lumenarc, lumenbright, or lumenmax?
 

i have a dilemma
my current lighting fixture was a cheap 24" 400w de with 2x65w pc and moonlights in one. run on an icecap 400w electric ballast.

i have an oceanic 92gal, bowfront corner 1/4 cylinder tank. 35" radius, about 25" deep. so i was limited in fixtures. i find that my current fixture does not light up my corals the way i would like. it has no real reflectors built in besides the inside lining.

my problem is when the lighting is centered to my tank. any of the corals that i place closer to the front of the tank, (from my viewing angle in the front) i would be viewing it from the shadow. meaning the growth and color is on the opposite side of my viewing angle, because the light source would be coming from behind it. the corals placed behind where the light is would be ok, but i would have limited space because it comes to a corner(point) so i cant place as many corals. hard to explain hope everyone understands.

my question is would a good reflector correct this? are they mainly to spread light out or to reflect lightbeams in different directions to mimic more than one light source.

what would you guys recommend? i was looking at the lumenarc lumenbright and lumenmax reflectors. can go either SE or DE but if SE i would have to wait a year to use because i just replaced these bulbs feb 13. should i go with the full size ones or would the minis be sufficient? hanging is not an option. my oceanic canopy has a glass top about 8" off the water surface that i can place the reflectors on top of so i would prefer one with less bulk.

another option would be to sell the icecap 400 and get a dual 250w and get 2 smaller pendants.

please provide your suggestions, opinions or reviews of the products. thanks

I think a mogul based 400w with full size Lumenarc would solve your needs. The Lumenarc has excellent spread and should light it up nicely. I really like the Ushio 14k, it can stand alone without supplementation.

I agree. A SE bulb spreads light better than a DE bulb, and a full size reflector (not the mini). LumenArc, LumenBrite, and LumenMax are all very similar reflectors, but the LumenMax tend to just barely beat out the other two in a PAR match (using the same bulb/ballast), and spreads the light just a bit better. OR, your idea of using two DE pendants would be quite sufficient as well, but more expensive as you wouldn't be using your current ballast. I say sell your current DE bulb, and switch to the SE. Be sure to pick a bulb that is known to have a high PAR (or PPFD) reading on your particular ballast. Here is a list of the PPFD ratings for different bulbs on your IceCap 400w electronic ballast: http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighti...llast-data.php

i would scale it down 2x 250 that way there would be a evenly spread light.... and should look at the phoenix 14k bulbs..... come by and look at mine bro

thanks for the suggestions,
just a curious question,
would 2 250w in very close proximity provide the same intensity or par as a 400w?

Way too many variables for a simple answer. Plug in a few bulb and ballast combos at the link Myka provided to see various comparisons. Some 250W setups can have more PAR that 400W, some have less, some have about the same. Electrical usage varies as well.

link does not seem to work for me, it links but no information

Try this:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting

I prefer a 400watt 20k bulb over a 250 watt 20k bulb...but thats personaly preference. Yes I have run both side by side and still prefer the 400, would run it but it is too much for my small tank now.

my 250 x2 on electronic galaxy ballast is super blinding ............. but it might be the combo i got running

youcan also use 2 250 watt and put them more forward because they are smaller.... that way you will get the look from the front instead of the back..... or you can just add a 250 on the front with a small pendant and save some money there .... or just go 2x 250 side by side towards the front ..... should look SICK

if you go for the lager pendants like a lumenbright or lumenmax you will still have a problem with coverage on the 35"wide tank as I use to have 2 lumenbright pendants and they only covered 2x2ft. I run 2x250w hqi now and notice that they are brighter than my 2x400 se.

Twon why don't you keep the 400w fixture in the front and put a 250w hqi in the back, then later sell the 400w and get another 250w and run them side by side. I don't think that your house ac can keep up with the heat of you mh in the summer and you will have to get a chiller anyhow there is a guy on craigslist selling a hqi system for $200 go for it!!

i'm interested in someting for my 45g 1/4 round as well. Presently using T5, But wouldn't mind trying halide. I was thinking 2 175W or mine maybe? with actinics in middle? The Halide would be in front, and the Actinic T5's run the radius, from the point in the back to the front center. Wonder how that would work????

yea i saw the ones on craigslist and that is why i have considered the 2 250w. can hamilton ballast run any 250w bulbs or would i be limited in bulb selection?

that also brings up heating issues for me. in the past i had heating issues, had my tank runing at 86 degrees at times in the summer. chiller wasnt really an option because i lack the space for it (tank is in my living room) so then i went and bought a home central air conditioner unit. it has helped lots but im still running at 80 degrees unless i crank up my aircon and put sweaters on me and my family lol i made sure my aircon was slightly oversized for my home. or maybe i can get someone to fabricate eggcrates made from some sort of corrosion resistant metal or heat resistant plastic thats strong enough to hold my lighting and use that rather than my glass tops.

