I have a question again...

[kstyle13]

I picked up the lighting supplies from glxtrix. 8 bulbs, and 3 ballasts. Now I just have to get reflectors and sockets. I am planning on lining the white reflectors with mylar. This is supposed to be the most reflective material for lights. My question is do I need a ceramic socket or does it matter. Oh they are metal halides. Some 14k bulbs, 20k bulbs (I think) and two other bulbs. I know one set is 175 watt. Home Depot has vinyl mogul sockets. Will those work? They also carry mogul to medium socket extenders. They are porcelain or ceramic. Does it matter?

 

[indecloudzua]

I'm not sure which one but I'd look for the most water are corrosion resistant ones..You might end up needing a chiller too depending on the heat during the summer.

 

[picoreefguy]

i would advise against using mylar as a reflector for metal halides. while it works very well for t5s, halides get much hotter, in the hundreds of degrees, and mylar is a thin,plastic sheet which would melt, burn or at the very least distort and degrade very quickly depending on the thickness of the material and the distance from the bulb. so unless you plan on keeping the reflector several feet from the bulb it is not a good choice. i would use an aluminum reflector instead.

 

[acroholic]

Buy some metal halide reflectors, or make your own out of sheet metal. Don't use mylar. Only use appropriate ceramic mogul sockets.

I have some excellent LumenMax Elite halide reflectors with sockets I can sell you if you are interested. $100 each with splash glass. Perfect for your size tank. These are completely wired and ready to go. Just wire to your ballast, screw in the bulb an you are good to go.

 

[jdavid]

I would go with a quality reflector like what Acroholic is offering, but here are some budget mogul base reflectors that would still be better than the current plan
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004YXDPPQ?cache=3e0747fd57670360ec220a859e3d26b8#ref=mp_s_a_1_1&qid=1392546339&sr=8-1">Apollo Horticulture GLRGW19 Gull Wing Hydroponic Grow Light Reflector:Amazon:Patio, Lawn & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zbr7%2BHfVL.@@AMEPARAM@@51zbr7%2BHfVL</a>

[IMG]http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003QKUOYI?cache=3e0747fd57670360ec220a859e3d26b8#ref=mp_s_a_1_2&qid=1392546472&sr=8-2">ViaVoltTM Budget 18" Bat Wing Grow Light Reflector with 5KV Socket and Cord:Amazon:Patio, Lawn & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M28casYqL.@@AMEPARAM@@41M28casYqL</a>

[IMG]http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004D50LLG?cache=3e0747fd57670360ec220a859e3d26b8#ref=mp_s_a_1_3&qid=1392546472&sr=8-3">Economy Reflector/ Drip Guard:Amazon:Patio, Lawn & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NVvr4aIAL.@@AMEPARAM@@41NVvr4aIAL</a>

 

[mikesmith34]

Mylar is used on the walls of a grow room for light reflection.

 

[kstyle13]

Ok. I had just read on reef to reef forum that people were suggesting mylar but it was just a thought. I have white metal reflectors already. I just need the sockets. They are aluminum and white reflectors give around 75% of light. Right? I could be wrong. I just went broke getting these lights and ballasts. Lol so I'm trying to find some sockets I can use and basically just do my own.

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[indecloudzua]

You could use mylar.it won't deform from heat.its used on space craft among other applications. I probably wouldn't use it for reef purposes. What temp do you usually keep your house?

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[kstyle13]

Between 68 at night and 72 during the day. All year round. I plan to run the lights 10 inches off the tank with the canopy hung from the ceiling. The opening from the canopy to the tank will have 2 fans blowing into the lights pushing the cool air over them with there being plenty of room for the hot air to escape because they will be completely open

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[indecloudzua]

Okay.they will put off tons of heat.

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[kstyle13]

I got that. Lol I'm trying to figure out if I can manage without a chiller? If I run maybe a small fan directly on each light it should push the heat out from under the canopy at least enough that I don't need a chiller any time soon. I'm not running a heater in the tank as of yet. Should I just monitor the temp of the tank and see? Is it kind of trial and error at this point? And I take it I need a ceramic socket? Since vinyl melts.

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[butch]

Start tracking your temps at different intervals throughout the day and record so you can track more easily. Decide from there if you need to run your heater. Once you get your MHs running, repeat the same process. You might need a few fans pointed towards the top of your tank to break the water surface and cool it down a few degrees. 10" off the top of the water shouldn't make a huge difference...YMMV.

 

[jdavid]

I have a 400w over a 29g cube with no heat issues. Quality reflector though (lumenbright mini), which allows me to keep the light up high.

 

[kstyle13]

Awesome. That's kinda what I read. That's also seems to be a mass consensus about height of the lights.

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[acroholic]

JDavid;935868 wrote: I would go with a quality reflector like what Acroholic is offering, but here are some budget mogul base reflectors that would still be better than the current plan

Better than nothing, but the batwings don't work very well. If I were the OP, I would save my money until I could get some decent used LM, CV or Hamilton reflectors. In the meantime, go to Lowes and buy some sheet metal, cut it and bend it into a U-profile like a batwing. You'll get the same performance as a batwing. Save the money vs buying three batwings and put it towards some quality reflectors.

If OP does buy/make some batwings, however, be sure to use a spacer between the top of the reflector and any wood surface you mount it to for fire prevention. Most commercially made batwing reflectors come with spacers for this purpose.

 

[kstyle13]

Yea. I planned on putting a 6 to 7 inch gap between the top of the canopy and the top of the reflectors. To give good airflow with the fans blowing. I have white reflectors that came with some shop lights I planned on using until I get some nice quality reflectors. Kind of a get the job done until I have some spare change. It's bill time now so my spending has come to a halt until bills are done lol. But I found some. Mirror spraypaint. It's used to turn any glass into a mirror. Super reflective. Can I paint that onto my white reflectors until I get some nice ones?

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[acroholic]

kstyle13;935987 wrote: Yea. I planned on putting a 6 to 7 inch gap between the top of the canopy and the top of the reflectors. To give good airflow with the fans blowing. I have white reflectors that came with some shop lights I planned on using until I get some nice quality reflectors. Kind of a get the job done until I have some spare change. It's bill time now so my spending has come to a halt until bills are done lol. But I found some. Mirror spraypaint. It's used to turn any glass into a mirror. Super reflective. Can I paint that onto my white reflectors until I get some nice ones?

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I cannot tell you whether the paint is OK to use......sorry about that.

I had batwings in my very first halide setup, and when I ditched them for some Lumenbright Mini reflectors, and kept the ballast and bulb the same, with no other changes, I fried a few acropora colonies just from the increase in usable PAR now that my reflectors were of decent quality.

You will go through the same thing when the time comes, just something to remember.

 

[michaelf1478]

How many sockets do you need I have a few I will give you.

 

[michaelf1478]

I run mh on my 135gal for the heat issue I mounted a fan over my sump and put it on the same timer as the mh. That bas been working good for me.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

As for the heat: If you are in a canopy, use two computer fans (one each side). You want them both to blow in or blow out (not one in and one out). You will need a exhaust port or the back of the canopy open. If that is not enough cooling, then use a box fan over your sump/fuge for evap cooling.... This is where a controller like a neptune or reefkeeper comes in very handy!

Mylar can be used as a reflector with little to no problems. I know many people that have used it. Hell in a pinch people have also used aluminum foil. Is it as good as a lumenbright? Nope, but it is better than a painted white surface.