New Lumen Bright Reflector. ... any info on them

[bubbletip2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12409325#post12409325 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JCTewks
bubbletip2: The thing that I find amusing is that the reeflux 12K bulb is one of the few bulbs out there that actually has higher PAR on an electronic ballast...typically, a magnetic (nonHQI) will fire bulbs brighter than an electronic...but that is definitely not the case with these bulbs.

My statement was not meant as an attack on you or these reflectors...I only posted that to keep a flood of newbies from spreading false information that "lumenbright reflectors ONLY work best when using electronic ballasts". Which would be an untrue statement.

BTW, Great job on all of the info in this thread and for babysitting it so dutifuly And, yeah, I think we've all learned the hard way a time or two about saving copies of long posts (right-click, copy :lol: )

Hey JC,

I know you were just trying to keep it real and yes the statement could have been interpreted the wrong way. I kind of started my post with a joke so you would not take that post the wrong way as well. No hard feelings man and thanks for the complement.

 

[JCTewks]

Yeah, it's hard to see facial expressions and body language from a typed sentence :lol: I guess that's why someone created emoticons :lol:

 

[Macimage]

OK, I've read all 39 pages over the past 3+ hours and decided a I need to replace my Maristar fixture with 3 LB's.

The Maristar uses 3 250 DE HQI bulbs, but I wouldn't mind switching to SE. What exactly is the difference between the Reeflux 12k SE & Reeflux 12K DE??

I have a set of Blue Wave Ballasts and was looking at getting a set of Galaxy ballasts, but I haven't figured out the difference between them yet??

Should I get the CoralVue ballasts with the LB's or use the Blue Waves or Galaxy ballasts?

Also, do they all cost the same to run in terms of electrical usage? We have very expensive electricity here in Calif. and most of our electrical bill is in the over 200% of baseline cost tier penalty.

My tank is 6'L x2'W x 30"H.

I have a bigger tank going into storage (9' x 4' x 3') while we build our new home, however, it will be quite a while before it it completed. I'd love to get the large LBs so I can use them on that tank, but that probably isn't practical. I was thinking of two larger ones hung really high over my 225??

I have the height, as it's an inwall tank and we can hang them from the vaulted ceiling in the tank room.

Thanks for any comments/suggestions and clarifications!
Joyce

 

[glxtrix]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12407598#post12407598 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bubbletip2
People are posting incredible numbers with 175's, the likes I did not think I would ever see. Thanks for that Glixtrix.

Whoooo hoooo, thats me! Truthfully I'd love to try the Reeflux bulb, but at 175, they just don't compare to the Iwasaki's I currently run. Heck, even the 250's don't match up. I'd have to run 400's and thats just not an option for me. Tho would be kinda sweet At any rate, keep kickin guys, these reflectors are amazing!

 

[IndyMatt]

glxtrix, I run them too and they are amazingly bright! With actinic supplements the color is good as well.

 

[glxtrix]

Yes I agree Matt. I have 2x110W VHO actinics. I also recently bought 4 cold cathode tubes from ebay.....want to see if those do anything to add a little bit more color. Got those mainly because I ran out of room for more vhos.

 

[IndyMatt]

I use T5 Actinics, you should be able to add more of those.

What ballasts are you using for the VHOs and the Iwasakis?

One of my MH ballasts just went down.

 

[glxtrix]

The best for the Iwasaki bulbs is the ARO ballast....well really its the EVC, but I cant find those anywhere and its only a 1ppfd gain. The ARO can be found at several places. www.hellolights.com is where I got mine. I also run an ARO for the VHO's. I was thinking T5, but there is no color like that of a VHO. The cold cathodes I got are the purple color and they look similar to a VHO......hopefully thats the case Guess we'll see.

 

[glxtrix]

thing is I need to run them front to back, not side to side. With the LB's and the 2 vho's, I have no more room. There is how ever little room between the reflectors, but not enough for the T5 reflector.

 

[stunreefer]

Allright....I'm done reading this monster thread! Awsome info BTW!

