LED help

I am unsure of the experience that other people have had with Epistar LEDs but I personally would stick with CREE or Luxeon LEDs if at all possible. Both of those brands have a proven track record of success in DIY aquarium lighting.
Also don't necessarily be fooled into thinking that the Epistars are cheaper. The CREE and Luxeon LEDs have much higher intensity output/watt allowing you to use fewer LEDs for the same effect or allowing you to dim the light for power savings and the ability to crank the light up later on when you decide you want to keep organisms with higher lighting requirements.

In short, for saving only ~1.50/LED and a lighting fixture that could potentially last 10 years I would go with the name brand part.

Just my two cents,

 

I used ais because im not good at the do it yourself. Seems like everytime I do it myself it takes more money by the time im finished. You could always start off with t5s or mhs then upgrade as your only having soft corals to start.

 

I'm the same way....but listen to turbo's aquatics if you do build something. He knows what he's talking about and it'll save you some money in the end!