I recently built (most of) a canopy for my 50 gallon. I am using a shoplight from Home Depot with 2 T8 6500K bulbs. The way I built the canopy, the light fixture sits 1.5 inches above the glass top of the aquarium. Is this too far away (ie wasting light)?
Also, the light has a reflector. It is a gray color. I thought covering it with aluminum foil might be a good idea. Then I read that that may not work too well, and that painting it white may be better. So should I leave it stock (semi-gloss grey), add tinfoil, or paint it white?
Also, the light has a reflector. It is a gray color. I thought covering it with aluminum foil might be a good idea. Then I read that that may not work too well, and that painting it white may be better. So should I leave it stock (semi-gloss grey), add tinfoil, or paint it white?
The canopy is simply a 1"x6" frame with a 1"x2" glued along the inside vertically. The 1x2 is what sits on the tank trim, and the shoplight sits on top of the 1x2 (thus the 1.5" height above the tank). Then I just glued in some standoffs which the top will sit on, when I find a top. I wanted to get some dark tinted plexiglass, which I thought would look neat. But I may just use a sheet of masonite, since that is easy to find. The pic isn't very detailed as far as canopy construction, but it's something.
