And Let There Be Light ....

The new 250W Radium SE bulb in a parabolic Spider reflector! Really blue huh? My old DIY reflector design is below - more focused light beam, as you can see from the reflection off the surface of the water.


vs


And now a side-by-side comparison of the size of the reflectors - DIY vs Spider.



Pretty scary, huh?



OK, a viewer's view comparison. To the left is 150W 20,000K Iwasaki SE bulb on DIY reflector, to the right is the 250W Radium SE on Spider reflector. Some prefer the "deep underwater" look of the right side, but my mom thinks the colours of the corals get kind of washed out? And also, surprisingly the 150W lamp on the left appears to be brighter, but that may be due to the design of my DIY reflector - compare the light spread, and you'll see. The Spider reflector gives an even distribution of light, while my DIY one on the left is focused, but leaves some dark areas especially on the far left. Coral colour-wise, the Radiums actually bring out a vast array of flourescence I've never before witnessed in my tank.