To shield or not to shield TEK?

I'm getting a 4-bulb standard TEK fixture & did order the splash guard. Looking for opinions on if I should use it or not.

From what I've read, having the guard on will keep the reflectors clean & prevent any damage to the bulbs/endcaps from water. But, since there isn't a fan in the standard unit, the guard will also lower the PAR a bit & possibly reduce the bulb life due to heat buildup over time.

I will have my fixture mounted with the TEK brackets and will most likely have it positioned as low as it can go over my tank, which is an open tank.

Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks!

 

I have the one for my 8x54 tek and I pulled it off, they started sagging so bad under the heat of the bulbs I was worried it was going to fall off

 

please let us know if you use it and your opinion on it!! I am currently researching ideas for a new light fixture and your experience would be really helpful!! What made you decide to go with the TEK?

 

I don't use a shield and really haven't had any problems. They have been running 4-ish months and there isn't any salt creep or anything on the reflectors yet.

 

i dont have a sheild and havent had a problem on my 4x39, only thing that i get is salt creep

 

6x39 and I didn't even know that they made a shield.
I don't have a need for it, but then again my fixture is like 14" from the water surface and will probably go higher once I get some coral.

Also, absolutely LOVE my 36" Tek! (2 ATI Aquablue, 3 ATI Blue plus, 1 UVL Super Actinic)... LOVE it.

 

Nice input everyone, took note of everyone not using a shield and being fine. I actually just called reefgeek and decided to upgrade to the TEK Elite 4bulb as my order hadn't shipped yet. For the little bit of extra $ I felt I might as well grab the higher end model so I wouldn't have to add a fan mod if I did use the shield.

CoralQueen, I will def keep ya'll updated. I've been researching T5 fixtures for some time. Main problem was I needed something that I could mount & not hang over my 55g reef so I needed to find a quality 4-bulb fixture.

I decided on TEK because of the strong brand name, the reflectors aren't individually parabolic but are nicely structured to simulate it to a point. I wanted something with strong mounting brackets and the TEK are def the best I've seen. They were also in a sweeter price point than an ATI or TX5 fixture which was just a bit too much for me.

 

I have a T5 with a guard on my tank, but it's very low to the water; maybe 2 or 3 inches above it. I can tell you that the thing is covered in salt within a week, consistently.

 

Good move going to the Elite, they are almost as good as ATI SunPowers.

 

thanks for the info definitely good things to consider