MH's and egg crate

Does anyone know if MH lights will melt the egg crate stuff people put under the sand to keep rocks from slipping? I have a lawnmower the seems to enjoy jumping a little too much, and I need to keep his butt in the tank! lol

 

how high are your lights?

 

I had a 250 watt MH eight inches or so above white Home Depot Egg Crate for two years without any sign of trouble. A couple months ago I had my local Hardware store make me a framed screen. I don’t have a canopy, this looks a lot nicer and still keeps my Diamond Goby safely trapped.

 

Roughly 6 inches above where the egg crate would sit, bulbs are 250 watt

 

If it makes you nervous you could place a little fan between the light and the water to cut the heat.

(sorry if this reply is painfully obvious. )

 

http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/light-friendly-clear-mesh-screen-cover-open-top-tanks-standard-rimless-w-pictures-74334.html

 

That idea looks cool, but will be a bit pricey to do my 250 with, probably about $60-70 total

 

I think he mentioned that his 210 cost only about $15 to do.

 

Maybe not, looks like he found the mesh in bulk somewhere and is now reselling it!

1/4" Wide Clear Polypropylene Mesh For Tank Screen Tops - eBay (item 260513317691 end time Aug-22-10 23:40:10 PDT)

Pretty cheap compared to the place he lists in that thread!

 

Total materials cost to do my 210, except the clear mesh netting, was about $15

Thats just for the frame and corner pieces.