How high above the water for SE Halides?

[Pike614]

I am making a canoppy for a cube tank, and plan to mount a 250Watt SE halide inside. My question is how high above the surfave of the water should I have the bulb? I was thinking about 10", maybe 8"...just enough to avoid a splash on the bulb. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Paul

[jcato]

i have found in the past that 10" to 14" works the best.

john

[Pike614]

okay, great thanks for the input. Maybe I'll go with 12" even just to be safe. ANyone use a glass shield of any kind to protect the bulb from splashing?

[m2434]

I tried lowering a 250W to 6" once. I thought I could just put a glass top on the tank to keep splashes off... I turned it on, watched it for a few minutes and then watched big pieces of glass floating down into the tank and noticed a big crack in the bulb after the falling glass splashed it . Did I mention they get very hot!

[Pike614]

OUCH, so how high did you end up keeping the bulb?

[DevilBoy]

i got mine 10" above the water level

[m2434]

Originally posted by Pike614
OUCH, so how high did you end up keeping the bulb?

~10" with no cover.

[m2434]

By the way, the glass came down in big pieces and got stuck on the rock work before it could crush anything except a ricordea. The fish swam out of the way and the ric survived

[Pike614]

I will avoid the glass idea! 10" seems like the consensus on this one, so I will have a 12" tall canopy...should look okay.
thanks!

[frags75]

I have had mine at 6 inches above the surface for years and never any problems. This is in a custom canopy and no glass cover. Never an issue. What are you keeping?

[SCR]

Glass is ok as long as you use tempered glass.

[Pike614]

I will have everything in there, SPS near the top, to LPS in the middle, and fish. I would assume though with glass that it will also decrease the light getting into the tank. Might not be a problem for the LPS, but I would assume the SPS might not like the reduced light?