i think you will like the 250 x 2 .... get the galaxy ballast and ushio bulbs or even phoenix..... would you consider hanging from the roof ? can make it look nice ...

sounds good if you have both halides closer to the front or use good reflectors. what kind of canopy are you using?

hmmm... can you picture my wife letting me hang my lighting from the ceiling? she'd want the whole thing gone if i even attempted that hhaha

No canopy. Open top. have a Teklight 4 x 24w T5 hanging from celing right now with the spring loaded retractable hangers. I like the hanging method.

here's a crappy pic of my present setup with the T5's my cell phone sux for pictures hahah
http://banditpowdercoat.com/Powderga...2/IMAG0187.jpg

nice tank looks similar to my tank except i have a canopy, similar rock layout as well.

wish i can some how get rid of my glass tops, would help with my heating issues. hanging isnt an option for me so with out them i have nothing to hold up my lighting.

any one know if there is such a thing as non corrosive metal egg crate material

dont worry just tell her ... Lairay did it .... LOL i was going to setup mine up till i found me some legs.... want to know a really nice fixture ? ... maristar 36 inch... and hanging from the roof ... oh yeah very very nice.... it comes with nice hanging hardware that makes it look part of the house :D

take alook at this fixture and power .... powder coat black ... and the brightness of it
http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/t...o/DSCF0676.jpg

Can you use glass strips? Ive seen tanks run narrow strips to support the lights.. I have a glass top made for mine too, but got tired of cleaning the glass every 2nd day. And now with the 20g ATO set up, no worries with evaporation

wow i see you have been heavily accumulating your corals, almost looks fully stocked and it hasnt been that long since you got your lighting.

yeah .. the bottom left... see that anemonie ... damn thing was only the size of a toonie.... now look at it... it loves the light.... ur blue frag is now starting to grow onto the putty ... and everything else is NUTS ... cant wait to put more in ... LOL

^^wow it looks purdy :mrgreen:

but certainly not full!! more like 70% empty I say put 40 more colonies in there just use acrylic rods to mount them like trinkets on a xmas tree......

Twon if you have a decent hvac unit in your house then you're laughing cause you can feel like winter even in the summer.

just use the 400 for now and pick up a 250w also hamilton ballast can usually fire most bulbs a ballast is a ballast just make sure if the ballast is a pulse or rapid start and match the bulbs up. Alternatively buy a dual 250w ballast like a pfo, ice cap, or galaxy or really whichever you want so that when you get rid of your 400w you will only need a pendant and bulb.

as for the glass tops just leave them on unless you want to risk your jawfish jumping.... just mount the pendants inside your canopy by hanging them then cut a hole in the back and install 4 pc fans to suck the air out and the heating issues should be gone!

off to the craft store for acrylic rods and staples for more Glue... getting ready for more colonies and frags :D

industrial plastics on minoru acrylic rods 8ft piece for 4 dolla!

wow... ok ill head there tomorrow on my lunch :D gonna glue all the corals and frags... tired of my mexico turbo snails knocking them over

yes i would prefer a 400 over a 250 also but how about two 250 over a 400? if kept in close proximity like only 2-5 inches apart between pendants and having both the lighting overlap i am hoping that it would atleast be close or = to the 400 in par and intensity. i would have more flexability with two 250. i would not have a huge reflector sitting on my canopy and with two hqi i can get small pendants or just the shell to fit it into my canopy just need to find a way to rid the glass top to let the heat escape.

what do you guys think?

with 2 250s... .you will get alot more lighting out of it ... and there is a central over lap ... so the center is alittle bit brighter then the outsides... but now you will also have lights on the sides where you dont have much light now..... as for the glass top ... i think we can rig something up

my 400 reaches all corners of my tank, im not worried about that. my prblem is how it comes out.

you can go crazy and do 2 x 250 and 4 t5s ... 2 atinics and 2 fiji purple ... SEXY

ok just placed my order for two 250w lumatek ballast from a sponsor on here.
searched around and most ppl have compared these with icecaps and have prefered them over galaxies so thought i'd give them a try

woohoo welcome to the dual 250 hqi club

whoot... welcome to the 250x2 hqi club ... what bulbs you gonna run bro ?

not sure what bulbls yet. looking to get two of these reflectors first and find something similar to this that will not rust and corrode to replace my glass tops and hang these reflectors and supplimental lighting on.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...ne/9df6_11.jpg
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f2...l_Pattern1.jpg

ok just found out the mesh is an expanded metal mesh. anyone know where i can get some just strong enough to hold up my lighting but not so thick that it weighs to much and makes it too hard to cut?

Most Metal Fab shops can get Expanded metal in or already carry it. Also, you can get it Powder coated to handle the corrosion and such..