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Thread: Why red LEDs ?

  1. #11
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    I'm thinking about a double layer... .125" mirror adhered to .125" black, then rabbet the back pannel, side and top of pannels capped with .125" x .25" black strip.
    1. that would prevent the mirror from flaking over time
    2. eliminate light bleed out on the ends/top
    What do ya think?

  2. #12
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    The majority of the intensity comes from direct exposure from the LEDs. IMO, the most you're going to get is a few % boost in growth, which you can get just as easily by varying the flow, photoperiod, etc. But, you might be able to get away with a couple fewer LEDs. Seems like a lot of work. Just my 2c.

  3. #13
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    I agree. It would be alot of work, but it goes along with the rest of this system. I'm not trying to mass produce...just a one time design/build. If I get a few %...heck even a couple % in growth, it'll be worth it in the long run. I've been guilty of taking everything to the extreme and making things the absolute best they can be. I believe in doing everything 100% and then some! I like to keep afterthoughts and hindsight to a minimum. This is the biggest reason my 150g build has taken 2 1/2yrs and $8K+ just to get to where I'm at now.

  4. #14
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    That is true, being 100% satisfied with your creation is important. Let us know how it goes! I would be interested in how you bond the mirrored side of the acrylic to the black, I would think that solvent would not work, perhaps contact cement (loc-tite). Maybe bonding a couple large pieces together, then cutting them as one, etc. Sounds like a new topic

  5. #15
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    That was my thought. Just like bonding/gluing wood. Make the pieces larger than needed, then trim to size; table saw, edge routing and rabbeting etc...
    Here is my thought: For bonding the mirror to black I was thinking that Aqueon (Dow Corning) Premium Aquarium Silicone would be applicable

    1. Peel one side of protective paper from black sheet and evenly lay some zig-zag beads, just enough to create maybe a .5mm or less layer with minimal squeeze out after spreading/gluing/clamping (spread silicon on black to prevent scratching mirror coating from mirror piece while spreading with knife)

    2. Use a wide mudder's/drywaller's knife/spatula 12" or larger width for even spreading, get the silicone spread as thin and even as possible (though using a knife larger than 12" may make it difficult to spread a thin layer considering the viscosity of silicone conversely using a narrower knife may make it difficult to spread the silicone even and uniformly)

    3. Peel paper from mirror coating side of mirror sheet and place face (clear side) down on flat sturdy surface (protective paper still on clear side to prevent scratching later on when cutting/trimming), start the bond with the black sheet in hand and the mirror sheet on the surface, line up edges the best you can, begin by slightly bowing the black sheet at contact edge, slowly roll down black sheet to prevent bubble trapping ensuring even symmetrical contact

    4. Using 2 pieces of thick plywood slightly larger than the acrylic (perimeter) that was bonded and at least 3/4" thick, sandwich acrylic, use a few boards of 2" x 4" stock (like 6 or more overall length of acrylic depending) a few inches longer than the plywood allowing for clamping, run perpendicular to grain of plywood evenly spaced and again sandwiching the plywood, then clamp the 2" x 4"s, allow for adequate cure time

  6. #16

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    A mirror does not reflect as much light as you may think. the light has to pass through the glass/acrylic where some % is absorbed ,then it hits the metal coating where it is scattered and re-directed out back through the glass where more is absorbed. this is why a "reflector" is better than a mirror.

  7. #17

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    Why do you want to use silicone to glue acrylic? (It will not stick to acrylic) instead of acrylic glue that the rest of us use? Does the acrylic glue not stick to the reflective surface?
    Tank Info: 1000 liter FOWLR/Reef (some corals), DIY glass "High-Tech" sump with ATO reservoir, 550W DIY LED, 5x Tunze Stream 610x, Laguna 6000 l/h return pump, DIY Phosban reactor, DIY Almost floating UAS Algae scrubber, DIY Temp Controller, Avast Mutiny II Ozone reactor. 216 liter Reef Cube, glass sump with ATO reservoir, Ecotech Radion LED, DIY Phosban reactor, DIY Temp Controller.

  8. #18
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    I'm not sure if acrylic glue will react adversly to the mirror coating...for one acrylic glue actually melts the acrylic creating a weld (correct me if I'm wrong) if there is a layer of mirror flim I'm not sure it would even create the bond, at the price of mirrored acrylic I don't want to burn a piece to figure it out. Besides it is a large surface area I need to cover in addition Weld-on would evaporate before I could get the entire surface covered.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by greenmachine View Post
    A mirror does not reflect as much light as you may think. the light has to pass through the glass/acrylic where some % is absorbed ,then it hits the metal coating where it is scattered and re-directed out back through the glass where more is absorbed. this is why a "reflector" is better than a mirror.
    I get that part however, I don't want to build a scrubber with a 'reflector' that has direct exposure to the salt water. Salt water does not do nice things to aluminum. Even if it is washed on a daily basis. I speak from experience on that one, I work in/on the water (gulf) daily.

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