Halide Reflector over lapping

[trockafella]

Next question... Is it ok if your halide reflector is slightly over the actinics..? Any major light loss or is it just a bad idea..?

[Brian Ward]

Next question... Is it ok if your halide reflector is slightly over the actinics..? Any major light loss or is it just a bad idea..?

 

The spread is what you'll lose. I would say in general don't do it - raise the actinics a little to be sure that you get maximum exposure to the MH.

[SeanCallan]

The spread is what you'll lose. I would say in general don't do it - raise the actinics a little to be sure that you get maximum exposure to the MH.

 

I agree with Brian, you're going to cut down on your spread. I imagine all the bulbs are made the same, so I don't know if a MH cooking a VHO bulb would be a bad thing.

[trockafella]

Should all the lights sit even... When i say that, i mean the bottom of the reflector sit even with t5s or vho's...

[Brian Ward]

Should all the lights sit even... When i say that, i mean the bottom of the reflector sit even with t5s or vho's...

 

I keep the bottoms of all my reflectors even.

[Rascal]

I have my T5s and VHOs a lot closer to the water than my MH's, but I guess they are far enough apart to avoid any shading.

 

In your case I would have two concerns. First, the overlap will cut down on the spread, but that only matters if it is doing so to an extent that it limits the amount of MH light actually hitting something in the tank. In other words, if the only impact is less light from the MH hitting the front glass, who cares? My second concern would be whether that much concentrated heat in one spot on a florescent tube would be a good thing. I don't know that it wouldn't, . . . I'm just saying I would be concerned about it.