY upgrades for our fixtures and canopies.



























The L.E.D. lamp arrays run on standard 110/120 VAC and do not require a driver/ballast. After I plugged the L.E.D. array into the 2G11 socket and inserted the LED lamp array into the holders/stand-offs it was ready to go!

I decided to run it through its paces and it performed excellently. The L.E.D.s all lit simultaneously and with equal brightness. I put it on my 20 gallon tank and it looked identical in spectrum to the 6700K PC bulb I was using which would make sense since the LED lamp is rated 6400K. GSAS has a PAR meter for our members so I immediately called and reserved the next open slot so I could run some PAR tests; here are the results:









Please note that the PAR readings shown were taken in 'open air' and would likely be higher due to internal reflection if I had taken them in an aquarium filled with water. I will try to take readings in one of my aquariums in the future. How do these PAR readings compare to a AH Supply Power Compact kit for example? I have a 2X36 watt AH Supply PC kit (72 watts total) on my 30 gallon. At the substrate level (13") the PAR for that fixture is about 95 so these 20 watt LED lamp arrays put out about 80% of the light intensity of my PC's while only consuming about 28% of the wattage.

Saving money on electricity consumption is good, however the real savings for replacing power compact or T5HO lamps with L.E.D. lamp arrays in not the electricity cost. For example on that 30 gallon if I replaced the two 36 watt power compact lamps with a 20 watt array I would save approximately 52 watts per hour. I run my light 6 hours a day so I would save 312 watt/hours per day or 0.3 KWH per day. Over the course of a 30 day month that would save 30 x 0.3 = 9.0 KWH. I pay about $0.10 per KHW so I would save $0.90 per month or $10.80 per year.

The real savings however are the cost of replacing the power compact lamps. Typically I pay about $15 per lamp and I replace them every 12 months because I have noted a 20% drop in the PAR values over that period. L.E.D. arrays have an estimated life expectancy of 30,000 hours (13.7 years at 6 hours per day). Therefore my annual savings per year is the $30 (2 bulbs) and $10.80 (electricity) for a total annual savings of $40.80. The cost of the 20 watt array is less than $85 so my payback period is little over 2 years assuming electricity and bulbs do no go up in price..

AH Supply offers the LED lamp arrays in three sizes. There is a 15 watt that is 17" long which would be great for a 10 gallon or two end to end they cover the length of a 36" long tank. There are two LED lamp offerings that are 22" long; the 20 watt which I have just tested and a more powerful 26 watt unit.

The AH Supply also offers the LED lamp clips (stand-offs) that hold the lamp along with an assortment of LED 2G11 sockets; both moisture resistant and standard. Since some 2G11 sockets come with internal jumpers and some don't it would be wise to use the ones AHS recommends. There is also a variety of power cords, power switches, and hardware available on their website.

The AHS website has not been updated with pictures or details of the LED lamps but the pricing and ordering information is located at AH Supply LED's. Now I know what to ask Santa for this Christmas!


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

They had one to play with at the AGA Convention and it was quite bright.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Thanks for the info, Roy. Do you know if they have any plans to make them in 55W or 96W configurations?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Bert H,

The 22" long 20 watt LED lamp (and the 26 watt in the same size) are the same length as the 55 watt PC bulbs. Two of the 17" long 15 watt LED lamps placed end to end would replace the 96 watt PC which is typically for a 36" long tank. 

Call Kim, I'm sure he would be happy to make recommendations for special tank requirements (like deep tanks).


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Aaron T,

I agree, these LED lamps are bright!


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## KrisAmbrose (Oct 1, 2012)

I have to ask, but did you really pay $83.99 for that? Seems like a lot to me, but I'm a tight-wad on most things anyway.lol


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi KrisAmbrose,

Start pricing out the extruded aluminum heatsink, driver, LEDs, 120 degree lenses, and LED covers for a 24" tank maybe it won't seem so expensive. Add in the cost of a drill, drill bits, soldering iron, etc not to mention the time for assembly and a pre-assembled unit makes a lot of sense. Also, these LEDs are in the spectrum we need for our planted tanks.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Bert H said:


> Thanks for the info, Roy. Do you know if they have any plans to make them in 55W or 96W configurations?


Hi Bert,

Just like the Power Compact kits used two 55 watt bulbs on a 55 gallon you would use two (or four) of the 22" LED lamp arrays for a 55 gallon.


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## Jane in Upton (Aug 10, 2005)

Oh Wow.........

Thank you for posting all this great information about this!

I've been kind of looking for AHS to get into the T5HO arena, since I think they are a bit more efficient than the CFs, and don't require fans and such. But wow.... he's been working on leapfrogging right into LED! Woo-Hoo!

Hrm.... Houston, we have a problem...... Christmas is over, Birthday is over...... (*thinking*, *thinking*).... how to convince hubby that LED Lighting is ROMANTIC, and JUST what a girl wants for Valentine's Day............. WAY better than roses, and something that will last So, So, SO much longer, too! I don't think he's gullible enough to believe that President's Day is now celebrated with the gift of light, eh?

Sheesh, I gotta wipe the drool off my keyboard now. 

That is excellent, and the light spectrum is spot-on for plants..... 

Great and thorough report, Roy - THANKS!
-Jane


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Jane in Upton said:


> Oh Wow.........
> 
> Thank you for posting all this great information about this!
> 
> ...


Hi Jane in Upton,

I'm glad you found the thread helpful. I have been testing the 22" / 20 watt LED lamp array for almost 5 months and have not had any issues at all; not even one failure of the approx 176 LEDs. AH Supply does provide T5HO kits and lamps (bulbs) as well - however in the 48" length only.


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## Aquaticz (May 22, 2009)

Hi Roy,
I have purchased from them before and was happy with their 55w diy power compact. I have been moving all tanks over to LED in comboT5HO's because I like the look. I wish A & H did a better job on their web site. A few pictures would be nice, as well as an article for LED dummies.... 
Not enough info for me to order from them...they need a web master. 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Aquaticz,

I have seen the Beta version of their new website, it is a vast improvement; unfortunately it has taken the the individual they contracted with over 9 months and it is still not completed. I have sent you a PM.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Aquaticz,

When I talked to Kim at AHS he said that they are still working on their new website, I have seen the beta version and it looks really good but the links are mostly non-functioning. It is not to the point that orders can be placed on it.

I have tested both the 20 watt 22" and the 26 watt 22" LED lamps and I am impressed. At a spectrum of 6400K the look might be a little 'warm' if you like the look of higher spectrums but they sure grow plants well.

20g high after set-up w/20 watt AHS LED no CO2







This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 800x600.









After 1 week (notice the H. lancea growth on left rear)







This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 800x600.









After 2 weeks







This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 800x501.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi All,

I just realized it has been a while since I updated this thread and I had not included the trial I did with the light in March.

Here is a 20 gallon high, no CO2, STS #7941 inert substrate, dosing modified EI ferts with glutaraldehyde. The light is a 20 watt AH Supply LED retrofit kit/lamp in a 24" Aqueon housing.

After planting 3/3/13









About 2 weeks later 3/22/13









About 1 month after planting 4/5/13; multiple pruning of several species over the 30 day period.


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