How close to water line should T5's be

john_waggs

New Member
Can anyone tell me how close I should have my T5 lighting from the water line with no acrylic shield?
Also, can I put an acyrlic shield between my lighting and the water? Or will it somehow block the effectiveness of the lighting?
Thanks for you comments.
 

wfd1008

Member
i would put some sort of shield b/t the water and your lights, cause water and electric=no bueno. also, the salt creep might get into places that could really mess things up. i would think that a clear piece wouldn't hurt anything. i had a guy at a lfs store tell me that taking off the shield on my pc set up wouldn't hurt anything and that it would provide "more" light, and i thought to myself that just doesn't sound like a good, or smart idea. maybe i'm wrong, i don't know
 

rotarygeek

Member
i keep mine probably 6 to 7 inches off the surface of the water becuase the small splashes of water keep getting on it. Im not so much worried about what it will do to the bulb, more about it getting water spots all over the reflector and dimming the output. If there are millions of tiny spots all over the reflector, it won't do its job the right way. Only problem with keeping them that high is light floods over and lights up a lot of other stuff in my living room.
 

michaeltx

Moderator
I have seen them 1-2 inches to 6 inches above the water line. going in a canopy you may have to chain lower them for optimal useage.
Mike
 
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