masterbuilder Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I am curious about reflectors. It has been said many times that individual reflectors are what make a great t5 unit. That is why a nova extreme pro is more money than a nova extreme. And how about the t5 from hello lights. 100-125 bucks and everyone is raving about it. Does it have individual reflectors? Do individual reflectors matter on a 4 bulb 24" unit? It seems like individidual reflectors would matter more for a deeper system like a solana cube. Am I correct on this? We can all argue/discuss about ballasts, lamps, cooling, etc., thats just the details. With T-5 its ALL about the reflectors. With no or poor reflectors, PC's are not much worse. Quote Link to comment
rufousreefer Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 We can all argue/discuss about ballasts, lamps, cooling, etc., thats just the details. With T-5 its ALL about the reflectors. With no or poor reflectors, PC's are not much worse. So, are the tek, current, ice cap, ati, hl reflectors comparable? Is the light level testable on these reflectors? Quote Link to comment
SaltyVT Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Depends on what look you want. Your selection will be white with a touch of blue/purple. I would ditch the actinic and replace it with a ATI Blue +, however. Will look about the same (ever so slightly bluer) as your selection with just as much pop, more PAR though. Cool thanks, I like the bluer look anyway!!! Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Good point Goby. Have you tried buying an assembled light like the Hellolights one above, then disassembling it to retro into a canopy? It doesn't seem that involved and the assembled lights cost significantly less than the retro kits. Go figure. i just mounted the entire 48" fixture into the canopy using some 2x2 wood pieces to space it off the top for heat release and to get it closer to the water also then made my own acrylic splash shields that actually sit over the top rim of the tank instead of against the light fixture, figure this allows the lights to run cooler last pic is one from the back side of the canopy through the opening, this is a 3" tall opening, after a few days of running this light in the canopy my temps are just a degree or two on average higher than i prefer, so i plan on grabbing two 80mm(3in) computer case fans and wire them into a simple 12v cell phone wall adapter and have them blowing into the canopy just to circulate some heat out... Quote Link to comment
GobyInPeace Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 We can all argue/discuss about ballasts, lamps, cooling, etc., thats just the details. With T-5 its ALL about the reflectors. With no or poor reflectors, PC's are not much worse. I don't have individual reflectors either. If you prefer to run your bulbs open like I do the reflectors will degrade over time and become less effective. Overdirving also contributes to me not needing them. Another thing to consider is UVL is now offering bulbs with internal reflectors. Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I am curious about reflectors. It has been said many times that individual reflectors are what make a great t5 unit. That is why a nova extreme pro is more money than a nova extreme. And how about the t5 from hello lights. 100-125 bucks and everyone is raving about it. Does it have individual reflectors? Do individual reflectors matter on a 4 bulb 24" unit? It seems like individidual reflectors would matter more for a deeper system like a solana cube. Am I correct on this? technically they do not have individual reflectors, it's one large reflector bent into "individual" V shapes with the bulbs inside the V's.....so it's VVVVVVV instead of V V V V V V if you get what i mean.....which honestly is the same as individual reflectors....the fact that they are connected on the very edges means nothing Quote Link to comment
rufousreefer Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I don't have individual reflectors either. If you prefer to run your bulbs open like I do the reflectors will degrade over time and become less effective. Overdirving also contributes to me not needing them. Another thing to consider is UVL is now offering bulbs with internal reflectors. The reason I asked about reflector comparison was mainly to find out about the maintenance of reflectors. Seems like some reflectors will pit out from corrosion over time, indvidual or not in the open. Are some reflectors more resistant to corrosion? I have heard the newer tek reflectors are less likely to pit out. I want to know peoples personal experience running open lights. Quote Link to comment
masterbuilder Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 So, are the tek, current, ice cap, ati, hl reflectors comparable? Is the light level testable on these reflectors? Sure it’s testable with a PAR meter. Personally I have not tried all of them. Grim over on RC has tested a couple and made some observations. Second hand info I have gathered: (from good to not as good) ATI Icecap Tek Current The top 2 are constantly "one upping" each other", so the order may change. IMO the top 3 are very good. Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 i am thinking with a proper splash shield used pitting would only become a problem after many years....ballasts would probably go out first, entire fixture would need to be replaced at that point IMO Quote Link to comment
SaltyVT Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I don't have individual reflectors either. If you prefer to run your bulbs open like I do the reflectors will degrade over time and become less effective. Overdirving also contributes to me not needing them. Another thing to consider is UVL is now offering bulbs with internal reflectors. how much of a difference does the internal reflector really do??? I saw those for sale too and was wonder if it was just a BS gimmick to charge more. Quote Link to comment
rufousreefer Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 i am thinking with a proper splash shield used pitting would only become a problem after many years....ballasts would probably go out first, entire fixture would need to be replaced at that point IMO I like your splash shield. It seems like a great way to preserve your lights. Masterbuilder's looks really nice too. I wonder master, does yours run hot? How often do you change bulbs? Quote Link to comment
SaltyVT Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 i am thinking with a proper splash shield used pitting would only become a problem after many years....ballasts would probably go out first, entire fixture would need to be replaced at that point IMO My tek with out sheild, has started pitting, its only a little over a year. The ballast did go first though, I drop the fixture in the tank....... Quote Link to comment
