Lights Over Open Water

[panboy]

is it true that if you dont have glass or some kind of protection between the water and light, that it is bad?

what are the chances of the bulb falling into the water or shattering or whatever the excuse is?

 

[ChrisC]

What kind of lights are you talking about? I have run open top tanks with desk lights for a long time. The main problem is with evaporation, which will be HUGE. I would advise a condensation tray at least.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[panboy]

compact flourescent or regular flourescent bulbs.

but yea, my tank evaporates very quickly

 

[Tolak]

Water & electricity are a bad mix. Some of the water will evaporate & condense in the light fixture if it is too close. This will cause corrosion of the metal parts of the light fixture. The light may just stop working, or it may short out.

 

[morgan]

Hi, I have 2 Juwel tanks and their lights are waterproof. There is no condensation tray, the lights are directly above the water. If Juwel make them like that perhaps other companies do too? Or maybe you could buy and fit some Juwel lights. They are available as separate components for replacement purposes.

 

[modernhamlet]

In general, you only want to put a fixture directly over water if it's designed for that purpose. It's absolutely essential to have a barrier between the water and the bulbs. One splash up into hot bulbs and *boom*... a big, sharp, wet mess.

I have an open top tank with a raised compact fluorescent fixture and it looks great.

 

[panboy]

In general, you only want to put a fixture directly over water if it's designed for that purpose. It's absolutely essential to have a barrier between the water and the bulbs. One splash up into hot bulbs and *boom*... a big, sharp, wet mess.

I have an open top tank with a raised compact fluorescent fixture and it looks great.

You say its important yet you have an open top tank. Is it raised enough to be safe? How much is it raiseD?