ravenlot Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Just thought I'd share something with everyone. I just upgraded my 10g lighting to 70w MH. I had read that these things must be shielded for UV but I didn't think much of it. I figured it couldn't be more harmful than the sun's UV rays. I assumed that corals in the wild had to deal with UV all the time so they should be able to deal with whatever my 70w bulb can put out. I installed my new lighting into my JBJ PC hood. There wasn't a lot of space in there so I had to take out the PC fixtures. I also had to remove the plastic shield that the light shines through because it didn't look like it would be able to handle the heat from the MH bulb. However, I couldn't replace it with glass because they don't make glass thin enough to fit the slot of my hood (at least I don't think so). Anyway, I figured, I'd use the glass cover of my tank to help block off heat and some UV radiation. That should be enough, right? Well, it wasn't. Later in the evening after watching the tank for a long time, I noticed that the tank started to look a little cloudy. I thought something must be polluting the water. Then I looked around the room and at my lamp and noticed that EVERTHING LOOKED CLOUDY!! It was my vision not my tank that was cloudy. Oh my God, what's going on I thought. Everything was cloudy not like a foggy day but rather cloudy as if you were looking at a photograph shot with very soft lighting. My eyes hurt as well. I was tired but I've never had that problem before. I went to sleep hoping it would all clear up in the morning. I'm happy to say that everything is clear again but my eyes still hurt a little. Plus, the skin around my eyes feels a little raw, feeling somewhat like it does when I'm out in the sun too much. All that leads me to think that the lighting was the cause and not simply fatigue or being in front of the computer too much. As you might expect, I have decided to make a canopy to house my lighting and of course add UV blocking glass. I don't want to have to look directly at the bulb unnecessarily any more, especially not for long periods of time. I've already made a simple yet functional design for the canopy. I just have to wait for Home Depot to open. Link to comment
LITTLEFISHEE Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 That's a funny story. Try wearing those big sunglasses that the old people wear : ) Link to comment
Korbin Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Funny? Sheesh. The damage you recieve from UV light can lead to permanent retinal damage and cataracts later in life. Not to mention skin cancer. Don't think you have much to worry about though. The most damage comes from repeated exposure. Glad to hear everything turned out OK. Seriously though, wearing sunglasses for awhile to give your eyes a break might not be a bad idea. Especially if you work outdoors. Link to comment
KrackerG Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I would go to a Michael's Arts and Crafts store to buy UV blocking glass. It's made in 1/8" thickness. Home Depot doesn't sell it...Lowes has regular glass. Link to comment
ravenlot Posted March 12, 2004 Author Share Posted March 12, 2004 Thanks for tips. KrackerG, What's the word on the Lexan stuff at Home Depot? It says it blocks UV rays but can it stand the heat of a MH bulb? I tried Michael's. They're asking around $38 for the size I want. Plus, the salesperson said that the edges will be sharp after they cut it, i.e. they don't bevel it. Thanks Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Try calling a local glass supply shop. Link to comment
wannabereefer Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 The Lexon stuff at HD is basically acrylic with a layer of uv coating, which will melt/crack under MH bulb. I have a 1/4 glass just 2 inch away from my bulb that produce enough heat to scramble some egg on it. Link to comment
1fish2fish Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Introducing Wannabereefer in.. Cooking With Nano! Link to comment
jasontatro Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 I use a $5 piece of glass from Lowes..... works just fine. Link to comment
LITTLEFISHEE Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Where are you planning on putting the glass? Any art glass company that does etching or stained glass would be able to grind the edges down, they'll probably do it for free. If you get glass that is designed to block UV rays, the MH is pretty much useless. You should get clear glass, that will distort the light and filter some of the UV rays. Tempered glass might be your best bet, MH bulbs aren't cheap and you'd be protecting your fixture. Link to comment
USFnano Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Blocking out the UV rays will not make a MH 'useless'. Single ended bulbs have UV filtering glass around the bulb... they're not in any way useless. There is a clear coating that is put on glass that blocks the UV rays and still lets through all the visible light. Link to comment
KrackerG Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 i bought a piece of $6 glass from Lowe's and then a few weeks later I got the UV glass from a glass shop. Both cuts had edges that are the same...its glass...the edges will be sharp, just don't cut yourself:P I agree w/ USFnano...well said! Link to comment
