HQI lighting and UV radiation

[bigdogzack]

Have any of you removed the glass "UV filter" from below your HQI MH bulbs?? I have giant clams and to increase the intesity of the light I'm debating removing the glass between the bulb and the water. I've been doing some reading at different web sites and it seems that removing the glass isn't that big an issue (other than having the risk of water splashing on the bulb...i.e. explosion time). It does seem to me that if in their natural enviroment sea life must deal whith the sun's UV radiation they should be OK with what an HQI bulb puts out...your thoughts please.

 

[marvida]

In their natural environment, sealife is not exposed to unfiltered UV. Leave the glass in place. If you need more light go bigger not barer (barer?). This is just my opinion.
As one of the old timers used to say here; Your tank, Your choice. (I wish I could remember who used to have that in their signature.)

 

[murph145]

i wouldnt take off the lens the manufacturer says do NOT remove the lens that the UV radiation can burn and kill your animals... i also run 2 250W 20K DE HQI bulbs on my tank and my clam seems to be doing just fine at the bottom of the tank....
in nature the suns uv radiation is filtered when passing through the atmosphere little particles in the atmosphere bounce back lots of the uv light .... in a fish tank there is no atmosphere to bounce back the direct uv radiation from the bulbs...
IMO do not do it!

 

[carshark]

think about it logically, that light has to be so intense that it sterilizes your water. in that small of a confined space imagine the intensity that light has to put out? with no filter either. bad idea IMO get more halides...
depending on the size of your tank... you may need more penetration.

 

[bigdogzack]

I have a couple of observations / questions...I do understand what ozone does, but what is the comparison of the amount of UV that reaches earth verses what an HQI MH puts out?...is there a way to measure UV (to compare HQI UV to natural sunlight)?...isn't a UV steriliser effective because the light is litterally in the midst of the water flow (and even then there's much debate over how effective they relly are)...

 

[murph145]

the thing is you arent going to get that much more light outta your bulb by just removing the glass.... its not like your 250W light is going to be 2X's brighter or more intense the glass does little to prevent the light used by corals from reaching them.... the glasses main effect is to prevent UV radiation from hurting your corals or even your eye sight....
you will not see any better growth in your clams just by removing the lens...