Re: Reflector measurements

[busko at stsci_edu (Ivo Busko)]

Biplane10 at aol_com wrote:

> Ivo,
> 
> I appreciate your post but wanted to add a recent experience re: lighting and 
> reflectors.
> 
> I had 2 nearly new double strip Perfecto (white paint) reflectors lighting a 
> 29 gallon tank. I was lamenting my green rotala macranda. My first step in 
> increasing lighting was to foil my two double strips. There was an immediate 
> change in coloring on the plant. In fact it turned red. 
> 
> The white reflective part doesn't extend to the bottom of the strip, and I 
> reasoned the black portion might be wasting some of the light.  I foiled the 
> whole thing, including the white reflector, for simplicity. So I really can't 
> conclude that the foil is superior to the white reflector, but it appears it 
> may be on these strips.
> 
> Sylvia

Sylvia, I believe the key here is the side of the reflector. I used to have 
a double Perfecto strip and I know how the white reflector is. You can see 
that the two bulbs are jammed close together and they effectively block a 
substantial area of the back reflector. The back area of the reflector 
is not doing really much. The sides are the areas responsible for most of 
the reflection. If you add anything reflective there, the overall performance 
is bound to improve, as you noticed. However, my measurements where conducted 
with a large flat reflector behind the bulb. I don't know if they can be
extrapolated to your situation, where most of the reflection comes from
slanted reflecting surfaces at the sides of the bulbs.

- Ivo Busko
  Baltimore, MD

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