DIY T5 reflectors?

[Aqua Keepers]

Anyone do it yet? How?

 

[cujo6984]

shiny aluminum

 

[kgross]

If you have access to good reflective aluminum and a sheet metal break they would be pretty easy to make, but I'm not sure if they would be worth it, good ones are only areound $25 each.

Kim

 

[Aqua Keepers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13528107#post13528107 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kgross
If you have access to good reflective aluminum and a sheet metal break they would be pretty easy to make, but I'm not sure if they would be worth it, good ones are only areound $25 each.

Kim

True..

 

[tarzan]

Well it's not just important to take a shiny piece of aluminum (the one with reflection factor above 95%), what's even more important is the shape of reflector. The point of good reflectors is to actually use the whole radius of T5 tube.

How do they do it?

They shape the reflector like this:

                _____  ____   
               /     \/    \       
              /     tube    \

well, more roundish, more like the upper part looks like a B rotated for 90 degrees. To get an example of what the effect is here's an example of a good one with all the explanation you need.

 

[BeanAnimal]

The major benefit of using T5 lamps is the SLR reflectors. You simply can not DIY a reflector that will get you anywhere near the efficiency of the computer engineered SLR reflectors. Even if you knew the shape, you would not be able to bend it. Do yourself a favor and buy them, they are not a candidate for DIY.

 

[Discustopia]

If you have an affordable source if Reflective aluminum it's very simple.
OK, simple for a guy who's been working with power tools since age six.

The shape is important, I put the V in the top, but i do it entirely by hand - literally.

With a sharp block of hardwood the metal is soo soft I form my reflectors with the base of my hand. The larger they are the less critical the exact angle. I find them more than adequate for Actinics. Although to be fair when it came time to fit my 9ft tank with reflectors I got them for $7ea and it simply wasn't worth the effort. So I still have a large roll left over.

 

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13529574#post13529574 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Discustopia
If you have an affordable source if Reflective aluminum it's very simple.
OK, simple for a guy who's been working with power tools since age six.

The shape is important, I put the V in the top, but i do it entirely by hand - literally.

Again, your DIY "shape" is not going to by anywhere close to a properly engineered shape. Even small differences in shape equate to large differences in the reflective path of the light.

Trying to DIY T5 reflectors negates much of the benefit derived from T5s.

The larger they are the less critical the exact angle.

Not really, the angles dictate the path of the light and how many surfaces it must strike before (or if) it makes it to the water amd what angle it strikes the water. Each extra bounce scatters a very significant portion of the light, as well as causes some of it to be absorbed as heat. The SLR is also designed to prevent a majority of the light from restriking the bulb. There is no way you can "eyeball" the proper shape and bend it by hand.

I find them more than adequate for Actinics.

Sure, as long as you are not trying to squeeze out every watt worth of light

 

[Mark426]

cheaper just to buy them.

 

[areze]

how ridgid are the store bought ones? they looked kinda flimsy to me, but thats mostly in my head, imagining what I presumed to be a thin sheet of aluminum. are they really that ridgid that they would not bend out of shape in shipping or installation? I mean, the angles would have to be EXACT, so even a degree of distortion would ruin the design.

 

[BeanAnimal]

You are correct to an extent, the reflectors are not perfectly rigid and can be bent out of shape. The key is that they started in the correct shape so you only have down to go as opposed to not even starting with the correct shape.

 

[areze]

no doubt, personally I know I couldnt put a bend like that in it at all. need a big metal press to get a straight bend and crease. by hand its gonna be a lopsided curvy bit.

and sheet aluminum just isnt all that cheap.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

Thanks all. Sounds like I'll be ordering.

 

[BeanAnimal]

That is a wise choice

 

[Firochromis]

Sorry for asking without making a search..

Which brand is the most effective, can anyone give a link? In my next tank I'll place the T5's vertical to front glass (opposite to very common usage) but that choice leaves me with this bare truth: I'll need some 20 of 39W T5's plus reflectors.

I have mention that I live in Turkey, so do you think is it a lot of risk to take an overseas shipment?

 

[BeanAnimal]

IceCap is one of the better companies to deal with. Could you explain your application? The glass is going to reduce the efficiency of the lamps significantly.

 

[Firochromis]

Allright, my tanks foot-print is 64"*32" Assuming the center to center distance of the T5's is some 3.2", I can either place 10*80W (this is what I call horizontal to front glass, but still above of the tank where it should be) or 20*39W (verticaly). By placing them vertically I will replicate the path of the sun by firing them from left to right.

 

[tarzan]

Firochromis, just folow the link i gave above. Since you are in EU there will be no custom fees and you will be getting some serious reflectors. Tomaz is the man, he realy knows his s@-!t!
If you DIY i would recomend you do some testing to determine optimal number of fans and position of them, to get optimal tube temperature. That is often forgotten, nobody tells you that the output of tube can drop to as low as 50% if it's overheated or even too cold. Also the lifespan is much longer if the tupe has optimal working temperature at both ends and no local overheating is present.

 

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13533101#post13533101 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tarzan
And why would you think so? If he has a glas with 95% 'light porosity'(sorry for my english, i don't know the correct word for the factor of light getting trough the glass) it would be 5%. And how much light is lost due to reflection if you place the light above the water?

I misunderstood his "vertical" statement and thought he was talking about shining the light through the side of the aquarium. If that WAS the case, then the 95% glass would not transmit 95% of the light. The water touching 1 side of the glass would cause extreme reflection due to the density difference

 

[Firochromis]

Thanks Tarzan..

Talking about bad English right? I should say, "parallel" instead of "horizontal" and maybe "perpendicular" instead of "vertical"