Shade for Madagascar lace plant

Assuming you have glass tops on the 75, you could just cut a piece of nylon window screen and lay it over where the M Lace is. Could add a second or third layer if its still too bright there. With an open top, the screen could still work with a makeshift frame to hold it in place.

KayakJimW said:

Assuming you have glass tops on the 75, you could just cut a piece of nylon window screen and lay it over where the M Lace is. Could add a second or third layer if its still too bright there. With an open top, the screen could still work with a makeshift frame to hold it in place.

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I have clear polycarbonate sheet tops, cut into four pieces, two per side. They tend to sag in the middle so I have to flip them every couple days. The light is planted + 24/7, on 24hr mode, if that makes any difference

The tops should be fine, the screen weighs virtually nothing. I'm not familiar with that particular light, but the screen should be fine. Maybe keep an eye on it the first day... They're made to be out in direct summer sun so the light shouldn't burn it.

Maybe I'll just dab a bit of superglue around the edges of the screen on the polycarb tops to attached them. That way i can take it off if it doesn't work out. I'm not worried about anything melting.

I also have the Planted + 24/7, and was getting algae. So I cut a piece of car window tint film to fit the glass top right under the light. I just put it on yesterday, so we'll see if it works. I really only have low light plants, so hopefully it will still be enough light for them.

KarenSoCal said:

I also have the Planted + 24/7, and was getting algae. So I cut a piece of car window tint film to fit the glass top right under the light. I just put it on yesterday, so we'll see if it works. I really only have low light plants, so hopefully it will still be enough light for them.

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I thought about doing that also, but unless you get a good quality tint, it will turn purple over time, and it's a bit more of a pain to take off then a couple dabs of super glue. Also with my polycarb tops and how they then to sag, it would probably cause the tint to wrinkle or deform.

SwissCheeseHead said:

I thought about doing that also, but unless you get a good quality tint, it will turn purple over time, and it's a bit more of a pain to take off then a couple dabs of super glue. Also with my polycarb tops and how they then to sag, it would probably cause the tint to wrinkle or deform.

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Yes, I agree it could be a problem. I only put a small piece of double-stick tape on each corner to hold it. While it's true it is not wrinkle free, I don't notice it in the aquarium. I'm sure you will find something that works well for you!

SwissCheeseHead said:

Maybe I'll just dab a bit of superglue around the edges of the screen on the polycarb tops to attached them. That way i can take it off if it doesn't work out. I'm not worried about anything melting.

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I was thinking about just laying it on there, no adhesion. Unless there's a fan or something that would blow it off. That way you just pick it up, flip the tops as needed, and set it back on top

KayakJimW said:

I was thinking about just laying it on there, no adhesion. Unless there's a fan or something that would blow it off. That way you just pick it up, flip the tops as needed, and set it back on top

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I see. Good idea. Maybe I'll try it out and see if that helps. Or I could just get some paper to put on top too. It gets pretty bright and I've got crypts, anubias, and java fern, so no real light-hungry plants.

If your light's too powerful, I'll trade you for it

But really, is it possible to raise the lights up higher? You wouldn't have to waste the light then: could spill over your tank and be used for other projects.

Bananableps said:

If your light's too powerful, I'll trade you for it

But really, is it possible to raise the lights up higher? You wouldn't have to waste the light then: could spill over your tank and be used for other projects.

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I've actually been quite lazy and haven't done anything yet lol. It's on the stands that it came with. I had this issue with my old light too. I suppose I could cut a couple blocks of wood and paint them black and try it out...but it's too cold right now and my table saw is in my shed. Laziness...haha

SwissCheeseHead said:

I've actually been quite lazy and haven't done anything yet lol. It's on the stands that it came with. I had this issue with my old light too. I suppose I could cut a couple blocks of wood and paint them black and try it out...but it's too cold right now and my table saw is in my shed. Laziness...haha

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I have done exactly that to raise my light. I used some wooden building blocks from my kids' set and had it propped up for a week to see how it worked out. When decided that was a good fix, I painted the blocks black and screwed them onto the support pieces of the light fixture.

Another thing I've done is to cut narrow strips of plastic sheeting and tape them directly over the light source. There's pics of both fixes in my 38 journal...

I agree you probably don't want to glue or affix a panel across the top- so you can remove or flip it as needed (I have polycarbonate panels for a sliding lid on my tenner, they bow slightly and I just flip them once a week during maintenance).

I wonder if the tinted window film might cut out part of the light spectrum that your plants need. Anybody know?