suspend my lights or not???

Is it recommended to suspend my lights above my tank or is it ok to place lights right on the tank?

If I suspend them, will it affect growth or reef needs too much?

I have a 150w MH and twin 96w PC and 8 led moon lights

 

I think hanging the fixture is fore aesthetics. Hanging it above the tank will not prevent growth, as long as you dont put it too high up. It also depends on how many gallons your tank is as to just how high you can hang it. For instance, if you have a small 22 gallon like me with a 150 watt halide, then you can hang it a little higher.

Good luck

 

I believe the lighting should be above the water, somewhere around 6-9 inches above it. From one someone said earlier on a post is where im gathering it. Mine sits about about 7 inches because of the legs of the fixture.

 

I would not put a MH light right on the tank, the heat transfer will raise your temp up to possibly deadly levels depending on the size of your tank. The water could also crack the glass. I would hang both fixtures.

 

Here is another thing to take into account. My 55 gal. is in the living room and even with my fixtures on the aquarium, when we lay lay on the couch or recline on the love seat (flip outs) the light was annoying. I have since made a hood to conceal the lights. If the lights were hanging, it would be intolerable, for us. Just something to keep in mind, all depends where the tank is and what you like.

 

what exactly was intolerable about the lights?? the extra light seeping out of the space between the aquarium and the light? i dont get it... And did you say that was when they werent even hung? because i have a 22 gallon and im hanging a 150 mh, i guess mine has to be really high?

 

I could see why this may be annoying, but I have my T5 fixture hung about 12" above the aquarium and when I sit the room, I don't even notice it. It's just like have a lamp or light fixture in the room.

 

What i gathered from what Unclejed wrote was that he could "see" the bulb.

It would be like looking up at the sun on a hot day. Hurts the eyes.

 

I have the same situation, I can see my bulbs, but no harmful reflection or disbursement throughout the room. I can look right at them with no glare. I don't know if it's the fixture or not or how high I have the fixture, but I have it hanging and have raised and lowered it to various position, none resulting in what he described.

 

I thought he had MH....?

I looked at my T5s a few times and it hurt my eyes. Since i got the reflectors though they dont bother me