Side-mounted Lighting???

[Tennsquire]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with mounting lights on the side(s) of their tank. I'm thinking about maybe trying this on a frag tank to supplement the lighting from the top. It's certainly not for aesthetic purposes, but thought that maybe it would give some of the more dense mother colonies more light down in the center of the colony where it's shaded. I'm sure the glass would cut down on some of the PAR, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I know back in the day when I grew..... uhhhh..... tomatoes in a closet in college, I used vertical lighting to supplement the lights on the top, and just thought of applying that to a prop system. Sort of like a Phototron for corals. Anyone seen anything like this?

 

[GuySmilie]

Yep, I do.
When I used to maintain freshwater fishies way back in the last century, I had a tank set up next to a south facing window. That tank grew algae like no tomorrow. Side lighting definitely works!

 

[elegance coral]

I know this is not a very good pic, but you can see the 20W actinic shining through the glass on the side of the tank. It makes it easier to have different lighting environments in the same tank.

 

[Beaner3]

Do you still grow...uhhhh.......tomatoes?:smokin:

 

[elegance coral]

Do you frag those "tomatoes"?

 

[Tennsquire]

Yup, frags will soon be available in the livestock selling forum....

I am seriously thinking about setting up a frag tank with side lighting along the legnth of the front and back; basically, a box of light. I've got a couple of extra VHO set ups. Of course, the lights on top would remain.

 

[Justin James]

I'd love a couple pounds of your Tomatos. I like mine sundried.

As for your coral. The only thing that might happen and it's not really a bad thing but your coral might decide to grow horizontal instead of vertical.

 

[elegance coral]

Justin James has a good point about them growing horizontal. If you kept the sps's up top and shrooms near the botton this shouldn't be a big problem though. That is if the side lights are low on the tank.

 

[TIMMYE]

mmmmm....tomatoes