Which MH Reflector Do You Use?

[NaH2O]

I'm curious to which MH Reflector you use? I listed the ones I know about, so choose "Other" if I missed your type of reflector. I'm also curious as to whether you've mounted your bulb parallel (=) or perpendicular (+) to the front of the tank.

 

[jlehigh]

Good stuff Niki.

I had to select other because I run two 400DE PFO Pendants Perpendicular, one 400DE Coralvue Pendant Horizontal, and a 250W SpiderLight perpendicular.

On a 30" wide tank I really should be running Luminarcs which I am working to retro-fit to DE. Of course if the 400W 15K XM's perform well they may be thrown into my mix too! LOL

BTW: I caught a thread where Sanjay posted he completed XM 15K Testing on ALL XM 15K bulbs but everyone will have to wait for the AdvancedA article...

 

[NaH2O]

I never put much thought into reflectors when I bought mine - back in my follow along with the herd days . I need to read the articles Sanjay put out on the reflector tests he performed. I definately have learned (thru talking with people) that Luminarcs are the way to go in tanks that fit them.

As for me....I have Spider Light reflectors mounted perpendicular to the tank, which I believe is the way the SpiderLight reflector is supposed to be mounted?

 

[chris-miranda]

nah20 i have the same set-up as you and it works great

 

[Jeff]

I have the ROIII mounted parallel. That way I could fit more T-5s in.

 

[MtnDewMan]

Two PFO Parallel reflectors here

 

[wrightme43]

I have the stamped cheap metal (REEFFLECTOR from Marine Depot catalog). It is supposed to be a parabolic reflector like the spider light one, but it is barely ok. It is better than nothing but not very good in my opinion. I will upgrade when I build my new canopy. I have been making lots of them and have come up with many design improvements and it is just better now. So off with the old and on with the new. LOL

 

[Scooterman]

I don't know what exactly what I have, it is a knock off of the spider light somewhat lol, I even have it mounted wrong, parallel instead of perpendicular because of the factory hood is too small to allow for my VHO's & the MH, Well actually I could make several mods to get it right but I intend on tearing it all down one day.

 

[Macbeth417]

ROIII's ran Parallel. I clean the UV glass with vinegar once every two months or so... been nothing but happy with them.

-Erik

 

[mojoreef]

I had those cheap Marine depot jobs to but swapped them out for the luminarc's and I have to say it is amasing how a reflector can make such a difference. I did a bunce of light meter tests prior and after and the results are pretty scary. I was able to remove one whole MH off the system also.

Mike

 

[coralseas]

i had used spider reflectors ,and then switch to luminarc and it works so much better than the other. i would say go with the luminarc s , there the best

 

[Beckmola24]

Right now I'm just using the reflector that came with the Coralife light I have a Coralvue reflector for my 250 DE's but haven't used it yet...

Where is the cheapest place to buy Luminarc's?? Nikki, you mentioned that Luminarc's a good for tanks that fit them... I'm not familiar with them at all... what are the Luminarc's dimensions??

 

[NaH2O]

Becky - these are the dimensions: 19.5” x 19.5” x 8.5” tall. They wouldn't fit very well in my canopy without some serious re-doing. There is also a mini version (14.5" x 14.5" x 6.5") that would probably fit on my tank, but I would still have to do canopy modifications. As to where to find them...check this thread: Help Finding Diamond Light - Lumenarc III. There is a link for them there.

 

[Maxx]

I've twin ROIII's running parallel over my tank. But when I was doing research prior to buying, I was told by Sunlight Supply that RO's worked good either way. Spider lights like yours lose alot of light by being mounted parallel as opposed to perpendicular.

Nick

 

[dnjan]

I have two spiderlites mounted parallel. I notice no difference whatsoever with respect to the light that comes out the ends versus the light that comes out the sides. The area of my tank is 24"x48".

 

[The Apprentice]

PFO Parallel reflectors & fixtures

This is the way i went. everything is mounted horizonal. I have 2 of these units and they work very well on my 150 and 75 gallon tanks...Jeff

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=218&sort=7&cat=15&page=1

 

[mungus]

I have the same reflectors as the Apprentice, in the DE version. They work very well.

 

[NaH2O]

Mungus - welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!

 

[Forestal]

i feel like an idiot, but i have a reflector with no label from premium aquatics, one of the retrofit kit

 

[MarineDreamer]

Me, I've got two PFO 15" Parallel reflectors. Each with a 250 watt 10K (one with an Ushio and one with a XM) and two 28/32 watt PC actinic bulbs. And they're mounted parallel with the tank.