Fancy reflectors- Worth it?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

BlazerFRS

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
320
Location
Rochester, NY
Hello,

I'll be building a DIY hood shortly with the AHsupply 2x 13w bright kit for lighting a 10 gallon. I'm wondering if the fancy reflectors they sell are really worth it-I was originally planning on just painting the inside of the hood white or making a simple parabolic reflector out of aluminum flashing.

Anyone who's used them care to comment?

TIA
 
pm cz_cz.. he's used paint and AHsupply reflectors.. Ive seen the pics, there was a huge diffence..
yet I think if you used a good design for a flashing reflector I would think it would be a close alternitive..
 
Maybe I'll give the flashing a try and let you all know how it works out... it cuts the price of the kit in half, so it has potential to be woth it. It'll be a beast to get the flashing to hold a 'w' shape tho I think; so I may end up with the 'restrike-tastic' parabola...

I will pm cz_cz to see if he'll post those pics here.

Blazerfrs
 
I did not compare reflector to reflector, unfortunately. Look at how much light hits the substrate. Light in sump is the same in both pics. Here is 2x23w spiral screw-in CFL (restrike by bulb design is an issue) with painted white hood. 2x13w AHSupply Deluxe kit (their reflector)

I would buy their reflector but would mount the ballasts remotely if I did it over again.

WPG breaks down in small tanks, and 2.6wpg on a 10 is closer to medium light than high light. If you are planning a high light planted tank, consider 36w kit fwiw. I have to use 2x13w CF mentioned + 20w NO to grow high light plants: there is a set of pics here, with all plants grown through propogation. Notice that glosso still did not hug the substrate (I use CO2 and rich ferts).

HTH
 
Wow-That looks pretty impressive czcz... very impressive! Kudos, and thanks for your input!

Medium light is about what I was hoping for, I'd like to be able to grow a limited selection of plants well w/ relatively low maint. ( little extra ferts needed and probably no CO2 for awhile). If I'm feeling ambitious in the future I could always cram another 13w bulb in there somewhere. I feel I will eventually be putting CO2 on this tank, how much of a difference would I really se at 2.6 wpg do you think?

I plan to mount the ballasts on the back of the hood if possible... I'll see what seems best once I get going. It depends largely on what scrap wood I have laying around to use for the hood.
 
No problem, and thanks :) I found CO2 very beneficial even with the 2x23w with white paint, as I had noticeable algae with that light. It is very easy to DIY CO2 on a 10 and I think it is well worth the nominal time and cost, but Flourish Excel is another option. JME
 
to be honest with you you can boil down the wires that acutally can not be in contact to usually 3 so moving the ballast far away from the hood just requires a length of decent extention cord if you think about it.. just an observation..
 
My hood and tank is an old stainless steel Pemco actually (I believe they were a Metaframe knock-off), and I had to use a metal on metal epoxy to attach the ballasts internally. AHSupply 2x13w kit has two ballasts btw. I know you are wondering why I did not just mount them remotely to begin with: I ask myself this too ;)
 
I wonder why they go with 2 little ballasts? one for the ages I guess.. LOL
yea.. then it would be 2 extention cords to wire remotely.. lol
czcz your tank and hood are just old shool.. I dont think there were knock offs it was just the materials of choice at the time :p ..LOL
btw.. there are deals to be had on "industrial" ballasts off ebay.. little do they know its the same thing.. :lol:
 
Back
Top Bottom