GobyInPeace Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) i am thinking with a proper splash shield used pitting would only become a problem after many years....ballasts would probably go out first, entire fixture would need to be replaced at that point IMO The problem I see is that many hobbyists fail to keep their splash shields clean and free of salt creep. I notice this quite a bit on many of the fixtures I have seen in person. Also the act of cleaning them can scratch the surface and overtime they get hazy. Edited January 4, 2009 by GobyInPeace Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 The problem I see is that many hobbyists fail to keep their splash shields clean and free of salt creep. I notice this quite a bit on many of the fixtures I have seen in person. Also the act of cleaning them can scratch the surface and overtime they get hazy. thats the nice thing about my shields, easy to remove to clean and cheap and easy to make, a whole $15 for two sheets of acrylic, score, snap, glue handle/braces on top, done Quote Link to comment
el_vulture619 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 thats the nice thing about my shields, easy to remove to clean and cheap and easy to make, a whole $15 for two sheets of acrylic, score, snap, glue handle/braces on top, done Why aclylic instead of a glass top? This is what I have..came with the tank. Will it affect the lights when I get them? Quote Link to comment
masterbuilder Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I don't have individual reflectors either. I wasnt aware you ran your lights that way. Even more impressive. Maybe, just maybe, overdriving makes it a wash. If thats the case then it would make some "in hood" installations more flexible. I went with a fixture vs. a retro because I just could not fit the number of lamps I wanted in my hood due to the reflector width. I wanted at least five lamps, not so mutch for the amount of light as for the color I was looking for. Something for me to ponder. Mark p.s. "Biology Over Technology" is how I think too. My tank is not much different than yours. Of course it not nearly as nice or mature...the theory is the same. Quote Link to comment
vresor Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Most (if not all) T5 reflectors are made of aluminum. Aluminum is corrodes quickly when in contact with water where the pH is over about 8. Drops of water that manage to splash their way up onto the aluminum reflectors evaporates quickly. As the water in the drop evaporates, the concentration of alkalinity increases thus driving the pH of the water remaining in the drop up from 8.3 or whatever it is in your tank up to well over 9 as the drop dries. Over time that results in an etched or pitted appearance of the aluminum. Anything that would protect or passivate the aluminum would dramatically reduce its luster and therefore its reflectivity. The only answer is keeping a pane of glass, acrylic or something water tight (and hopefully clear) between the water surface and the bulb. Quote Link to comment
jamesnmandy Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Why aclylic instead of a glass top? This is what I have..came with the tank. Will it affect the lights when I get them? i am operating on the assumption and from what i have heard, that glass reduces light transfer less than the same thickness acrylic....cant prove it myself plus working with acrylic is so much fun see!! Quote Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Got my new bulbs in over the weekend, but one of the bulbs they sent me is wrong. I'm supposed to have a combo of 2 Blue+, 1 KZ Fiji Purple, and 1 KZ Coral Light II. Instead I have 2 Blue+ and 2 Fiji Purple. Out of curiousity, I tried it, and was quite shocked at how nice it looked. From everyone's comments, I would have expected everything to look much too "pink" with 2 Fiji Purple bulbs, but that's not the case at all. Basically, it looks blue without being TOO blue and the coral colors practically GLOW. It's really gorgeous. Looks much nicer than under my 150w MH with Phoenix 14k bulb. The combined PAR isn't bad either, at 320. I'll try to post some pics later today. I'm considering actually just keeping this combo. Quote Link to comment
jSully Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 where do you order both ATI and KZ bulbs from the same place? Quote Link to comment
IMaNoob Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 where do you order both ATI and KZ bulbs from the same place? i think reefgeek has Quote Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 ReefGeek.com carries KZ, but they don't have the KZ Coral Light II. AquariumSpecialty.com has the Coral LIght II and they're who I ordered from. Course they ended up sending me the Fiji Purple instead of the Coral Light II... Quote Link to comment
masterbuilder Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) Weet, After trying several combos AND after seeing other peoples pictures on this thread.... I finally ended up making one last change. 2 Blue+, 2 Fiji Purple and 1 Aquablue Special. This is fairly close to what your running now. I am happy with this combo and to STOP ME from trying anything else I sold all my other lamps. This is it for at least 10-12 months when its time to replace, I bet I stick with it. I dont know what too say about yours, it would be hard for me to decide between what you have or replacing one Fiji with the KZ II. Me...prob end up replacing the one Fiji, I like a whiter look than some people. Will be watching and see what makes YOU happy. Thanks for the thread, it helped me and I am sure it has helped many other people....good idea....good thread. Mark Edited January 6, 2009 by masterbuilder Quote Link to comment
Phixion Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 My current combo has a more 14,000K - 20,000K MH look to it color wise. I didn't go for that look specifically, just how it ended up when I was recommended my bulb combo. I'll admit I didn't like the purplish nature of the color at first, but it kinda grew on me... Quote Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 I haven't taken pics yet but to give you an idea of how it looks.... You know all those coral pics you see posted by vendors online, and you say to yourself, "There's NO way those corals look that bright or that good in real life"? Well, under the 2 Blue+, 2 Fiji Purple combo, my corals really DO look like that. It's crazy. They really GLOW, there's some major fluorescence. BibleSue is here right now and she agrees with me, she thinks I should just keep this combo and not try to trade out the one Fiji Purple for the KZ Coral Light II. Quote Link to comment
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