[junko]

I've just ordered 2 24" sun blaze T5HO fixtures with reflectors. I'm going to build a "hood" to house them in, 6-8" apart and staggered. My tank is 30x18x24H. My preference is to be able to have this sitting right on top of the tank. I'm not sure how much clearance I should have between the bulbs and the glass on top of the tank- any advice here?

I'm going for low-tech. I'm hoping to leave the front light on for ~10-12 hours, and turn the back light on for whatever it seems to take to achieve low-med light. Is this the way it's supposed to work? Adjust photoperiod to fine-tune light levels? Or is it all a matter of raising or lowering the lights?

If I have to raise the lights, I'm okay with that- but I may have to build a new, deeper box to shield our eyes from the lights.

 

[junko]

Does anyone see any problems with the above?

Is the photoperiod I mentioned a good place to start or is there a better suggestion- I just pulled those numbers out of the air because it seems everyone's photoperiods that I read here are all over the place!

I promise I've been reading the forums- the lighting issue is just the most confusing for me- I've studied Hoppy's charts and I think I'm pretty close but just want some confirmation, LOL.

Thanks so much for any hand holding you can give me!