New Lumen Bright Reflector. ... any info on them
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bubbletip2
Premium Member
Yeah you definitely want to measure from the bottom of the bulb to the surface of the water.
As Deuce and I showed before, 10 inches is just not high enough for either a LAIII or LB on our 5 ft tanks.
drudude - With the tank dimensions you are showing, the mini LB's should be just fine as long as you can raise them to an adequate height. You could go with the big ones if you have enough canopy space but again it is not necessary.
I have my large LumenBrites on its way. I wanted the large ones for my 5 ft x 2ft wide tank after seeing Deuce's tank but also because I would like the more of the coral to be lit up than what I am experiencing with the Lumenarcs.
I will be posting some pics of the tank with the new LumenBrites probably by this weekend.
As Deuce and I showed before, 10 inches is just not high enough for either a LAIII or LB on our 5 ft tanks.
drudude - With the tank dimensions you are showing, the mini LB's should be just fine as long as you can raise them to an adequate height. You could go with the big ones if you have enough canopy space but again it is not necessary.
I have my large LumenBrites on its way. I wanted the large ones for my 5 ft x 2ft wide tank after seeing Deuce's tank but also because I would like the more of the coral to be lit up than what I am experiencing with the Lumenarcs.
I will be posting some pics of the tank with the new LumenBrites probably by this weekend.
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JRaquatics
New member
I think you would be happy with 3 Lumenbrights. Like you said start off with one and go from there. I should be getting mine this weekend.:rollface: can't wait.
JRaquatics
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Reef Specialty
speedstar
New member
Thanks for the compliment on my tank above. Also what di you ebd up with for a sweet spot for hieght above water. My structure is very low in the tank and is 6 inches in all the way around except for the back in my 4X4 cube. My bulbs are 9inches off water running 2 LB's & 400w. Seems good to the eye perhaps not a par meter, so i am considering raising them abit but the corals in the sweet spot right now are loving the light.
JRaquatics
New member
I am going to place mine 14-16 inches off of the water surface. I think I will make an adjustable mounting bracket for my Lumen Bright reflectors, this way I can change the height at will.
cweder
Member
Still waiting for these to be available in a complete package for DE bulbs.
I am not convinced these are much better than the lumenarcs. Since you have to raise them so much are'nt you ending up at almost the same amount of light? It seems that Hahn's description of a beem of light like a flash bulb is holding true. Those of you that have owned both please chime in with your thoughts after having them a while. Thanks
I am not convinced these are much better than the lumenarcs. Since you have to raise them so much are'nt you ending up at almost the same amount of light? It seems that Hahn's description of a beem of light like a flash bulb is holding true. Those of you that have owned both please chime in with your thoughts after having them a while. Thanks
JRaquatics
New member
You are hardly ending up with the same amount of light. These reflectors are like no other. Mike "acroporanut" just placed the large Lumen Bright reflectors over his tank and the floor of his tank just lit up even more than before. Overhangs that had shadows with the lumenarc are now provided with light. I was simply amazed. I would suggest that people with 30" wide tanks and wider to use the large Lumen Brights as they really do have a greater overall spread for wider tanks. Mikes tank looks brighter and more realistic with his new reflector. It is hard to believe a perfect tank could get any better, but it has and his corals will be the proof.
I also bought a set of Three lumenbright reflectors from Mike. I believe they are the best possible reflector for my tank. I can't wait to get them up and provide everyone with the proof. I am so happy I GOT MY LASER BEAMS!
glxtrix
New member
hey guys here is my Lumen Brights with iwasaki 175W'ers on a 55x24x24. I'm going to be putting a third in there just to get rid of some of the dim areas. Granted i could lighten some of those areas up by raising them off the water, but with the 175's I'm thinking 3 across would be better than raising. Either way I love them so far. Still waiting to get a PAR meter to get some readings from these bulbs....which btw are awesome! and would recommend if you are in the 175 range. Oh yeah and the bulbs are about 6-8" off water.
