Glass in canopy?

rssjsb · 05/30/2007, 09:49 AM

I'm building a canopy for a 90 gallon tank, which will house a 2x250 MH/T5 retrofit lighting kit. Hello Lights (where I bought the kit) has language on its site indicating that a glass shield must be used to protect the fixtures from water and humidity.

The halide fixtures already have glass shieds, but the T5 fixtures do not. They do have moisture-resistant end-caps. Do I need to put a glass shield in my canopy? The fixtures will be about 8-9 inches from the water. The tank is acrylic, so the end caps will not be situated over open water.

I would really rather not do this because of light loss, added weight, and the complications from fan placement that this will pose.

Thanks.

DarG · 05/30/2007, 10:23 AM

Most of the DIY canopies dont seem to use any shields over the T5's. Most people run open tops on their tanks as well. I think the statement is more of a CYA for Hello Lights than anything else. I ran VHO with not shields and open top tank for years. My canopy will not have any shields over the T5's when I am done with it. The waterproof end caps will take care of any salt spray and I think that the better reflectors hold up well to the salt spray. IOW, I don't think it's anything more than a legal liability statement by Hello Lights. I think the majority run the T5's without any shields.

05/30/2007, 09:49 AM	#1
rssjsb Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 3,243	Glass in canopy? I'm building a canopy for a 90 gallon tank, which will house a 2x250 MH/T5 retrofit lighting kit. Hello Lights (where I bought the kit) has language on its site indicating that a glass shield must be used to protect the fixtures from water and humidity. The halide fixtures already have glass shieds, but the T5 fixtures do not. They do have moisture-resistant end-caps. Do I need to put a glass shield in my canopy? The fixtures will be about 8-9 inches from the water. The tank is acrylic, so the end caps will not be situated over open water. I would really rather not do this because of light loss, added weight, and the complications from fan placement that this will pose. Thanks.

05/30/2007, 10:23 AM	#2
DarG Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,515	Most of the DIY canopies dont seem to use any shields over the T5's. Most people run open tops on their tanks as well. I think the statement is more of a CYA for Hello Lights than anything else. I ran VHO with not shields and open top tank for years. My canopy will not have any shields over the T5's when I am done with it. The waterproof end caps will take care of any salt spray and I think that the better reflectors hold up well to the salt spray. IOW, I don't think it's anything more than a legal liability statement by Hello Lights. I think the majority run the T5's without any shields.