Lighting Problem/question (Tropical)

[J4G3D]

Ok i have had a twin T8 setup on my 4ft tropical tank for a year now but its so poor that it doesnt light up my background which is blue. It only lights first top inch of my blue background.

The T8 lights sit 1 at the back of the tank and 1 at the front over the glass lid. Im guessing the glass is stopping the lighting alot? if not then should i/could i upgrade to twin T4 lighting? would they give it that extra kick?

Any help much appriciated.

Cheers

 

[holidayinn]

Is there enough light to illuminate the tank otherwise? Are you using a vinyl background? It could be that the top part of the background has stuck to the tank, whereas the rest hasn't. How did you attach the background?

 

[J4G3D]

Is there enough light to illuminate the tank otherwise? Are you using a vinyl background? It could be that the top part of the background has stuck to the tank, whereas the rest hasn't. How did you attach the background?

supoose there is enough light to illuminate the tank. Yea its a vinyl background and its taped around the edges BUT its all flush to the glass as ive just put my hand behind there and if i push the vinyl against the glass with my hand (altho its already touching anyway) the light still doesnt show the blue background.

 

[BigIan]

try adding some reflectors.

 

[J4G3D]

try adding some reflectors.

Ive got some home made white reflectors over the tubes which were made from white tubing. Its made it a tiny tiny bit brighter but still not great

 

[BigIan]

the light is going to be brighter at the top of the tank than the bottom, try getting some better reflectors and some new tubes.

 

[J4G3D]

the light is going to be brighter at the top of the tank than the bottom, try getting some better reflectors and some new tubes.

Should i get new t8 tubes? only there brand new. What about upgrading to t4 or t5?

 

[BigIan]

t5 would certainly give you a brighter light. if you want to invest the cash.

 

[OldMan47]

You cannot put a T-5 or a T-5HO in a T-8 fixture. The pins on the tube will not fit right.
A first place to look is at the glass or plastic that the light must shine through. If it is not spotless, that will be where you are losing a lot of light. If you choose to upgrade your lighting to T-5 or T-5HO, you will need new end connectors for the new tubes, a new ballast made specifically for the new tubes and of course the tubes themselves. Sometimes the fixture housing, reflector etc. are just fine and you only need those few parts to do the upgrade. I have found it about as costly to upgrade as it is to buy a new T-5HO fixture if I shop around carefully. That has led me to simply replace underperforming light strips with nice high output ones.