Can I add a prism around my LED light to get rid of shadowing?

[Weboh]

All my LPS and soft corals are growing find under my AI Prime but my SPS is dead on the side not directly facing the light. I know this is a common issue with LED lights since they only direct the light straight down instead of in lots of directions like a T5 or something would.

So I got the idea to add a dome or something, maybe a prism, around the light. I think that could make the light come out in all directions around the dome, just like it would on a T5. Has anyone attempted anything like this before? Do you think it would help? I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[BrettDS]

As you said, LED's tend to be very directional, so by that very nature there is little light directed to the sides for a reflector (or a prism) to redirect down into the tank. This is an issue that the LED manufacturers have been struggling with since the inception of LEDs and if something as simple as a reflector or a prism helped here then I'm sure we would see LED lights with those options.

For the most part the manufacturers solve the problem as best they can with lenses and spreading out the LEDs or using multiple pucks. Lately, however, there has been some movement toward diffusers. EcoTech just came out with an official diffuser line for their Radion lights and I believe that Kessil has one available or in the works as well.

I added the EcoTech diffuser to my Radion lights a month or two ago and so far I am very impressed. It makes a huge difference in terms of evening out the spread of the light and reducing the disco ball effect at a cost of some PAR. When I added the reflectors I increased my light intensity by 25% to mitigate this. (Just to be clear, I mean I increased the numbers by 25%, rather than added 25% to the total. For example, if I was at 60% then I would add 25% of 60 and wind up at 75%. If I was at 12% I would add 25% of 12 and wind up at at 16%)

Personally I would look into options for DIY diffusers rather than prisms if you want to try to play around with something.