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

[bubbletip2]

Simply put the photo and others I took show that the tank is lit up front to back. I did not say anything about the light that is 16" away from the bulb or farther being very usable light. The same rules apply here as they do to the LumenArc. As soon as you go away fromt he bulb you start to lose intensity. My point here is to say these LumeBrites not only keep the light in the tank but can spread far enough for aesthetic reasons without splashing the back wall or your livign room with radiating light. As stated previosly, the recommended use of these reflectors and for LumenArcs would be a 2x2 foot area due to the loss of iensity as you move away from the bulb and down in the tank. Mike is in agreement that the large LumenBrites would be optimal for his 32" wide set up as well as anything wider.

[JRaquatics]

Originally posted by MJAnderson
Nice tank, but I have a question about that statement. If these are sufficient for a 32" wide tank, why wouldn't you space these one every 32" and not one every 24"? If it can give enough light for 32" wide, why can it only provide enough light for 24" long?

If you notice from the TOTM article pics and the new one Jim Posted Mike just placed them in the same place and position as the LA were in.

[cweder]

My 30" wide tank does not have any coral or light needed in the back 6". So the mini's should be fine. Hopefully Lumen Brite will come out with a DE version, otherwise I realize I have no choice. With the DE Lumenarc mini would I want the bulb running parallel or perpendicular to the length of the tank or no difference?

I vote for acropora nuts tank as TOTM again. Nice improvement.

[JRaquatics]

Originally posted by cweder
My 30" wide tank does not have any coral or light needed in the back 6". So the mini's should be fine. Hopefully Lumen Brite will come out with a DE version, otherwise I realize I have no choice. With the DE Lumenarc mini would I want the bulb running parallel or perpendicular to the length of the tank or no difference?

I vote for acropora nuts tank as TOTM again. Nice improvement.

I called coralvue and they mentioned that the double ended are currently in production. Should be out in 2-3 weeks.

I also asked about the graph posted by Hans that others thought was created by coralvue. They stated that it was not done by them and were not aware of it.

[hahnmeister]

Originally posted by ScubaTC
Hahn - hope the flu bug didn't get a hold of you! Again, excellent straight-forward information.

Oh yeah, as Smokey says in Friday...

"D@$n, you got knock'd the f#!& out!"

I got hit all weekend. Im good enough to get out of the house today... hack, hack...

[acropora nut]

Originally posted by cweder
My 30" wide tank does not have any coral or light needed in the back 6". So the mini's should be fine. Hopefully Lumen Brite will come out with a DE version, otherwise I realize I have no choice. With the DE Lumenarc mini would I want the bulb running parallel or perpendicular to the length of the tank or no difference?

I vote for acropora nuts tank as TOTM again. Nice improvement.

Thx's again for the comment about the new aquascaping....I love the new open look ....Back to your tank..With a 36inch deep tank I feel that the Lumen Brite would be your best bet...

Thx's again

Mike

[cweder]

I also bought that darn skimmer your using acropora. I hope this is not the blind leading the blind? Wait a second, just looked at your tank again.. we're definately not blind.

[acropora nut]

Thx's again....... You will love the skimmer.......

Mike

[edwar050]

I do believe I am going to be getting the new lumenbrights in DE version next week with coralvue 250's and Phenoix bulbs. I believe they will be hitting the market very soon. I would really love to see some more empirical research like the previous light spread on the lumenbright vs lumen arc large size and not the mini's if anybody can pull it out. I think the lumen arcs opened a new door to reefkeeping and there will be many more modifications like the lumen bright within the next couple of years.

I would personally love to see a lumen arc/bright all in one unit with custom 24" Tek t5's and moonlights around the base. BTW love your tank acropora nut and the write up on totm.

[acropora nut]

Originally posted by edwar050
I do believe I am going to be getting the new lumenbrights in DE version next week with coralvue 250's and Phenoix bulbs. I believe they will be hitting the market very soon. I would really love to see some more empirical research like the previous light spread on the lumenbright vs lumen arc large size and not the mini's if anybody can pull it out. I think the lumen arcs opened a new door to reefkeeping and there will be many more modifications like the lumen bright within the next couple of years.

