DIY Refectors.

[alextheromanian]

ive decided after some snooping around and not being able to find cheap good reflectors for my 48" t5ho that i was going to make some myself.


they would be made of a piece of pvc piping (not sure what size yet)
cut down the middle into two halves...and coated with this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Silver-Smooth-Ch...QQcmdZViewItem




idea came from this video...and i know it has nothing to do with light relfectors for aquariums but the whole dIY plan came from watching this guy on youtube...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kXXOwfZA2Rk


ps ill be building that pool heater too but i will make the system out of four pipes next to each other and covered by thin glass ...well thats details on somehting non reef related.


wish me luck and leave some ideas

[rickofco]

I was thinking about making some refectors as well for a t5 set up but was going to try alumium refelective tape but went with a mh setup insted good luck I hope it workes out for you.

[alextheromanian]

lets hope so the tape is supposed to be 98% REFLECTIVE AND SINCE ITS ALL PLASTIC IT SHOULD BE NON CORROSIVE and NON HEAT ABSORBANT....



anyone else have any input on this whole thing?

[phenom5]

IMO it's not worth it. Good quality reflectors are too important when it comes to T5's.


DIY T5 Mirror reflectors

Not sure if you've seen this thread, but if you can get past the minor flamefest in the middle of it, there's some good info/ opinions on DIY T5 reflectors. Which, seeing my Tek fixture in action vs. a cheap current (no offense to any current fixture owners intended) in action...I can tell you that the individual parabolic reflectors make all the difference in the world.

If it were me (which, of course it's not), I'd go with the Icecap SLR's.

JMO, hope it helps.

[IslandCrow]

I agree with phenom5. A quality reflector isn't just about the reflectivity of the material. A lot of work and computer modeling goes into the geometric design of the reflector itself to optimize the angles at which the light is reflected. A DIY reflector is certainly going to be better than no reflector at all, but even though professionally built reflectors are expensive, I really think they're worth the investment.

Oh, and I love my Icecap reflectors. Coupled with an Icecap ballast, the amount of light that's put out is insane.

[alextheromanian]

im not talking about bending plastic vinyl and making a ghetto shaped silly thing....

i was talking about taking an apropriate piece of pipe...maybe 2" cut it down the middle acrosst and lining the interior with 98% reflective chrome vinyl.


the same stuff this guy uses on youtube to set fire to a piece of wood in 3 seonds using nothing but sunlight.

[vr697getta]

you really want that hanging over your stand
also i would like to see this video

[vr697getta]

also sounds like it will raise the temp of your tank to high

[alextheromanian]

Originally posted by vr697getta
you really want that hanging over your stand
also i would like to see this video

the link to the video is in the initial post.

[vr697getta]

that dyi reflector seems like it is more heating up water with a narrow focal point
but i am no expert so good luck with your project and i hope it works great for you

[alextheromanian]

ahhh i got discouraged...ill just stick to building the pool heater

[IslandCrow]

I do understand that you've put thought into this, and you're going to put a lot of effort into it. The problem is, I truly doubt that you have the equipment or expertise to design a product that has nearly the efficiency of a store bought reflector. These guys are using thousand dollar CAD programs and have physicists and mathematicians working for them. A simple parabolic reflector just isn't going to match this, no matter how reflective the material is.

But again, I'm not saying that what you come up with will be worthless. Though I agree with vr697getta that the reflector in the video you have linked is serving a completely different purpose than what you should be striving for. But chances are, whatever you come up with will improve the efficiency of your lights. Just don't expect to be going toe to toe with an Icecap or Tek reflector.

[alextheromanian]

oh no not at all. i do understand those have bends angles etc...somehting you just wont get out of a R squared / 2


i put some more thought into them...the metal icecap or reflectors would absorb some of the heat...and with a fan blowing they can be cooled easier...the plastic ones would just stay hot so id have to aim fans from both ends.


its just sorta sad i cant fool a bent piece of sheet metal...
does anyone even know if a 48" t5 HO with 4 bulbs and individual reflectors would be enough in a 75 g to keep sps lps?

[kau_cinta_ku]

if run off an icecap ballast I would say yes 4 is enough but otherwise I would go with 6-8 bulbs. even 6 bulbs on an icecap ballast is better.

[IslandCrow]

For me, it wasn't until I started running 5 overdriven bulbs over my 46g that I was getting the same success as my friends with metal halide. Of course, that's just one case, and I've certainly heard of people doing just fine with less light than what I had.

[alextheromanian]

well i own the marineland T5HO fixture

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...1&pcatid=16771

any ideas how easy it is to gut one and ?overdrive? them...besides adding SLRs ...im not sure i can even fit SLRs in the light case.