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DIY Hoods

2K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  cich 
#1 ·
I'm currently doing a 2nd DIY hood setup, in which I am cramming 2 t12's into one of those standard lighting hoods made for 1 t12.... Once completed, I can't directly see too much relector surface at all when the tubes are in, but it will of course reflect light back onto the tubes if not. Is this... OK, or is it a really bad idea to do this. I know idealy it would be best to give space, but 4-6 tubes over a 33gal long is a tight squeeze hehehe.... Thanks for any input,

--cich
 
#6 ·
A white painted hood is better than one that is say, wood color. A dedicated reflector shape will be better than a flat back. An optimized highly reflective material will be best.

Using a good reflector, compared to no reflector, can easily triple the amount of light that goes into the tank.
 
#9 ·
WELL.... after about 5 hours of jimmy-ing around, my tank has gone from 2wpg to about 1.3wpg... it will be a while to get that fixture back up and going. There is mercury and phosphur(?) all over my room from a broken tube. Yes, I threw something as to say "**** it!" but it deflected off my desk, straight into a tube.....

Wondering if plants are really worth it for a moron like me...

--cich
 
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