Will a Glass Top Diffuse LED Output?

[mluntz]

I just hung an Evergrow IT2060 over my 46g bow front with a glass canopy. Just curious if the glass will have any effect on the light output inside the tank?

 

[pkirby]

It will; however, I've never had any issues... That fixture will probably not be ran at 100% and you could always increase the intensity if needed. I always run a top cause evaporation is too bad otherwise

 

[mluntz]

It will; however, I've never had any issues... That fixture will probably not be ran at 100% and you could always increase the intensity if needed. I always run a top cause evaporation is too bad otherwise

Yeah. At the height of my daylight cycle now I am running 75 blue and 45 white. This thing is really bright!

 

[Mark Bianco]

Another option would be to go to your local glass supplier and have new glass tops made out of Low Iron Glass almopt no filtering what so ever..

Mark

 

[gregrocks79]

How much does the glass block about?!

 

[James77]

I don't want to link to an outside forum, but here's the results from a guy who did some par measurements a few years ago:

no top 345
mesh top 327 (6.3% reduction)
clean glass top 305 (12.6% reduction)
egg crate 265 (23.2% reduction)

I imagine halides on that, but can't picture LEDs being off that by much.

For anyone using LEDs with a glass top, what of the condensation? I get it on mine, but the halides heat it off pretty quickly. Do LEDs do that?

 

[triggreef]

I only lost about 10- 15 par with glass top on. not a big deal

 

[gregrocks79]

I only lost about 10- 15 par with glass top on. not a big deal

Good to know. Thanks

 

[Russell F]

I used a scrap piece of acrylic when I built my led hood. I wipe it off occasionally with a damp cloth. As stated above tho, low iron glass is better.

 

[JiveWalker]

My photon is laying directly on top of my glass tops, and I think I'm going to keep it that way. I put some self stick rubber feet on the corners. New tank, so no coral yet, just diatoms, lol.

 

[kurt_n]

I only lost about 10- 15 par with glass top on. not a big deal

Ditto. Just got done doing some measurements with compact fluorescents with and without glass tops. As you go deeper in the tank, the glass top really doesn't even come into play.