To Cover or Not to Cover, That Is the Question

[boulderman1]

i am going to be installing a diy lighting canopy for my 90 gallon tank which will have 6 54w T5 HO lights, i am considering whether or not to keep my glass covers on the tank, is it safe to have nothing between the bulbs and the water, i figured this might increase the amount of light getting into the tank rather than getting diminished by the less than transparent glass covers, also, how much light will this be in a 90 gallon, is it enough to have light loving corals or just an average amount?

thanks

[motorslave]

Covers are a bad idea no matter what. They trap heat and prohibit gas exchange. You dont need or want them. The lights will be fine. Plus the moisture will build up under the covers and prevent some of the light form passing.

[boulderman1]

ok, thank you very much, does anyone agree? i just just want to make sure most people think the same before i do it.........and also, any input on how much light the 6 54w T5's will be in a 90 gallon?

[YLChik]

boulderman, Motorslave is a good person to listen to, he has tons of tank building experience.

Fwiw I agree with everything he said about glass tops. No glass needed to protect the bulbs.

Since you are building a canopy as long as it is enclosed you won't need to worry about carpet surfers.

On the T5's: I love them

just make sure you have the individual reflectors to get the most out of your bulbs. 6 bulbs with the reflectors will be great light for a 90 gallon.

[boulderman1]

ok, no glass covers it is, but would you say that the tank would be average light, or high light, i just want to know what kind of corals i will be able to keep with this amount of light, i mean is it enough for the most light intensive species if they are near the top or what? and lps, or sps doesn't mean anything to me, i just need some species names so i can look them up and see what we're working with

and also, with regard to reflectors, how effective are the bulbs that have internal 180 degree reflectors? and how good is one big reflector for a group of light rather than a reflector for each light, i know it's not as good, but how big of a difference is it?

[Plaz]

I don't know about bulbs with internal reflectors, but the one big reflector won't be nearly as effective as the individuals. The "individually contoured" one-piece reflectors might be OK, but I would still recommend getting the discrete individual reflectors and be done with it.

With six T5 HO lights on a 90 gal you will have plenty of light and should be able to keep about anything. The most light demanding corals might need to be up off the bottom, but I can't think of anything which would not work at all. This also depends on the mix of bulbs you choose.

[Loverotties]

I agree! take it off and get something like eggcrate.