75 Gallon Lighting
- Thread starter mchabot
- Start date
mchabot
Member
ZeroC, thanks for sticking with this thread. This may seem like a complete newbie question but do I need to worry about snails / fish escaping (killing themselves) from the tank now that I have the glass tops off? Does anyone else want to chime in and offer an opinion before I order bulbs? I also would like to hear opinions on whether or not I need the acrylic shield. I've been told they get dirty quick and ruin the light just like the glass aquarium cover does.
zeroc
Member
snails no, most fish no. there's only a handful of fish that are known jumps. if you have one of those using some eggcrate on top with do the trick (you can get it a home depot in the work shop lighting area).
As for covering the bulbs, HQI have to be covered because they give of harmful UV light, any fixture or retro fit will come will the glass you need. Single End bulbs do not need to be covered because they don't give off the UV. You should be keeping the bulbs probably 8-12 inches off the water anyways so unless you have fish that like to splash you'll be cool. You may get a little salt creep on the bulbs (i do) which is easy to clean of, i do it once a week take the bulbs off and wipe them down with some damp paper towel and dry them thoroughly. I also take this time to switch the bulbs as well. (don't think it's necessary but i do it just in case one bulb has more PAR then the other so each side gets each bulb for a week.)
As for covering the bulbs, HQI have to be covered because they give of harmful UV light, any fixture or retro fit will come will the glass you need. Single End bulbs do not need to be covered because they don't give off the UV. You should be keeping the bulbs probably 8-12 inches off the water anyways so unless you have fish that like to splash you'll be cool. You may get a little salt creep on the bulbs (i do) which is easy to clean of, i do it once a week take the bulbs off and wipe them down with some damp paper towel and dry them thoroughly. I also take this time to switch the bulbs as well. (don't think it's necessary but i do it just in case one bulb has more PAR then the other so each side gets each bulb for a week.)
mchabot
Member
ZeroC, those are all good points. I don't have fish yet so I'll be on the lookout for ones that like to jump when start to stock my tank. I like your idea about the weekly bulb / fixture cleaning. I was also going to put some dielectric grease on the contacts to ensure that they don't corrode from the salt environment. Thanks again for all the help!
s_holman33
Member
My personal favorite light and one I stand by 100% is the Current USA Outer Orbit with HO T5's. If you got the 48 incher, you wouldn't be limited at ALL by what you could keep. You may run into heat issues, but this is true with any MH setup.
s_holman33
Member
P.S. The Current USA Outer Orbit will almost completely cover the 75 gallon tank and act as a 'lid'. lol Fish may try to jump, but they would bounce off the fixture and go back into the tank. Oh and the 48" light has 12 moon lights. 6 white and 6 blue.