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

[chad508]

i am building a new hood so i can go as high as i need. from what i gathered from your reply the large at the right height will give better coverage than the smalls at any hight. am i correct in saying this? if so i will go ahead and get the large and install them atleast 16" above the water. what would be the max height above the water before i start to lose alot of par?

[want2reef]

Originally posted by bubbletip2
I have done some testing and will again on my 30g cube. Currently I am running a 250w EVC ballast on an EVC 14K bulb under a large LB pendant. I can certainly swap out bulbs and ballasts and post some numbers. I would also like to use the Coralvue ballast in the test as well. If I remember correctly, the Coralvue ballast was approximately 15% stronger with the 12K bulb than the EVC ballast. I was doing a lot of testing during that time and never wrote anything down on it. I was just testing to see where my levels were in the tank at that time and to refute some data on an EVC 14K bulb being stronger than a Reeflux 12K. Yeah right

Thanks for your testing Bubbletip.

I am thinking of changing out my DE ROIII's and Phoenix combo for the SE Lumenbright Reeflux 12k combo on a EVC ballast.

[bubbletip2]

Originally posted by chad508
i am building a new hood so i can go as high as i need. from what i gathered from your reply the large at the right height will give better coverage than the smalls at any hight. am i correct in saying this? if so i will go ahead and get the large and install them atleast 16" above the water. what would be the max height above the water before i start to lose alot of par?

If you can make your canopy 22" to 24" that would be perfect. I don't think you will ever have to go above 16" so 22" canopy should suffice. The reason I say this is you have 400w dimmables so you can turn them down if they are too much. Trust me when I say you don't have to worry about losing PAR at 16" or 18". I had mine at 17.5" and had incredibly high numbers.

The larges will cover more at the right height because more of the reflector will reach farther outside the edges of your reef. At 16" you will definitely maximize your light angles with the larges however under a 24" wide canopy you will not have room for supplements so if you were considering supplements than you woudl have to go with the minis with that width. To be honest you really don't need supplements with your set up currently. 12K's give a nice 50/50 look.

[chad508]

thanks alot. i will go with the large then.

[DennisRB]

Set my LBs up today with 250W ebay lamps replacing my 150s. Lamp height is around 16-17". All I can say is WOW. What a MASSIVE difference. Even at this height the tank seems twice as bright and I have almost 100% coverage. Bare in mind this is only 3 lights on an 8 foot tank.

[melev]

That's nice to hear. It sounds like you will need one more light at some point. Or a light mover to roll the three from left to right and back again.

[CHAR3]

ok my turn i have a 55g tank thats 48l x 22w x 12 t i just upgraded to this tank and currently have my old aquamedic 150mh over it. i can only get one fixture right now but i plan to use both lights . i was looking at the 250 se with the dimmable ballast and LB mini reflector. do i need to use both lights. or could i just use the LB ? the main reason i want the 250 is for my mag anemone and i do plan on some sps . there is also a 120g upgrade plan in the future and id hate to have to upgrade lights again. also what height should i mount the light. thanks for the help

[reef2]

do u guys think 3 of the lb reflectors w/250w 20k radium on pfo hqi would cover 96''x24''x24''? or should i go with lumenarc III.

i dont want to run 4 250's and ive already got the ballast. i just need a reflector.

thanks

[DennisRB]

Originally posted by melev
That's nice to hear. It sounds like you will need one more light at some point. Or a light mover to roll the three from left to right and back again.

Na I only have an 8L x 2.5W x 2H because I got a complete setup with lights, live rock, coral, fish, protein skimmer, tunzes and everything else for around $1800 USD. I never would have got such a large tank and I intend to keep it stocked like a 6x2x2. This is going to be a "cheap" 8 foot reef, if there is such a thing

I plan on having open areas between bommies (where the light is not so strong) and I will start the rock structure away from the ends of and back of the tank. I'm not sure how this will end up. I had considered a lighting rail to move the lights though.

The tank hasn't really even been aquascaped or stocked yet. I haven't made any additions to livestock since I got the tank in dec 07. Just want to get the equip right first. So here is a pic that wont get me too many TOTM nominations just so you can see the LBs.

The outer lamps are $20 ebay lamps and so is the middle one, but from a different seller. Apparently the middle one has "German internals" and the outer ones are sold as "HQI". They are both 14K but the outer ones look more like 10K. I have no basis for comparison but they both look to work well. I like the color of the middle ones more. I made the ballasts up out of discarded street lighting I found in a junk pile. I believe they are a HQI equivalent as they say MH (HPS) 100V 3A on them.

One thing I did notice is they are very flimsy and the construction accuracy has a lot to be desired for what essentially is a lot of money for a bit of folded metal. Also, every high powered lamp holder I have seen working in the electrical industry has silcone (or similar) wires as normal PVC wires will go hard and crack from the heat. The cords that come with these appear to be normal flexible leads and I worry about their service life in this application. Overall I am still very happy and recommend these reflectors as the performance is outstanding.

