Power Compact Lighting

[phk361]

I have a 92 gallon corner tank with a glass top. I have custom sea life power compact reef light. Someone had told me that if i lay the power compact reef light on top of the glass top that I would be blocking UV rays from helping my reef grow. Is this true? If so, has anyone ever cut a glass top in the area that the light would sit on? Is this possible? My top is an all glass aquarium top. Does anyone know if that means it's tempered or plate glass?

 

[brandon4291]

that's not the case as far as I know. There is spectral filtration between 'float' glass (common plate glass) and 'clear' glass (as stated on reef-specific setups such as oceanic lids) but it has never hurt my corals to run float glass--I grow everything from SPS to frogspawn right under float-glass filtered PC light. I am also under the impression that UV light does not foster coral growth, it causes free-radical degredation of living tissues so corals manufacture or convert flourescing proteins to reflect the UV light band, resulting in the bright color. There is a good chance the lid that came with your setup is the clear glass kind. My lids were made at a local glass shop and have a greenish tint when viewed from the side--ie float glass.

B

 

[fishgills]

I agree with brandon429.
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[DaisyPolyp]

This is absolutely untrue. UV light is well know to be outside of the PAR (photosynthetic available radiation) range, and as brandon stated, is actually damaging in most cases.

 

[Big R]

In any event, unless you are using Reptile or tanning lamps, standard aquarium fluorescent lighting does not produce any UV.

R