Help, they are laughing at me Anthony :)

[alexinfla]

Wowza! I pop back out to check in and see my "simple little question" became a very interesting discussion....very nice talk guys, I'm learning a ton!

I too had been using my eggcrate (which I see Anthony calling eggrate...so it wont be the first time he taught me what things are actually called ) to simply keep jumpers in....now I know I can raise it, focus more light, and use another type of screening in a vertical manner to keep in the leapers.

Thanks~

 

[prugs]

It seems to me that if a tank runs cooler with the egg crate on. That you are reflecting energy away from the tank.

 

[alexinfla]

But I think energy=heat, and not always does light=heat. I mean, I've worked with a guy for a while now on reflectors using a type of metal that reflects light but transfers heat "up and away" from the water.

I'm wondering if the eggcrate with it's relatively thick plastic may actually be working as a type of small scall heat sink and keeping some of the heat from the tank.

Just thinking outloud with ya prugs.

Later~

 

[johns]

It seems to me that if a tank runs cooler with the egg crate on. That you are reflecting energy away from the tank.

I started wondering about the same thing this afternoon. I dont know if it makes sense to have a loss of heat and an increase in light at the same time. Unless somehow the heat can get reflected away more easily, whereas the light is being allowed through by bouncing from different 'angles'.

I dad say, however, that I thought there may have been a slight decrease in the light intensity when I put the eggcrate on (this is just subjective as I have no meter to measure it). The temperature observation is one I am more confident about. Maybe I should try this in a controlled way to be sure, but I seem to have seen the temp difference numerous times.

Also remember that the eggcrate is on in the wrong orientation on one side of my tank.

 

[Steven Pro]

If the eggcrate is sitting on top of the aquarium and not close to the light source, you are not going to get any of the focusing or increase in light that we have been talking about.

 

[johns]

I am 5 to 6 inches from the light source. I dont know if that is too far from the source or not?

 

[HowardW]

Would anyone know if it would make any difference in performance on what thickness eggcrate to use? Would the slightly thicker eggcrate create an even greater focus?

I've seen it offered in both 3/8" and 1/2" thick panels, and they all have the 1/2' square pattern which seems to be the standard.

 

[bsaastad]

Regarding heat vs. light -- this is right off the top of my head so feel free to confirm or deny as needed; I'm speculating, here. Isn't heat generated primarily from infrared light while the light our zooxanthallae needs is ultraviolet? Point being you can possibly absorb/dissipate heat from the infrared and still allow UV to pass, no?

 

[johns]

I doubt highly that something like eggcrate can differentiate between IR, UV, normal light while it's passing through. Whatever is happening is happening throughout the spectrum.

This thread is old and interesting that it's popped up again. But I'm sorry, I just highly doubt the eggcate I am using is doing anything to enhance the light passing through.

Again, I find it extrememly unlikely that that the obvious temp increase I see when the eggcrate come off means MORE light passes through. It has to be the opposite. Not to mention that I think I see a slight decrease in brightness. Bt that I cant quantitfy, because I dont have a PAR meter. I do have a thermometer.

 

[prugs]

ReeferAl has a PAR meter. He brought it to Rick Boyd's house for the Feb meeting. It had a submersible light pickup that allows you to get readings at various depths. I hope he will be able to make it to my house, when I hold a meeting.

 

[johns]

PAR meter would certainly answer this.

I'm already convinced however, that there is less light/heat in my tank with the eggcrate on. The only remaining question I have about this whole thing is the distance of the lights above the eggcrate. I asked a question a few posts up here about that, but still dont know the answer. My lights are low - about 5 or 6 inches from the eggcrate.

 

[prugs]

Personally I would not want to get much closer with MH. I have read before; that if you have PC's and they are more than 3" away from the water, they are just adding effect & not of any real light value.

Any of that purple milli ready to frag?

 

[dawgphish]

You say anything more than 2-3" off the water for fluorescents is a serious loss in intensity. I agree this is probably true, and have often wondered how much better my lighting would be if I could move it closer to the water.

 

[LBCBJ]

Anymore findings on this...anyone done some testing with a PAR meter?

 

[beachh]

i have a 90gal and i use 2 10k 175 watt mh and 2 4ft ho bulbs. i liened my canopy with tin foil and made tin foil shields over my mh and every thing been fine for years. Does anyone have any imput on this

 

[beachh]

i put a 2'' staghorn blue tip on the bottom of my tank and now its about 6'' from the surface. tank is 20'' deep. thay was about 15 months ago is this good growth for that coral, i have been taking frags of it too.