Salt

Im sure this is a dumb question but how do you guys keep the salt off your lights ? i had my t-5 over an open top aquarium and it got covered in salt and then even after putting a top on the aquarium it got some on it from the open back. Now its not on a bracket but simply sitting on top of the aquarium...whats the best thing to do ? hang it from the ceiling or what am i missing ?

 

its not a dumb question but salt creep or just saltwater on your light is something that is kind of normal in this hobby unless you have MH or LEDs because they are both hung much higher then t5's. You might have to wipe your light down weekly like i did just so its clean.

 

would it be better to hang it or will this not help ?

 

Hanging will help, I have mine about 11" above the water and that has greatly reduced the salt issue. Try to keep splashing to a minimum.

 

Could help. The only problem is if you hang it too high, the light will end up off to the sides, not in your tank. You can play around with it though, to try and figure out if that would be a problem.

 

i believe looking around ive seen these basiclly holders that you secure to the stand and then you hang your light from....anyone every played with these ? experiance ?

 

I clean mine once a week with vinegar..,works great IMO.

 

I just brush my hand over the light and creep b gone LOL nothing too difficult to remove if I have a caked on part a slightly wet cloth will do the trick no need for vinigar.

 

Ditto. I try to clean my glass at least 1x/week with vinegar, and have been adding the light fixture to that routine. Just remember to get it before the lights kick on, or give them ample cooling time.

 

ok. ill add tht to my checklist of things to do each week i suppose