The importance of a good reflector: A photographic Study

[Gomer]

First:
Yes, the tank is a bit cloudy.
Yes, this tank is new and has plenty of growing to do ;)


Many people do not fully understand how important a relfector is with a planted tank. To

drive this point deep, I decided to take a photographic approach to it. Below are pictures

taken of various "reflector" setups with static camera conditions (Aperature=3.0,

Shutter=1/13thsecond, no flash...obviously;)) The DIY reflector was a geometric solution to

eliminate restrike with my screw in compact bulbs.

To Learn more about my DIY reflector, Go HERE (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=127995#post127995)

1) My DIY reflector with some some scraps used as side reflectors (look at the right corner to easily see the difference between #1 and #2)
2) Just the main DIY reflectors
3) 90 Brightness inkjet paper lined inside an incadecent hood
4) Plain incadecent hood no reflector in the incandecent hood
5) Bulbs sitting on the hood

The pictures should speak for themselves :D
(Note: I kick my self for not remembering Aluminum foil before moving the camera. I don't

want to reshoot, but I can tell you that aluminum foil was not much of an improvement over a plain hood)


The top pictures are #1 to #5 going left to right.
The top row is the left corner of the tank.
The bottom row is the center of the tank.
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/louieg/reflector/comparison.jpg

The LINKS below are the complete pictures.
1
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/louieg/reflector/1.jpg

2
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/louieg/reflector/2.jpg
3
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/louieg/reflector/3.jpg

4
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/louieg/reflector/4.jpg

5
http://www.dslextreme.com/users/louieg/reflector/5.jpg

[Booswalia]

I was curious to see your comparisons, but the links don't work. :(

[Sumpin'fishy]

That was a good way to do a comparison. I really could see a difference in many of the full tank shots. I could discern better when I opened two separate pictures and placed the windows with them next to each other to compare. There is no competition between the first two and the last two. The first two do seem to be comparable in brightness, although there was a SLIGHT difference to the naked eye in those photos, so it must be fairly significant to the plants (which react to unperceivable differences in the human eye range.)

[superjohnny]

Yea the first picture is clearly brighter than the rest.

nice tank btw :)

[Slappy*McFish]

I'm curious to see what a DIY reflector made of mirrors would look like. I might try my hand at making one.

[superjohnny]

Sorry for the OT, but Slappy that avatar is THE coolest :cool:

[Slappy*McFish]

Teehee!:cool: ..yeah, it suits me very well. Thanks.

[Sumpin'fishy]

Yes, Slappy, that avatar is awesome! I have been wondering whether you made it yourself or where in the world you got an avatar like that!

[nvision]

gomer, that's a very impressive experiment. even with the simplicity of the end product, i can imagine the precise labor involved in order to bend the material cleanly and to the exact angles required. seems like very meticulous work, but it really paid off.

where did you find these reflector plates?

[Gomer]

The work isn't THAT meticulous when you have the right equipment. If you were trying to do this out of your garage, then ya, it would be a nightmare.

I got the aluminum sheets from a local vender. it is #8 mirror finish 1/32 aluminum. You can find it online if you hunt.

[TwoTankAmin]

It is obvious a good reflector increase the effective amount of light going into a tank. Bulbs emit light in all directions which means 1/2 the light is going away from the tank. A good reflector sends much of this light back into the tank.

If you are lazy like me and find diy is always more expensive than ready made, take a look at the reflectors (and info about them) here http://www.ahsupply.com/

[Gomer]

it is also more than the reflector material. you can have a reflector be 100% reflective and still loose more than 50% of your light due to the reflector geometry.