heat from metal halide

[donm]

I'm currently building a hood for my aquarium to accomodate my new metal halide bulb. If I build a pine or oak hood and cover the ******** with sheet metal will this reflect the heat away from the wood and reduce the fire hazard?
I'm not to familiar with the heat from this sort of bulb and I want to play it safe, I'm worried about starting a fire with the thing.
Thanks for any info...
Murphy

 

[q]

What I did on mine is install 3 washers on each hole to give me an air gap between the metal and the wood.
I have 175W MH and 4 vho. They put out heat but nothing close to starting a fire. I also use 2 4 inch fans to keep the air moving in the canopy.

 

[captained]

Airspace is good, and also bending the sides on your reflector so that you light is relected down from the sides, rahter than out sideways.