Getting frontal lighting.

[Marconis]

I have a 36" 40W strip light resting on top of my black canopy. There is black trim in the middle of the canopy, so it'll block off any light if I put it over it. I want to have more lighting in the front of my tank, as that is where my cichlids are a lot. A lot of times when I watch them, they are in shade since the light is in the back of the black trim, therefore sufficiently lighting the back-middle of the tank, but not the front. Would legs take care of this? Or is this just the way it is?

 

[severum mama]

You'll have to buy a glass Versa-Top if you want to change the position of your light. They are pretty cheap, and easy to find. Lots of online retailers sell them, like www.thatpetplace.com , or the chain stores like Petsmart and Petco usually have them too if that is what is available to you.

There is a hinge in the middle of the Versa-Top that will block off some of the light if you set the strip on top of it, so you will either have to put it at the front of the tank, or toward the rear (right about where you have it now). So, I'm not sure that this will be the solution that you are looking for. AFAIK, there aren't any mounting legs that are available for stock lighting. That doesn't mean that you couldn't rig something up for that purpose, but without the Versa Top it won't do much good.

HTH

 

[Marconis]

K thanks I'll check it out. , I moved the light to the front of my tank. Looks great, except the back is now dim (obviously) hehe.

 

[neilanh]

you could always get a 2d light and run both.

I agree on the glass top. I assume your top is like mine, meaning there's a dedicated spot for the light to rest with clear plexi- underneath, and the rest is all black plastic. At least that's what mine is.

 

[Marconis]

No, mine is glass then has a black trim/hinge in the middle where it folds up.

 

[severum mama]

So the whole top is glass except for the plastic hinge in the middle and the plastic strip in the back? If so, then scrap my idea because you already have a Versa-Top, lol!

I suppose you have 2 options to get more light into your tank. You could go with Neilanh's idea and buy another strip light, or you could look into getting a PC strip to replace what you already have. The problem with the first option is that you would need to put the second light at the front of your tank, where you would have to move it every time you feed your fish. If you don't mind that, then go for it. If I'm not mistaken, the 46 bow is a 3 foot tank, which probably means that you would need either a 20" or possibly a 24" strip so it would fit at the front of the tank, on top of the "bowed" part. The problem with the second option is that it's more expensive. But, if you have the money, you may be happier with a PC strip. Some even have built in moon lights, which you also might like. I'm not sure that the mounting legs would help get more light into the front of your tank, but I prefer to use them for looks, if nothing else- of course, that's just a matter of opinion. I didn't find that it made much of a difference in the way the light appears in my discus tank. The good part about a PC strip, though, is that it will be MUCH brighter than even 2 NO strips put together. It will also give you enough light to grow some species of plants, if your cichlids don't eat them, lol. I don't know if that's something you would be interested in, but I can help you choose one if you want.