I would personally love to see a lumen arc/bright all in one unit with custom 24" Tek t5's and moonlights around the base. BTW love your tank acropora nut and the write up on totm.

Thank you for the kind word's.... I am glad you enjoyed it...


Mike

[coralnewbee]

Originally posted by jman77
Hello Guys,

Any info on the new Lumen Bright reflectors Reef Exotics is selling ? Are they better than the LIII ?

really like the new look !!! tank looks really awesome,cant wait to come over and check it out.

[Hendersonracing]

Well I like the new Lumenbrights...I think they display the true ocean light and get more of a direct shot to the bottom.....I've only been In reef keeping abot a year and 1/2 but I really like the look....Great looking tank Mike!!!

[Hendersonracing]

[Deuce67]

Here are some par readings I just took using an Apogeee QMSS-E par meter. 5'X2'X2' tank using a pair of full size LBs. 400W 12K Reeflux at around 3 months old using Coralvue electronic ballast. Lamps are 10.5" above the waterline and the meter maxes out at the surface.
[IMG][/IMG]

[hahnmeister]

Your composite illustrates what I was talking about before. The lumenbright creates such a hot spot in the center, with peaks in the 600+ range, and then drops off to 110 rapidly.

Very few corals like light levels higher than 300, and even the most light loving SPS need/want 450 microMol/m2/s. Perhaps the only exception being some yellow porities corals which can get up to 700, and of course crocea clams... but thats it.

Id rather give my whole tank a spread of 300-400 at the top so I dont overexpose and bleach anything.

All those corals in the 600+ range in your tank are going to suffer.

[MJAnderson]

wow, the LBs are like laser beams.

[JCTewks]

Originally posted by MJAnderson
wow, the LBs are like laser beams.

That's funny you saying that, then looking at your avatar

[hahnmeister]

'Why cant I get sharks with friggin' lumenbright's on their heads?'

Lol.

[JCTewks]

IMO the LB's would do well on really deep tanks...I wouldn't want any corals up high in the tank though, Maybe a big ledge of clams at the top

[Deuce67]

Yah, Ill be changing these LB to LA here soon. I only have been turning on my MH for 3 hours a day. So hahnmeister, I know you already answered a question I had on another thread but, you think a pair of LAIII minis would suffice for me?

[MJAnderson]

Originally posted by hahnmeister
'Why cant I get sharks with friggin' lumenbright's on their heads?'

Lol.

I lob the softballs into the strikezone. I leave it to others to hit them.

[bubbletip2]

Hey Deuce,

One thing I have learned in this hobby is that you have to do your research and never take only one person's opinion. Also, it is important to remember that lighting is only one piece of the puzzle in keeping a thriving SPS tank. Mature bacterial colonies, optimal water circulation, Calcium/Alkalinity balance, and proper feeding along with heavy skimming is crucial for retaining beatiful color and adequate growth of the so called difficult Acropora species. It really is not difficult if you follow these simple rules. And by God please acclimate your coral to any significant change in light intensity that you have. That may and often times means a new batch of carbon or uncareful observation of ozone that can polish water to the point that you torch your coral. It can be replacing old bulbs or ballasts that can stress your coral and of course a change in spectrum of bulb from 14K to 10K for example can be life threatening as well. There are so many factors involved here that to make all of your decisions on one thing is just irresponsible.

Here is another good article on coral photoacclimation that may be useful to understand how important this can be in proper husbandry.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-01/atj/index.php

I have a lot more to say about the recent posts here but really just want to explain that you should do your research before shelling out more money for reflectors you may not need.

First of all, here is a shot of the top of the middle pillar in the previous picture posted. Notice the color of the blue mille and the pink birdnest. And trust me this pic does not do it any justice and anyone that has seen this tank can say the same.



The color is truly amazing. And let me tell you that the tops of these coral are 3-4 inches below the surface of the water and again this pillar is WIDE and the whole top of it is doused in light right under this reflector. I know how Mike feels about his coral and let me tell you he would not put these prize coral in jeopardy in an irresponsible way. These pics were taken a few weeks ago and Mike has said that the color is even richer than when I was over and has grown in quite a bit. When we set up this pillar it was a month later that I came over and that blue mille looked like it doubled in size and turned gleaming blue(truly beautiful). It is even bigger now and bluer. And it is 3 inches under the surface of the water. Those are some pretty fancy laser beams you got there Mike

Before anyone tries to convince themselves that your coral don't desire intense lighting, please do your research - take a look at another article written by Sanjay Joshi that explains how impossible it is for us to replicate the intensity of light our almighty sun provides.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005...l%20irradiance

A little tidbit from the article shows the intensity at different depths on a coral reef.