JRaquatics
New member
glxtrix: those 175s look like 250s. How far off of the water are you? You don't seem to loose much at all with the 400s when you rise them. So far your the first I know of using these reflectors with 175, so you are a sorta ginea pig, as for I with the 250s.
I should be able to get some ideas of height and optimal spread this weekend when I place the canopy above my tank.
I should be able to get some ideas of height and optimal spread this weekend when I place the canopy above my tank.
glxtrix
New member
6-8" or so...I can measure tonight. I LOVE these 175's they kick out as much PAR as most 250's sadly tho they are only available in 175W. The bulbs in there now are at time to be replaced as you can clearly see from the one of the right, has a lil more yellow to it now....tho that one was used about a month or two more than the one of the left. Its true as stated in earlier pages here, these reflectors are for penetrating the water more, if you want a wide spread go with the L3's, if you have islands with corals on them and or want more concentrated areas, the LB's are the way to go. JR, cant wait to see some pics of your all set up 
Hendersonracing
Active member
Id like to put a big thank you out To Mike & his wife(Reef Specialty) for setting me up with my Lumenbrights....Im running 4- 400 watters and have them about 16" above my water....I am getting more light to the bottom than ever before...I use to run 3-400 watt hamiltons and have them right on the water and heat was such an issue...the tank would get up to 83-84 degrees with my chiller and now with the Lumenbrights at 16" my water never gets over 82 degrees & Im getting more light to the bottom of my 30" tank....Id recommend this setup to anyone!!!
Thanks Mike!!
Thanks Mike!!
Hendersonracing
Active member
good luck with them...
bubbletip2
Premium Member
cweder,
I think you should read a few of my last posts to understand better why raising your lights is a good thing. And I think you answered your own question regarding the difference, although I believe the amount of light generated by these beauties is not the same amount of light but stronger when raised higher than the LumenArcs. This is a key point here in that you would not want to raise Lumenarcs so that the bulb was 16 inches off the water. Why? Because the amount of light is reduced way too much to grow light loving coral.
To be able to raise LB's to 16 inches and have more light is what this hobby is been waiting for.
Again raising your lights will:
1. reduce some amount of UV radiation(especially on DE bulbs)
2. reduce heat transfer to the tank which effectively helps to stabalize tank temperature
3. provides more air circulation in the canopy which assists in reducing the heat generated
4. reduces water evaporation by the bulbs and by fans that need to be run because your tank is at 83-84 degrees.
If you cannot understand the benefits, I think you have not been paying attention.
What we are finding is that the LB's give off a cone of light and not this so called Laser Beam:hmm3:
As you raise the reflectors the cone gets wider. I will not deny that if you have these reflectors with the bulbs 8 inches off the water that the "cone" is more concentrated. Who wants to heat up their tank 8 inches off the water to get enough light? Some have to keep LumenArcs 8 inches because they don't give off nearly as much light if you raise them like you get with the LB's. The LB's are not designed to be kept 8 inches off the water. Use them properly and you will reep the benefits. They were designed for reefkeepers in understanding we don't want overheated tanks. People are paying $400 these days to purchase a pump that has the motor housing on the outside of the tank to reduce heat. Seems to me that they should give some LB's a try to further help to reduce the heat. The key thing here again is raising your reflectors will still allow an adequate amount of light at all levels of the tank with a LumenBright. I am starting to believe that 36 inch deep tanks will be more common in the future and all thanks to the LumenBrights.
Well, enough of my spiel. Just got my 2 new Large LumenBrights
They are all set up and ready to go. I reduced my photoperiod to acclimate the coral to the brighter light, so I will have to wait a bit for them to come on. I will have some pics tonight after the lights come on. I will show a comparison pic of my LumenArcs at 13.5 inches and the LB's at 16 inches off the water. Yes I do own both but not for long. LumenArcs will be up for sale soon. More to come...
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