Undertheradar Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 FYI, DE bulbs even dont put out that much UV...at least not when running for a while. They actually peak in their UV output when they are first firing up (and the color is shifting all over). If you stare at a halide at this point, even with UV glass it can leave you seeing spots for a while. Link to comment
onthefly Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Regular old glass from HD is fine for filtering out the UV wavelengths that are harmful. UV blocking glass is so your couch/art/picture/etc. don't turn yellow from the sun coming through the window. Check over at RC.....all those guys running 1000's of MH watts (many with DE'rs) just run regular 1/8" glass. Undertheradar - I torched the backsides of some of my SPS because UV was bouncing of the back of the tank (uncovered because of a HOB overflow) and cooking only the backsides. DE's put out UV!!!!!! And it is harmful!!!! Link to comment
ravenlot Posted March 13, 2004 Author Share Posted March 13, 2004 Here's what I decided to do. I decided to skip the $38 price that Michael's wanted to charge me for UV blocking glass and give the Lexan stuff at Home Depot a shot. It's only $9 so I figured it's worth the gamble. Also, I might be imagining things but I think the Lexan sheet altered the color of the light. It seems to have less yellow now and is slightly more blue and appealing. As far as heat is concerned, this stuff seems to be doing really well. This is not ordinary acrylic. My light is mounted about 5" or so above the tank and the Lexan sheet is about 3" below the light. The tank temperature is steady at 80 degrees as opposed my previous setup in which I was having trouble getting it below 84 degrees. My only concern now after reading the replies is whether I'm blocking too much out. Is this possible or I am I being paranoid? Link to comment
onthefly Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Lexan, unless it states "UV protection" is not blocking the shortwave UV. Another problem with it, is it is going to "cloud" as it gets hot and water/salt spray hit it. Glass is another story with regard to UV. Ordinary glass is very impure.....example, just the thin glass shield on SE MH bulbs is enough to block the shortwave UV......The HQI DE bulbs are "High Quartz Iodide" lamps.....quartz allows the UV to pass right through, therefore you need shielding. Trust me, I tried the plexi once and the response I corals had after I replaced it with glass was huge! Both birdman and myself cooked opur corals when we switched over to MH. It took 10days for him to see the ill effects, I took me almost 3 weeks!!!!! I suggest to cruise over to RC and read the threads on UV damage and protection.....everyone runs glass! Link to comment
ravenlot Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 The Lexan stuff I'm using is the XL10. From my understanding, this is what Birdman was using. I'm not sure if he's still using it, so I PM'ed him to ask him. It's supposed to be UV resistent but I don't know to what degree. It's also supposed to withstand temperatures up to 800 degrees. I'm doing more research to see if anyone else has experience with it. Link to comment
onthefly Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 The stuff bird is using is the "good stuff". My HD doesn't carry it, so that's why I threw out the warning! Sorry for the panic attack Link to comment
ravenlot Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 No apology necessary. I never mind people stopping me from potentially doing something stupid. Link to comment
ravenlot Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 UPDATE: The skin on my forehead is starting to flake and peel. Link to comment
KrackerG Posted March 15, 2004 Share Posted March 15, 2004 Originally posted by ravenlot Here's what I decided to do. I decided to skip the $38 price that Michael's wanted to charge me for UV blocking glass and give the Lexan stuff at Home Depot a shot. It's only $9 so I figured it's worth the gamble..... and now your skin is peeling...do you think that is normal??! was this after your added the Lexan?? Hmmmm, kinda' hard to put a price tag on your eyes and skin...i guess you feel your eyes are not worth $38...nice gamble...X) Link to comment
ravenlot Posted March 15, 2004 Author Share Posted March 15, 2004 No, everything's fine now. I got the sunburn on that first day when my eyes started hurting. The next day my skin felt a little tight. After that, everything felt fine. By that time, the tank lighting setup was adjusted. I haven't had any unexpected ill effects since. This is just the final effects of that first day. It always takes a couple of days for my skin to flake and peel whenever I get a sunburn (not that it happens often). Link to comment
jmt Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 The LExan XL10 will NOT work. I used it from different distance away from the glass (1/4", 1 1/2", and 2 1/2"). On every trial, the lexan melted and/or warped. Save yourself the benefit of the doubt and go with glass. -Justin PS - If you don;t believe me, look in my MH thread. Link to comment
jmt Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 Also, the expensive glass at Michaels is the same thing that you can get at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. -Justin Link to comment
Korbin Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 absolutc - he said he forgot the UV shield for the double ended bulb. Not really anything amazing about what happened. He got a lot of UV as a result. Hey at least you got your vitamin D, raven! Link to comment
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