MH lighting question

[caestrada]

i have been reading books that say that mh bulbs should be used with glass between the bulds and the tank. The say this prevents things from geting UV burns. so now i bought 2 250 watt mh and 2 55 atinic bulbs and plan to place them in my canopy. do i need to place the glass covers on my 90 gal tank or just let them run right over the tank? or is there another way to avoid covering my tank? thanks.

 

[hurley]

Well im getting ready to install MH in a canopy with glass tops for 2 reasons. For one thing it will minimize evaporation. As you know with your tank open, alot of water evaporates plus the added heat will help in this too with the addition of MH. Second I want to protect my MH from any possibillities from water splashing on the lighting fixture. Well I hope this helps you out in your decision

 

[bdhough]

It really depends on a couple factors. How far off the surface your lights are and how hot the canopy gets. If the canopy gets warm that heat will xfer to your tank water and youll have more evaporation. If your lights are way off the water top then splashes are not something to really worry about i would think. As far as corals being uv burned, that is certainly possible but if you take the proper cautions in acclimating the coral then it will most likely not be burned by the bright light. You must also take into account the natural location of the coral. Is it on a shady slope or right at the top in the light in the wild? Those kind of considerations.

 

[attml]

HQI Metal halide bulbs running on a HQI ballast require UV filtered glass. Standard mogul style metal halide bulbs running on a standard metal halide ballast don't require UV filtration. Having the glass there isn't a bad idea in that scenario either though because it helps cut down on heat affecting the tank if it is more of a sealed unit (with good ventilation fans)