[cashman95]

Hi All,

I must admit...I tried to read thru all the pages on this topic, but my laptop only has a 2 hour battery! With that said, I have a question or three.

1ST......Is anyone using XM 20k's with these lumenbright reflectors? How does it look?

2ND....I have a 24x24x20 rimless cube and want to buy one of these relectors, so what size reflector for this tank with a 400 watt XM 20k?

3RD....I have seen some awesome SPS tanks with Reeflux AND XM bulbs, and yes the reeflux seem to really bring the color out in these corals, but do they last very long? My local fish store has a 180 with 3 reeflux 12k over it, and I have watched these bulbs shift a great deal in a year....is that the nature of reeflux bulbs?

Last question.......I am a sucker for quality!!! And have heard/seen some of coralvue's products which seem to be a bit on the low quality side. Specifically speaking I had 2 different Coralvue T-5 retro kits that are really junk, and a friend of mine ordered the 250 watt reeflux HQI and had to get Coralvue to send him 3 different bulbs to find one that wasnt defective.....with all that said I am still willing to take a chance and buy a LumenBright reflector due to the great reviews you guys have given it, I wouldnt even mind trying a Reeflux 12k and a dimable coralvue ballast, I just dont want to be disappointed with another low quality Coralvue product....WILL I?

Thanks in advance and I dont mean to be negative about CV's product, but my experience with them hasnt been the best so far!?!?!?!?

Brian

[dzhuo]

i have to admit that i didn't read the whole thread so i apologize in advance if this question has been asked before...

if i am planning for a 4'x4'x2', how many LB would i need? do you think getting 4 small LB with 175W would be enough assuming tank will be all SPS and i want to be able to place the corals in all level of the tank?

[burton14e7]

I'm sure its doable but I would prob do 250's for a 2' deep tank if you want sps all over. You would have to be very careful with placement.

[burton14e7]

Originally posted by burton14e7
I'm sure its doable but you would have to be very careful with placement if you want SPS top to bottom.

[melev]

Originally posted by cashman95
Hi All,

I must admit...I tried to read thru all the pages on this topic, but my laptop only has a 2 hour battery! With that said, I have a question or three.

1ST......Is anyone using XM 20k's with these lumenbright reflectors? How does it look?

2ND....I have a 24x24x20 rimless cube and want to buy one of these relectors, so what size reflector for this tank with a 400 watt XM 20k?

3RD....I have seen some awesome SPS tanks with Reeflux AND XM bulbs, and yes the reeflux seem to really bring the color out in these corals, but do they last very long? My local fish store has a 180 with 3 reeflux 12k over it, and I have watched these bulbs shift a great deal in a year....is that the nature of reeflux bulbs?

Last question.......I am a sucker for quality!!! And have heard/seen some of coralvue's products which seem to be a bit on the low quality side. Specifically speaking I had 2 different Coralvue T-5 retro kits that are really junk, and a friend of mine ordered the 250 watt reeflux HQI and had to get Coralvue to send him 3 different bulbs to find one that wasnt defective.....with all that said I am still willing to take a chance and buy a LumenBright reflector due to the great reviews you guys have given it, I wouldnt even mind trying a Reeflux 12k and a dimable coralvue ballast, I just dont want to be disappointed with another low quality Coralvue product....WILL I?

Thanks in advance and I dont mean to be negative about CV's product, but my experience with them hasnt been the best so far!?!?!?!?

Brian

If you want a nice strong reflector, get the one with the black finish. You'll want a "mini" for that size tank, and you only need one. Mine has the black finish and a glass shield to keep it clean, because I wanted it to last a long time. I even take them down every 6 to 8 weeks to wipe them down completely. Over a rimless tank, I doubt you want to see a bare reflector anyway. Might as well get the glossy black one, right?

You can run SE or DE bulbs in the mini, and a 20,000K Reeflux will be fine. It'll be quite blue. These bulbs seem to last about 9 months, color-wise. (My experience is only 10,000K bulbs though) After a few months, I see a shift to pink, but I have a 20,000K Radium bulb (400w) in the center of my tank as well as two VHO actinics to keep the color of the reef looking nice. I'm using IceCap ballasts; perhaps Coralvue ballasts will burn them longer in the right spectrum - I really don't know if that is fact or not. I have also used XM 20,000K bulbs in the past, but don't have any in my arsenal at the moment.

[morph_man]

ok so what are the good points of these compared to the lumanarcs?

[melev]

Originally posted by morph_man
ok so what are the good points of these compared to the lumanarcs?

Please read this article

LumenBright Reflectors - Enlighten Us!
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-06/review/index.php

[morph_man]

not really a comparison but melev....

