light rack question?

[mrpet]

setting up a light rack for my 400 gal tank its all t5s 15 80w bulbs
what would be the best material to use for reflection? going to
use an aluminium frame all the bulbs have 60" tek reflectors
what about diamond plated steel? under the reflectors? any
suggestions would be great...

 

[mrpet]

come on no one?

 

[DarG]

Well, the T5 experts will tell you that each bulb needs an individual reflector to reap all the light ebenfits that T5's are known for. So, with that in mind, sticking a sheet of reflective material under the lights isn't going to make for the most efficient use of the bulbs. The Ice Cap SLR reflectors were the supposed to be the best reflectors to use for T5. Tek came out with the Tek2 reflector but I'm not sure if the Ice Cap is still the king or not. I think the two reflectors do things a little bit differently in terms of light spread. Anyway, the SLR's are about $20 each, the new TEK II's are about the same. Then there are some generics that are a few dollars less and probably not as good. Or, you could try and find some of the original TEK reflectors which are probably on sale because of the new ones coming out. The original TEK is not supposed to be as good as the SLR's either.
Or, you can just put a sheet of reflective material under the T5's and get what you get. My Nova extreme is configured like that and it was still pretty damned bright. But since you are building one, I would think that you may as well make it as effective as possible.

 

[mrpet]

i am going to use individual reflectors the new tek IIs i would need 36 of the slrs because they dont come in 60" what i was wondering is what to use under the reflectors guess with 15 of
them it might not matter anyway. just good ol plywood painted white? unless there is something that will hold up better in the long run salt creep etc....

 

[DarG]

I see. Well, you don't nee a full sheet of anything under the reflectors. You could just run a bar of some sort running along each end to hold the sockets and then a couple of cross members to hold it all together from end to end (side to side). Just a frame system. Kinda depends what you want to do with the sockets. If the TEK reflectors have the lamp clips, you could mount the reflectors and float the endcaps. Or you could mount the end caps and Just clip the reflectors a-top the lamps.

I'm working on a fixture this weekend. Metal Halide and T5. Will be an all aluminum DIY hanging canopy.

 

[jamesdawson]

Are you aware that IceCap will sell you pairs of their 3' reflectors for $26 a pair. Just overlap them for 5 foot bulbs and you can always convert them to 3 footers in the future.

James

 

[mrpet]

no i was not james? just buy them from ic direct? or someone else? its still alot more than the teks though. are the new tek 11s
any good?

 

[jamesdawson]

Yes, you can buy them direct from IC. They are still the best reflector out there.

James