Saltwater Light Units

[EugeneCCurtis]

Looking for information on tank lights that are not ruined by the salt water evaporation. My wife and I have had our 55 gallon saltwater tank for around 12 years and have seen most everything, including an electrical fire with real flames and fire department response. The only light units that I see in the stores are the plastic kind that are open to the intrusion of the saltwater as evaporation takes place. We use a hood and the light that comes with the hood has a glass barrier that it shines through. This is a continuing thorn in my side. She just called and the light unit has just tripped the ground fault interrupter again. Any help will be welcomed.

Thank you

 

[bob`_your_dog]

I'm not sure i follow what you're saying, I assume you mean the ballast is getting damaged. If so have you looked into electronic ballasts, they are sealed and wont let water in.

Ahh sorry do you mean the actually shrowds that go onto the ends of the bulbs? If so, i got some shrowds that actually cover the entire fitting of the light and a little of the actually light, which keeps it sealed and rust free

 

[blout]

any LFS can supply you with water proof lighting, what kind lighting are you using tubes or halides are they home made, unless they get a direct splash they should not rust as evapuration is normal water or is it salt sreep your talking about

 

[Navarre]

I would move the lights further from the water. Salt water evaporation willl not corrode anything as the water that evaporates doesnt contain salt. When a tank evaporates the salt remains in the tank and only freshwater leaves.
What sounds morelikely is that you are getting splashes fro the tank and this water is obviously containig salt and thus causing corrosion. Moving the lights further from the water should ease this i think.

 

[Opcn]

Maybe slip a piece of glass between the light and the water, that would stop the splashes and saltcreep

 

[EugeneCCurtis]

To answer all the questions;
The lighting is a single 40W tube. The lighting came with the tank cover and was purchased at a local fish store. As for the evaporated tank water not having any salt in it, sorry but not actually true. I had to rebuild a wall because the salt ate up the paint and the salt was deposited 3 to 4 feet above the tank on the wall. This will not happen again as the wall behind the tank is covered with Lexan. This tank top cover and light are commercial items purchased at PetCo. The contamination from the salt gets into the light fixture through the louvers on top of the light.

I am looking for a company that makes a sealed light unit. I like the covers for the end of the bulbs idea. This and a sealed ballest would go a long way to keeping things safe (yes a ballest is "sealed" but not hermetically. . and sealing of the tube ends would help).

If anyone has a company name of a manufacturer let me know

Thank you

 

[Phantom Thief]

Maybe slip a piece of glass between the light and the water, that would stop the splashes and saltcreep

Wouldn't that stop some light rays from penetrating to the water? I might be wrong though.

P.T.

 

[Navarre]

I lose just under a gallon per day through evaporation in the sumer. Not sure in the winter but its roughly the same.
Open top tank with no covers. I have no slashes (major factor) and 0% salt creep. My halides are 9 inches above the surface... No salt corrosion, none on the lights, none on the walls, in fact none anywhere. The water evaporates and in the mornings you can see where it condenses as its all over the front window in buckets! No salt corrosion here either.

Where i do have salt problems... In the sump, all over the back lege where the water enters the sump as this is where the water slashes out. Salt sticks the legs and then evaporation dampens the surface area allowing salt to creep all over the sump interior. THe same probably happens with your tank. Fresh waer evaporates, splashes allow tiny bits of salt to get deposited elsewhere. then the fresh water condenses llowing the salt to become mobile again and appear far from any splash zone you think you have. If salt was lost during evaporation then people would top up with salt water and not RO water which as you will know is pure water.

Im afraid i cant help you with the sealed lights however as i dont know of any manufacturer that does this. I am betting new ballasts for some new hallides soon though and i will enquire into this to see if there is such a ballast etc as im sure it will have its uses. PErsonally im tempted to go for an electronic remote ballast, save on money, saves on heat too.

 

[Navarre]

PT you are right, I cant remember the figures but i do believe that a simple 6mm glass cover could strip out as much as 7% of the light entering your tank (its close to this anyway). Might not sound alot but when you are trying to get as much light into the tank as possible then its not a desired way to do things. However, saying that, it does have its benefits and will help stop evaporation and salt creep. The main problem with a glass cover though is not the light loss, its the heat buildup. If you use halides for example then the heat buildup in the tank is simply too much in most cases and the tank simply needs to breath.. hence topless (not me the tank! )

 

[Opcn]

http/www.charleysgreenhouse.com/catalog/...&ProductId=5004

Heres a waterproof fixture