What is the best material for a light diffuser?

[Reefs and Geeks]

I'm looking to make some DIY diffusers for my lights to help blend the light a bit and maybe reduce some of the shimmer effect. If you had a choice, what material would you choose for a light diffuser? Seems alot of materials have pros and cons, but may just be a looks thing, or maybe more of a balance between how diffused the light is, and how well the light is transmitted. What are your thoughts? If you saw diffusers at your LFS of all materials lined up for the same cost, which one would you get?

 

[oreo54]

Holographic diffusion material.

LED Light Shaping Diffuser® Sheets and Strips for Quality Illumination

Luminit manufactures quality LED light diffuser sheets, strips and films for all types of light panels. Our LED diffuser sheets homogenize the light with 85% to 92% transmission efficiency.

www.luminitco.com

 

[rgulrich]

Here's what I use on my fixtures, and have great results:

Search results for: 'satinice'

Default Description

www.acrylite.co

I think this is in the range of the one I use:

ACRYLITE® Satinice optimum light diffusion

www.acrylite.co

As the description notes, the light is diffused through embedded light diffusing beads, not sanding or somesuch. This is how they achieve such a high light transmittivity rating.

They are now wholesale only, so you'll have to locate a distributor.

Find one that meets your criteria/balance between light transmission and diffusion. I removed the stock 90' lenses from my black box fixtures, and had the acrylic cut to size. I use neodymium magnets to hold them in place.
The provide great blending of the different LED colors (the reason I picked them up) and an extremely high light transmissivity.
Here's what my first installation looked like:

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Ray

 

[Reefs and Geeks]

Here's what I use on my fixtures, and have great results:

Search results for: 'satinice'

Default Description

www.acrylite.co

I think this is in the range of the one I use:

ACRYLITE® Satinice optimum light diffusion

www.acrylite.co

As the description notes, the light is diffused through embedded light diffusing beads, not sanding or somesuch. This is how they achieve such a high light transmittivity rating.

They are now wholesale only, so you'll have to locate a distributor.

Find one that meets your criteria/balance between light transmission and diffusion. I removed the stock 90' lenses from my black box fixtures, and had the acrylic cut to size. I use neodymium magnets to hold them in place.
The provide great blending of the different LED colors (the reason I picked them up) and an extremely high light transmissivity.
Here's what my first installation looked like:

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Ray

Those look great on your BB lights! I'm going to have to see if I can find someone who will sell me a sheet of the material to try. Did you notice a big improvement in the color blending or reduction in shimmer after installing yours?

 

[rgulrich]

Definite increase in color blending - I really wanted to get rid of the "seperate LED" look of the these fixtures. This might help describe the results:

And the reduction in shimmer put them on par (no pun intended) with fluorescent tubes - more of a broad swath of color.
Cheers,
Ray

 

[Thaxxx]

Before you spend any $ on a fix.
Try wax paper over the lights as a way to see if you like the look.

 

[rgulrich]

And here's how they look on my current installation.

I do like to have some "shimmer" to remind me of snorkeling out in the sunshine, so I support the black boxes with an array of Kessil A360WEs to provide that point-source and glimmer lines. This combination and arrangement has proven to be not only sufficient to support acropora all the way to the rubble line, but also pleasing to the eye (at least mine...).
Cheers,
Ray

 

[ajm83]

Here's what I use on my fixtures, and have great results:

Search results for: 'satinice'

Default Description

www.acrylite.co

I think this is in the range of the one I use:

ACRYLITE® Satinice optimum light diffusion

www.acrylite.co

As the description notes, the light is diffused through embedded light diffusing beads, not sanding or somesuch. This is how they achieve such a high light transmittivity rating.

They are now wholesale only, so you'll have to locate a distributor.

Can I ask if the light scattering effect of your diffuser would help to reduce shadowing at all, for example on an acropora?

 

[rgulrich]

As for reducing shadowing - within limits, and based on the colony proximity to reflective surfaces. Let's say perhaps it's near the glass, and the glass is kept clean. Again, I've found this approach makes the fixture serve as pretty much a single emitter, but like a large, rectangular, fluorescent box if you will. The produced light can reflect off the glass to prevent the "shadowing" effect.
Like this A. horrida front and center on the rubble:

If you look closely at the coloration of the coral on the "underside" of the branches, you'll notice it's nice and dark.

Here's where it's located:


Here's a purple Styolophora up in the corner (in the pic earlier post it's up in the back right corner of the aquarium) - look closely at the area adjacent to the Montipora, where the light isn't reflected back into the colony, vice the right side adjacent to the glass.

By the Montipora it's lost coloration, but near the glass it's retained it.

As for the rest of the reef, there are limits when a colony gets to a given size and structure it will shade itself and/or its neighbors. That's when we make judgment calls and prune (still sounds weird putting it that way) back or allow it to continue.

I hope this helps!
Cheers,
Ray

 

[BlakeFL]

@rgulrich Where did you buy your diffuser sheet?

 

[N.Sreefer]

Anyone on here try polycarbonate sheeting before? We use them in the greenhouse industry they're very cheap, readily available, and diffuse light well.

 

[rgulrich]

@rgulrich Where did you buy your diffuser sheet?

Before they went wholesale only:

ACRYLITE® Satinice optimum light diffusion

www.acrylite.co

I did a quick Google search for "Satinice" (the acrylic diffuser product name Acrylite makes) and came up with this one for example:

Satinice Clear Acrylic Sheets : TAP Plastics

From lit wall panels to glowing store fixtures, we have all your needs covered with our selection of Satinice clear acrylic sheets. Submit your custom request today!

www.tapplastics.com

I'd recommend doing a bit of Google time to find a dealer that has the specific product you'd be interested in.

Cheers,
Ray

 

[BlakeFL]

Before they went wholesale only:

ACRYLITE® Satinice optimum light diffusion

www.acrylite.co

I did a quick Google search for "Satinice" (the acrylic diffuser product name Acrylite makes) and came up with this one for example:

Satinice Clear Acrylic Sheets : TAP Plastics

From lit wall panels to glowing store fixtures, we have all your needs covered with our selection of Satinice clear acrylic sheets. Submit your custom request today!

www.tapplastics.com

I'd recommend doing a bit of Google time to find a dealer that has the specific product you'd be interested in.

Cheers,
Ray

Thanks. I'll see if I can find a dealer. Not sure which version I want yet. I am not happy with the color mixing on my AI Prime the way I have it mounted. Looking to improve that. I'll probably start with the diffusers you can get at Home Depot/Lowes first.