Eggcrate and lighting

[idgy]

I am correct or not correct in saying that glass over the tank is going to keep the tank wamer? I was thinking of putting eggcrate over the top of the tank.
1, To lower then temp a bit and not use the glass top any more.
2, I plan of getting fire fish and I hear the can jump out of the tank.

But will the eggcrate be strong enough to support the lighting fixture?


I would hate to come home and find the lights at the bottom of the tank.

 

[cliffscorals]

I have eggcrate over my tank and it does keep the temperature down - it still heats up but will cool down faster after the lights go out. Another benefit is that it increases evaporation, which is good because then you are adding more makeup water with kalk to keep the water level up. This keeps the pH up in a good range and also provides plenty of calcium for your corals.

The eggcrate is not strong enough by itself to hold up a hood. Hopefully, your hood is long enough to extend to the sides of the tank. The center brace in the middle of the tank also provides some support. I bought two 2X4 egg crate sheets at Home Depot and cut them on my table saw to the right dimensions.

If your hood is too short to reach the sides of the tank and you have to stick with a glass top, then you can still use eggcrate at night after the lights go out by removing your hood and the glass top and inserting the eggcrate in its place. In the morning put back on the glass top and hood.

Hope this helps.

 

[NaH2O]

idgy - what kind of light fixture are you trying to support?

 

[wrightme43]

Hey Idgy you can always get lowes to cut strips of glass to go across your tank to support the egg crate or cut acrylic yourself.

 

[Krish]

I agree with cliffcorals for the most part. I had an issue with heat and ended up removing th glass off the top of the tank. I had to leave a section on there because I had to protect the bulbs as they were out in the open. My temp dropped like 2-3 degrees. Now I have new lights, which sits on legs that keep them suspended and have removed all of the glass and the water is much cooler. I don't know of the exact temperature because my thermometer needs to change, but it is definately cooler.

As for the eggcrate, I'm not sure. All of the eggcrate I've seen tends to bow after a while. What kind of lights do you have and do you have a canopy on your tank that the lights could be attached to? If so, then maybe you could do that. I had a retro fit setup before that I had attached to my canopy and it worked great. If you dont have a canopy, then maybe you can have something made (maybe out of plastic or something) to suspend your lights above the water. I too would be afraid to sit lights on eggcrate for fear of them falling in the water. Just a few thoughts I had...

 

[My2heartboys]

I agree with cliffcorals for the most part. I had an issue with heat and ended up removing th glass off the top of the tank. I had to leave a section on there because I had to protect the bulbs as they were out in the open. My temp dropped like 2-3 degrees. Now I have new lights, which sits on legs that keep them suspended and have removed all of the glass and the water is much cooler. I don't know of the exact temperature because my thermometer needs to change, but it is definately cooler.

As for the eggcrate, I'm not sure. All of the eggcrate I've seen tends to bow after a while. What kind of lights do you have and do you have a canopy on your tank that the lights could be attached to? If so, then maybe you could do that. I had a retro fit setup before that I had attached to my canopy and it worked great. If you dont have a canopy, then maybe you can have something made (maybe out of plastic or something) to suspend your lights above the water. I too would be afraid to sit lights on eggcrate for fear of them falling in the water. Just a few thoughts I had...

________________________________________________________________

A few thoughts from this corner as well. Our tank, although not custom made, is not the traditional length for its size. Because of this, the traditional glass lids did not work out well. With our Coralife Lights we went with eggcrating, but the lights did not have any legs on them. After a bit the moon lights went out and didn't know why. Well, the LFS that I had purchased them from had already had one set of the same type and brand go out on him that month--so he traded me to a dual satellite light set up. This one does have legs that get it further off of the tank top--however there is still some splashing of water onto the splash guard of my lights. Solution--pry the glass lids out of the little plastic hinges that they were in and put them on top of the eggcrating. Now I have four separate panes of glass covering the eggcrating on the top of my tank.

Given enough time--I might be able to come up with a better solution.

Anne

 

[idgy]

I have a Coral Life light with the moon lights.

 

[My2heartboys]

I have a Coral Life light with the moon lights.

Get it up off of the edge of the aquarium on legs and protect it from splashes from the aquarium water. Other than that make sure you know where your paperwork is from the place you purchased your lights (hopefully an LFS) and do good weekly maitenence on your lights such as cleaning. The saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" really holds true.

Anne

 

[spongebob lover]

hmm i have eggcrate holding my lights (embarrased) and i did some sort of hole in the middle and put it some glass in there so no matter what the water wouldn't splash the bulbs if you go to what kind of set ups you have thread.. you'll see mine .. just don't forget the tooth brushes for helping holding the lights