[cashman95]

Thanks Melev,

Would the larger Lumenbright, not give me bigger/better coverage or would it spill out onto the floor? I am trying to get that even covrage all over the tank in order to color the front and sides of the SPS.

Thanks Again

[cashman95]

Morph_man, it looks like one of the biggest differneces is the increase in par and the ability to raise the bulb up off the tank for better heat control with the Lumenbright without comprimising par. I am borrowing a large lumenarc III from my friend right now, but will be ordering the lumenbright soon. I will give my thoughts on the two reflectors then!

Brian

[LooseHip]

Originally posted by cashman95
Thanks Melev,

Would the larger Lumenbright, not give me bigger/better coverage or would it spill out onto the floor? I am trying to get that even covrage all over the tank in order to color the front and sides of the SPS.

Thanks Again

The finished mini lumen bright will cover a 24x24x20 with no problem.

[A sea K]

I've followed this thread from the begining and still can't decide whether to use the LB or LA for my system.
The problem I am having is mounting height. Due to a tall tank and stand I will be limited to mounting the LB at a max of 15" off the water (bulb height). With the preffered distance around 16 to 18" I am very concerned about shadowing in the tank. I want to avoid this at all cost but with a 29" deep tank I'm not entirely sure I'll have enough punch at this depth If I use the LA's.
My planned upgrade is CV electronic ballast at 250 watts using SE 12K reeflux bulbs, either reflector choice will be mini. Heat /electrical issues prevent the use of 400 watters for my particular taste and I'm trying to avoid making any more mistakes with my lighting choices(been there) as they are rather expensive to rectify(doing that).
My tank is 72LX24WX29T, I'm currently housing LPS corals but after 2 yrs my interest seem to be changing toward SPS. Do any of you running this set-up feel the LB's will cover without the shadowing?, or should I go with the LA's?
Thanks for any LIGHT you can shed on my situation, Chris

[bubbletip2]

Originally posted by A sea K
I've followed this thread from the begining and still can't decide whether to use the LB or LA for my system.
The problem I am having is mounting height. Due to a tall tank and stand I will be limited to mounting the LB at a max of 15" off the water (bulb height). With the preffered distance around 16 to 18" I am very concerned about shadowing in the tank. I want to avoid this at all cost but with a 29" deep tank I'm not entirely sure I'll have enough punch at this depth If I use the LA's.
My planned upgrade is CV electronic ballast at 250 watts using SE 12K reeflux bulbs, either reflector choice will be mini. Heat /electrical issues prevent the use of 400 watters for my particular taste and I'm trying to avoid making any more mistakes with my lighting choices(been there) as they are rather expensive to rectify(doing that).
My tank is 72LX24WX29T, I'm currently housing LPS corals but after 2 yrs my interest seem to be changing toward SPS. Do any of you running this set-up feel the LB's will cover without the shadowing?, or should I go with the LA's?
Thanks for any LIGHT you can shed on my situation, Chris

In your 6ft tank, if you had 3 mini lumenbrights you would be fine. Ideal coverage of the minis is obtainable at as little as 14" if you have a reflector for every two feet. It is actually easier to light up deeper tanks with LumenBrights as opposed to shallower tanks when canopy height may be an issue because you have more area in your water for the cone to spread. Unless you plan to build your rockwork really close to the surface of your 29" deep tank you will be fine. 16" is minimum in my experience for the large LB's and boosting up to 18" for coral growth. If you pick up dimmable ballasts you can account for growth by dimming them down for the top growing coral to acclimate them slowly to the increase in light as they reach the top.

[melev]

Originally posted by morph_man
not really a comparison but melev....

It is not a side by side comparison, but it definitely answers the questions people have regarding one versus the other. And since that was your question, I highly recommend you read the full article. Jim put a lot of time into that article, and it really does provide you with a ton of information.

[melev]

Originally posted by cashman95
Thanks Melev,

Would the larger Lumenbright, not give me bigger/better coverage or would it spill out onto the floor? I am trying to get that even covrage all over the tank in order to color the front and sides of the SPS.

Thanks Again

With the tank being 24 x 24, I really believe the mini is better. If you used the larger version, you'd have to lower it to keep light spill to a minimum. If you lower it, the PAR will increase significantly, which would certainly affect your corals adversely.

The difference between the two: 16 x 16 vs 20 x 20.

[A sea K]

bubbletip2,
I realize the coverage won't be an issue at the lower reaches of the tank but my concerns are toward the top and as you mentioned I do have some rockworck very near the upper reaches.

You mentioned ideal height of 14". Is this in relation to spread at the bottom of the tank? I know I can get coverage at this reflector height for the bottom of the tank but my concerns are of the upper regions and how the spread will work at a slightly lower reflector height.