"The PPFD values corresponding to these spectral plots as a function of depth are given in the table below.
1m 5m 10m 15m 20m
1640 958 618 436 316"

Every time I hear that we are pushing too much light on our coral I just want to scream. What in the world kind of logic is that? I do agree telling people to put some 400w bulbs over there tank is bad advice without explaining the acclimation process. You don't want to stress them, burn them, and heat up your tank to levels that will help to induce bleaching. This is why raising your lights is essential. 10.5 inches is low for those big LumenBrites and not just for spread. It does not look like you can raise them either. Mike has his bulbs 14 inches from the top of the water. Less heat and less avaporation - better air circulation throughout the canopy and he is up to his winter 10 hour lighting cycle. Yes people 400w bulbs on for 10 hours without actinic supplementation. I should also add that stressful light is not the only factor in why corals bleach. Excessive eat is known as a big stressor and malnourished coral will not help prevent this from happening either.

Deuce take a look at my fairly new 5ft tank with two Lumenarc minis at 10 inches from the surface of the water. Ummm, do I see laser beams. There is a pretty big patch of shade right in the middle of this 5ft tank with Lumenarcs. I have not had my lights at this level in my canopy at all and know on a 5ft tank that it is not doable at least at 10 inches. The reflectors are an equal distance to the ends of the canopy as they are to the middle so they are placed evenly in the canopy. I have my lights 13.5 inches from the water to get enough spread with mini LumenArcs. I am sure the LumenBrites would be comparable at this height with the spread after seeing the minis on Mike's 32"wide tank.



My main goal in this hobby lately is retaining the natural color and brigning out the potential color in SPS , LPS, and fish. Mike has been accomplishing the same goal and it is evident in the pictures everyone has seen. Let me some some pictures of all of these people having issues and I may be able to diagnose some other problems they may have that may be responsible for there bleaching. Proper light acclimation is key if you want to keep your coral under intense lighting.

[Deuce67]

Thanks for the advice bubbletip2. Im actually raising my lights right now as we speak.Just taking a break. Im redoing the setup without changing reflectors. Ill post par readings once im done. Unfortunatly, Ill have my lamps a bit high at 16". No other way around it.

[bubbletip2]

Deuce,

With the par readings those puppies are putting out at 10.5 inches, you should be perfectly fine at 16" to grow most SPS. figure it like this if you added 6 inches to your 24 inch high tank you get 30". Most people are able grow coral adequately with 400w bulbs 30 inches deep in their tank. Add 6 inches to your 10.5 and you get 16.5 inches form the surface of the water. You will be just fine and will have plenty of spread.

You will also be able to run them longer. I run 2 -400w 12K's on the same size tank and my temp is between 78.5-79.5 with 4 fans and an RK2.

If you were not going to raise them, I was going to suggest buying two dimmable ballasts instead to be able to better acclimate your coral. This is the purpose of the dimmable ballast. It allows people that are restricted by their canopy to turn it down to get your coral adjusted.

Another suggestion - to get the most out of our t5's you will need those a bit lower - 4 inches or so. Otherwise they are just for aesthetics. I find the color of the 12K's the most natural color for a bulb that I have ever seen. I run mine 9 hours right now without any actinic supplementation. Less bulbs and ballasts to replace and more room in the canopy for proper ventialtion and air circulation. Just a thought

[bubbletip2]

Also Deuce,

I am using that middle section of the tank to acclimate coral as I know the light intensity is not there as it is far from the bulb and low in the tank.

I am switching to LumenBrites myself and will definitely have to reacclimate coral when I do.

At that time I can show a couple comparison pictures of the light lost outside the back of my canopy onto the wall with the LMIII's and the Lumen Brites. If I was a betting man myself, I would put a thousand bucks on the LumenBrites to keep the light in the tank, exactly where I want it.

Jim