DE Reflectors Question

[barjam]

How much more usable light would something like a Luminarc produce compared with: http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...D&ProdID=1401. I am sure someone has done the comparisons but I haven't found anything yet.

Thanks.

[sirreal63]

Those cheap hello lights reflectors are horrid. I used them as temporary lighting and they have hot spots and dim spots. I used the LumenArc Mini's and the difference was amazing.

Each end is the cheapo's with 150 watt bulbs, the center fixture is a ROIII with a 250 watt bulb.


Each end is a LaIII Mini, 150 watt bulb and the center is the same ROIII 250 watt bulb.


It is hard to tell from a picture but the difference was night and day. Spend the money for a good reflector, it does make a difference.

[chirocato]

I almost went the Hellolights route but opted for Luminarc minis in the end. Glad I did.

[barjam]

I suppose it is an academic question as I don't have room for luminarcs anyway. I run 2x250s and I notice mine are quite a bit closer to the water than yours... I wonder if that makes up for some of the lost intensity or just makes it too bright in the center.... *shrug*.

Thanks for the feedback.

[sirreal63]

I had to keep the cheapo's high so it covered the 2' area. The Mini's were closer to the water. The cheapo's were the worst reflectors I ever used.

[DarG]

The little generics are ok to use in a combo set-up with T5's . Comboing those reflectors with T5's basically gets you the same lighting that a pre-made combo fixture, HQI + T5, would.

Using them alone ... yuck. As the other poster stated, limited spread, big time hot spot. The Lumenmax 3 de reflectors are a little smaller (11" x 11.5") than the Lumenarc minis. They cost a little more but they are great reflectors and the slightly smaller size could make a difference in some situations. I choose them over the small Lumenarc's because they allowed me to get a T5 in front and behind the reflector over a 90 gallon. I couldnt do it with the Lumenarc.

If you are using those small retro DE's reflectors alone, without 3 or 4 rows of T5's, definitely consider upgrading to a better/bigger reflector. Maybe the Reef Optix if the Lumenmax is too large.
What you will notice is that the area right under the lamp will not be as bright with the better reflector (a good thing because that hot spot is way too hot) but the spread will be very even, the tank will appear to have the same amount of light throughout.

Look on the bright side (get it, the bright side ) while it does cost some money to upgrade the reflectors, atleast you already have the ballasts and bulbs. It is well worth it if you can afford to do it.

[barjam]

I choose them over the small Lumenarc's because they allowed me to get a T5 in front and behind the reflector over a 90 gallon. I couldnt do it with the Lumenarc.

Thats kind of the problem I have.... over my 75 I have ~ 15 inches to work with... to do anything but the small reflectors would require me to ditch my T5s. With two ice cap SLRs and these little reflectors running parallel the back T5 is right on the edge of the tank. I could probably get the reef optix to fit, how do those compare to the luminarcs? Is it worth the upgrade over the stock ones?

the tank will appear to have the same amount of light throughout.

I don't know if it is the T5s doing it or the fact I have the MH so low it "looks" like the lighting is even now although I am sure the corals or a par meter would see it differently. The only dim spot is under the glass center brace (yuck).

[sirreal63]

Sounds like you need ReefOptics III pendants from Sunlight Supply. Nice and narrow and they throw a good spread.

[barjam]

Yep, sounds like that will be my best option. I think I recall an article comparing a bunch of reflectors and I think the luminarc/ReefOptics3 were included... I am going to dig that up and check it out.

Thanks everyone.

[DarG]

I used those small reflectors with 4 rows of T5. With the T5's onm the lighting looked very even. With the halides only, you could see that it it was very bright directly under and around the area of the halide bulbs and that it wasnt as bright as you moved away from the center. You dont see shadows or dark spots, you see what sirreal shows in his picture and it is fairly subtle when looking at the full size tank. A casual observer wouldnt even think about it but you can visually see the gradient. It wasnt difficult to see if looking at the area right under and around the bulb compared to the ends of the tank. If one has a par meter to measure the differences, I know there would be a big difference.
I think that that how the aquascaping was done and also the colors and type of rockwork would impact how noticeable the gradient would be.

As far as the differences between the little reflectors and the Reef Optix, I can see it in Sirreals picture comparing the middle with the two ends. Assuming the bulbs are the same, the center area appears brighter overall and uniformly lit.

I thought the 75 gallon was 18" wide but I guess that there are different dimensions of 75 gallons. I could get the Lumenmax over my 90 (18" wide) with a T5 in front and in back and the outer edges of the SLR reflectors are just inside of the front and back inside rims of the tank. So the bulbs themselves are centered maybe and inch and a half inside those inner rims. It works fine for supplemental lighting. It only looks strange if I use two very different color T5 lamps which would be expected with having two flourescents seperated by almost a foot. If I use, for example, a Blue plus in back and a ATI pro color in front, you can see that the front and back of the tanks have a slightly different tint. But if I use a blue plus and a super actinic, for example, it's much more subtle. Right now I am using a Fiji pruple and a Super actinic and you cant see a difference in tints at all between front and back.

[barjam]

His middle bulb is a 250 which makes the luminarcs even that much more impressive as the second photo makes the 2 150s look as bright as the center 250 on the ROIII.

I thought the 75 gallon was 18" wide but I guess that there are different dimensions of 75 gallons.

I should have explained, I have a stanard 75 (18") but it is in wall and there is a bit of overhang from the wall header that is about 3 inches or so off the tank... this reduces my options some when it comes to lighting. If I had it to do over again I would have designed the wall differently but it is too late now.

[hounddog01]

ROIII are very nice and will do a good job on your tank. Just remember a cheap reflector will produce about 6-10x the par of the bulb. A good reflector will produce 20-30X the par. I have the ROIII with a 250W Phoenix 14K produces 1900+ par at the water level (about 8 inches from the bottom of the reflector) and 1200+ 1/2 inch under the water. Directly under the pendant on the sand bed is 275+.

[DarG]

Originally posted by barjam
His middle bulb is a 250 which makes the luminarcs even that much more impressive as the second photo makes the 2 150s look as bright as the center 250 on the ROIII.



I should have explained, I have a stanard 75 (18") but it is in wall and there is a bit of overhang from the wall header that is about 3 inches or so off the tank... this reduces my options some when it comes to lighting. If I had it to do over again I would have designed the wall differently but it is too late now.

I got you. Mine is a build in also, sort of. But it sits behind the wall. The wall cut-out is framed. So, the tank actually sits back about 6" from the front of the viewing side wall. Did this to have full access to the tank from the back as there is no front access.

[sirreal63]

Yes the middle was a 250 and yes the 150's in the LumenArcs were that impressive. Standing in front of the tank you could not tell which was a 150 and which was a 250. In that old 125 I kept clams and sps frags very happy on the sandbed under the 150's All bulbs in the pics were XDE 10K's.

I liked the ROIII reflectors a lot but the LumenArcs just blew them away.