Reflectors for a Nova Extreme--Will it work?

C

cmaxwell39

Guest
I took some measurements on my Nova Extreme fixture to try and figure out how easy it will be to put the Aquactinics reflectors in them and I need some opinoins.
The Aquactinics reflectors are 2" wide (the narrowest individual reflector out there right now I believe). The center to center distance between bulbs on my Nova Extreme 8x54w is just under 1 1/4".
So the first question would be would I be able to squeeze each Aquactinics reflector down 3/4" or would that change the shape of the reflector too much and make it not as efficient?

On the Nova Extreme fixture there is about 44 1/2" to work with on length and the new Aquactinics reflectors are 43 3/8" in length so I don't think there is going to be an issue there.
So what do you guys think? Would I be able to get 8 of these reflectors in the Nova Extreme fixture or would I need to go every other bulb?
 
the egregious

the egregious

Member
with my nova extreme I didn't really know ( like you ) if it was going to inhibit the maximum reflection capability so I just went every other bulb. I am curious myself if one could bend them to fit without losing reflectivity.
 
ibew41

ibew41

Active Member
post if you only go with half the reflectors if there is a big difference I have the same fixture but went to a tec and there is no comparing the 2
 
ibew41

ibew41

Active Member
Originally Posted by The Egregious
http:///forum/post/2568345
Huh?
? basically the nova extreme I have is junk the fans are loud and the par is not even close to the tec fixture I bought to replace it with,but if placing half the reflectors in the light is worth the $ I would put it on my 55g and take the fans off
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
Anybody have any opinions on whether or not it would be possible to put 8 of these reflectors in the Nova fixture or if squeezing them down that much would change the shape of the reflector too much? Thanks.
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
Egregious-- Do you have any pictures of yours with every other bulb having an individual reflector? Would like to see how you did it. Thanks.
 
chilwil84

chilwil84

Active Member
have the nova 8 bulb with another sites reflectors bent on my 90 and have been growing sps mid to high and have a crocea on the bottom for at least 18 months. removing the fans is the worst thing you can do. heat is the biggest killer of par for t5s and why more people are going to fixtures other than tek because of the lack of fans.
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
chilwil84--Are you saying that you have 8 reflectors in your Nova Extreme and you just bent them to make them fit?
 
chilwil84

chilwil84

Active Member
yup old pic let phosphates get high and lost a couple colonies but everything else has recovered and is doing good. i didnt use the clips the reflectors came with just the fixtures holders
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
Gorgeous tank. What size is it. It looks like you have sps almost all the way to the bottom of it and they don't seem to be losing color or anything. Did you say that you have had it set up with the modded Nova Extreme for 18 months?!!!! Great job.
It looks like it would probably be worth it. Any one have any downsides to squeezing the reflectors to make them fit?
 
fats71

fats71

Active Member
Originally Posted by chilwil84
http:///forum/post/2568666
have the nova 8 bulb with another sites reflectors bent on my 90 and have been growing sps mid to high and have a crocea on the bottom for at least 18 months. removing the fans is the worst thing you can do. heat is the biggest killer of par for t5s and why more people are going to fixtures other than tek because of the lack of fans.
Simply goto wal-mart or a PC shop and buy a 80mm fan or two cut the top off the tek housing and place them in pushing the air up and out and there ya go. total cost of fans 10 bucks maybe... Go with the ones with neons on them to make it look all snazzy :) check out danger den or newegg or tiger direct they have sales on that stuff all the time personally I'm a danger den guy myself :) You could also be creative and buy water blocks for your lights and water cool them like I do my computers would be a fun project and plus anyone checking out the lights would be like wow thats crazy.
Originally Posted by cmaxwell39
http:///forum/post/2569638
Gorgeous tank. What size is it. It looks like you have sps almost all the way to the bottom of it and they don't seem to be losing color or anything. Did you say that you have had it set up with the modded Nova Extreme for 18 months?!!!! Great job.
It looks like it would probably be worth it. Any one have any downsides to squeezing the reflectors to make them fit?

I think a downside would be that you have to mod it right off the bat of purchase to make it worth using and checking apples to apples on pricing doing the mod would cost more than buying a better light.
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
That is not an apples to apples comparison for me since I already own the Nova Extreme 8 bulb fixture. So for me the comparison is modding the light I already have or buying a whole new fixture.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
You could squeeze the reflectors down to get them to fit in there, but you should be able to keep anything you want with just 6 of the reflectors. Provided we are talking about a fixture with 8 lamps in series , not 4X4. The aquactinics are top notch reflectors from what I've seen. So coupled with a quality bulb and ballast, 6 should be fine.
However, these are what are called parabolic reflectors...Meaning bowl shaped. A properly designed "PAR" reflector is shaped so that when the light leaves the lamp it bounces off the reflective surface in the desired direction without very much of it bouncing back into the lamp. This is why these reflectors are so effective. By "squeezing" the reflector you are changing the shape of it and also its effectiveness. It'll work of course, but in a whole, IMO, not be as efficient...
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
So would I be better off keeping the fixture that I have (it is the 8 bulb fixture) and trying to squeeze the reflectors in them, or would it be better to save a little money up and buy the Nova Extreme Pro (I know that this is still not considered the best fixture, but I don't think that I would be able to convince my wife to let me spend $600-$800 on lights.)
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Originally Posted by Fats71
http:///forum/post/2569699
Simply goto wal-mart or a PC shop and buy a 80mm fan or two cut the top off the tek housing and place them in pushing the air up and out and there ya go. total cost of fans 10 bucks maybe...
.

I'm pretty sure that would void the warranty.
Originally Posted by cmaxwell39
http:///forum/post/2569756
So would I be better off keeping the fixture that I have (it is the 8 bulb fixture) and trying to squeeze the reflectors in them, or would it be better to save a little money up and buy the Nova Extreme Pro (I know that this is still not considered the best fixture, but I don't think that I would be able to convince my wife to let me spend $600-$800 on lights.)
I honestly don't know the price of the reflectors, but I'd imagine they'd be at least $20 each. So if you wanted to spend close to what you probably paid for the fixture on upgrading it...
-Justin
 
C

cmaxwell39

Guest
Yes they are about $25 each. That is still cheaper than the pro or any other fixture with individual reflectors though.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
See how many you can squeeze in then. The slots that you can't fit reflectors in you could use for your actinics.
-Justin
 
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