So I was thinking fixtures intially for my new set-up because its open topped, and I dont want hella light spillage. I think I can make this work with the LB's as pendants, and maybe a floating canopy if necessary.

Anywho, the dimensions of the tank are 60"L x 44"W x 24"H, so I was thinking 4 LB minis. There are four holes ni the acrylic euro bracing in the top, and I figuired I'd mount one reflector above each hole. I would buy the CoralVue package (proly from Mike), which is the ballast, the reeflux 12K bulbs, and the reflector. I believe each hole in the top is around 18" x 18". I'll measure tonight and post. What do you guys think???



Also, I'm trying to figuire out my mounting options, and have seen a few people using what looks like aluminum frames to mount the lights on. Could you enlighten me as top what it is, where I could get it, and if its super expensive or not. I'm in the process of building a steel stand, and was thinking Id use scraps and flat steel to make a frame, but feel it would be really heavy.

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[JRaquatics]

I would paint some square stock and mount the light reflector directly to it and hang the bar with some aviation cable to the ceiling. That is an option if you didn't want a canopy.

 

[stunreefer]

Thanks Jeremy!

I just measured my holes at lunch, and they're all 24"x16", but the back two holes have the "corners cut" to fit around the overflow. Heres a pic when i first got the tank, laying on its side:

 

[glxtrix]

Man 60"L x 44"W x 24"H.....sweet tank! I personally would do 6 LB's on it. 3 across the front and another row behind them. You might be able to get away with 4, but I would think they would need to be raised to at least the 16" mark in order to get the spread even throughout the whole tank and that might even be pushing it.

 

[dja1980]

I was thinking 6 also. It would be so much easier to plan lighting if all tanks came in 2'x2' increments.

 

[melev]

I don't know. Six seems like a lot to me. However, I don't know if combining large ones with minis might be a good option. Like two larges in front and two minis in the back... That is a rough shape to light because of the cross bracing.

 

[dja1980]

That's not a bad idea!

In an ideal world, you'd have 2.5 minis across the front (to cover the front 60" x 24"), and 2.08 minis across the back (to cover the rear 60" x 20"), but unfortunately they don't make them in fractional sizes.

I like Marc's idea... I forget, isn't each large supposed to cover a 30" x 30" area? If so, 2 larges in the front would take care of the front 60" x 30" area, leaving 60" x 14" along the back to be lit... maybe 3 minis along the back if that's where the majority of the corals will be?

 

[melev]

Additionally, I would suggest adding an extra layer of acrylic with a tiny 1/2" spacer between the light and the centerbrace. That way if the light cooks the acrylic, it damaged only the faux-piece that can easily be replaced and the main piece is intact, maintaining tank integrity. You only need it where the light is directly over the acrylic. And if the lights are up high enough, this might not even be an issue.

 

[glxtrix]

I'm just not so sold on the large ones yet. I havnt heard too much on them and am wondering if they act in the same manor as the minis (and I could be totally wrong on this) Honestly the bracing on those tanks really isnt much of a concern. My Iwasaki 175's punch right thu it....as do other reefers on here who have the 400's. Somewhere back in this thread someone showed a ridiculous number thu their thick dirty acrylic. Oh well, isn't lighting fun! lol.

 

[melev]

With the tank being so large, it seems logical to go with the larger ones and purchase less reflectors, bulbs and ballasts.

 

[stunreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12456545#post12456545 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I don't know. Six seems like a lot to me. However, I don't know if combining large ones with minis might be a good option. Like two larges in front and two minis in the back...

Hmmmm, not a bad idea. I'll have to ponder that one this weekend. Keep in mind, I want this to be as open-topped as possible, so I can view down into the tank relatively easy. Hence my initial reasoning for the minis.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12456545#post12456545 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
That is a rough shape to light because of the cross bracing.

Tell me about it! Already an intial regret from buying this tank, however I'm never worried about any seems giving way thats for sure! (geez....I hope - never say never). The whole tank is 3/4" acrylic. And I got a great deal on it.