My lighting choice

[hurtmypony]

Hello! I just discovered the forum and have officially been warmly welcomed in the Introduce Yourself section.

My lighting choice finally arrived in the mail.

It is the Odyssea 48" 108W (2x 54W) T5 HO Light Fixture. Link is: http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-2x54W-T5-HO-Light-Fixture-p/52123.htm

Anyway, I am surprised to discover the light will be directly resting upon my center brace. The tank is one of those from Petco or PetSmart or wherever my girl got it from, and the center brace is purely plastic.

Will the light melt or warp my center brace? Will it smolder and poison the air with potent hallucinogenics, causing me to see my 8th grade gym coach climbing up my leg with a bowie knife clinched between his teeth?

Just how hot will this thing get? Is it an honest worry? Someone please tell me they have had theirs resting on plastic for years with nary an issue to health or center brace...

I can DIY some kind of contraption to raise it from its contact, but I worry if I raise it too high, I will fill the TV room with blinding light not unlike that which some see just before the aliens abduct them for a rigorous probing. My tank is not set up yet, so this is all TANK THEORY.

 

[iamzrad]

Flourecsent lights don't get hot.
If the bulb, itself, does not touch your center brace (and it shouldn't be), you are fine.

 

[Tony]

lol on the hallucinogenics and the gym coach. You're twisted.

While that probably won't happen, I have seen center braces melt from fluorescent tubes before and I have seen the top of a 55 bow out an additional couple of inches (my brother's old tank). No es bueno.

These were T8s and not T5s though. Not sure who burns hotter. Either way, I wouldn't risk it. They probably make a leg kit for it. Canopy maybe?

 

[jonclark96]

I would look into the legs for the light fixture. I think they are relatively inexpensive. I can vouche for the bowing on a full 55 with no center brace. I picked up a used tank last summer with a broken brace and filled it to see how much it bowed, which was about 1 1/4". Made me nervous and it was only in my driveway.

 

[rsretep]

i use odyssey fixtures also and the coralife brand legs work fine if you care to elevate the lights

 

[chris_todd]

T5HO bulbs are designed to operate at 100 degrees F, IIRC. I wouldn't place them directly on the tank; elevate the fixture an inch or two with legs or a small piece of wood or something.

Posted via mobile.capitalcichlids.org

 

[hurtmypony]

i use odyssey fixtures also and the coralife brand legs work fine if you care to elevate the lights

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

rsretep, are these the Coralife legs you are using?

http://www.innovativelights.com/esu-53084.html

I imagine I could improvise something with less hassle and expense, but I have a very curious cat and worry she might topple the whole fixture during one of her "investigations".

I haven't even set the tank up yet, and I notice she has already fashioned a makeshift snorkel out of some cat toys and old food cans. I must admit, it does pair nicely with the ZipLock Bag improvised wet suit she completed yesterday.

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

They also sell kits that you can suspend the light from your ceiling if thats an option. Less chance of the cat knocking it over. Any pics of the cat in full snorkel gear?

 

[verbal]

Does the cat look like this?

 

[rsretep]

yes those are indeed the compatible lighting legs

 

[hurtmypony]

verbal: Great photo! Now you've done it: My cat is drawing engineering schematics based on it. She also now insists on being addressed as ":Jacque CATsteau, Legendary Marine/Feline Biologist. <Cue audience groan at Tim's terrible pun>

rsretep: Thanks, I'll order them this week and, like Stephen Hawking, hope my new legs arrive soon. <Cue audience anger at Tim's horrific and insensitive joke>

DiscusnAfricans: I saw those hanging pulleys, and they would look fantastic! Unfortunately, the ones I saw are well out of my budget.

 

[Tony]

rsretep: Thanks, I'll order them this week and, like Stephen Hawking, hope my new legs arrive soon. <Cue audience anger at Tim's horrific and insensitive joke>

Awesome.