Does Egg Crate Reduce Light
- Thread starter Mr. Fish
- Start date
Flippers4pups
Home made abyss
Yes it will. There are other options out there to cover the top that will allow more light through. The one that i used was found here somewhere on the forum. Someone had made a screen top out of aluminum window frame material and bird netting from Lowe's/Home Depot for around $15 to $20 total. Found it: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=817485&highlight=screen+top
Mine works great.
Mine works great.
egg crate is made to specifically diffuse light. they use it a lot for blocking angled light for vision reasons. egg crate prevents angular light from entering your eyes while walking down a fluorescent lit hallway or any area for that matter... spend the extra bucks and get the clear mesh top kit from BRS. worth every penny! however in a pinch egg crate is great stuff and many rc users use it and have used it as a top for years! better to use the egg crate than nothing at all if you have possible jumpers.
I was playing around with my light meter the last time I changed my bulbs, testing different screening materials. Egg crate blocks 15-25% of the light, depending on the angle of incidence of the light source (I tested using a point source, so to LockeOak's point, T5s would be on the 15% end of that range). A single layer of bird netting only blocks 5%.
+1 for the mesh top, but Anthonius is right - better egg crate than a carpet-surfing goby!
+1 for the mesh top, but Anthonius is right - better egg crate than a carpet-surfing goby!
Egg crate is 1/2", so if Josh still had trouble with that size, make sure you step down to 1/4" mesh.
