250W MH bulb UV protected ?

[Nickel]

Need advise from reefers :

Is the 250W MH bulb by itself UV-protected ? If not all brands, how about brands such as BLV, Weipro....etc ?

Reason of asking is that I am thinking of taking out the E40 and 250W MH bulb and mount it directly into my canopy without the usual glass plate that comes with the huge box of a 250W MH light and to reduce weight by separating the control gear.

Any advise on human/LS safety will be very helpful.

[dr evil]

if u are refering to SE type, yes the bulb are all UV coated. Yes, it can be used without the glass shield.....

have fun diying.....

[reefer guy]

bro, u r reffering to the 250w mh from victron.... yup... uv protected since its an se bulb... i find the casing rather bulky as well, taking the essential parts and just diy it on my hood... good luck onu bro!!!

cheers!

[Nickel]

Thanks both for quick responses.

Well, very much at ease knowing it is safe for both human and LS.

Ya, the box is very heavy with all the gears insde.

Only worry is if water is sprayed onto the hot bulbs.........

[dr evil]

to be safe, the bulbs should be around 8-10inches above the water level.

As it is not waterproof, it will be dangerous if with contact with water. If the bulbs is too close, the water will be heated up easily....

Do remember that u need fan for ventilation. If not, ur hood become sauna......

[untouchables]

Thanks both for quick responses.

Well, very much at ease knowing it is safe for both human and LS.

Ya, the box is very heavy with all the gears insde.

Only worry is if water is sprayed onto the hot bulbs.........

u got the right concern there. i think it will crack??? best to use the box provided. juz do external controller.

[reefer guy]

i asked the advise of a senior reefer about such water contact of se bulbs.... if its just a spray or sprinkle, the se bulb is too hot that it will simply evaporate and salt debris left.... but if it's a splash, that's a different story... to play safe, just give ample distance from water to the bulbs ....

[Nickel]

Will be using fans to extract the heat inside the canopy. Also saw the different views about blowing at the bulbs.

Problem is cannot hang from ceiling and the box is really huge, 2ftx1ft footprint !! Imagine putting 3 boxes over my 5ft tank

Thinking of ways to dyi a shield to protect the bulbs. Any ideas/thoughts pls share leh.

[dr evil]

DIY a hood...... to incorperate the MH....

[Nickel]

Thought about that. But when sketched out the plan and it looked like 3 bats hanging off a branch, straight away kena veto-ed by Minister of Home Affairs.

Back to the drawing board to shield the bulbs

[reefer guy]

i am diying my canopy... the reflectors are all concealed, just make the canopy a bit higher...

[Nickel]

I am also designing my canopy. Saw a tall canopy (think 18inches!!) in one of lfs. I personally find it too high and dun look nice as they mount the entire box inside the canopy. And with doors in front/side for feeding/access I find it breaking the look of the tank setup.

This is reason how I got to point of directly mounting the bulbs and reflectors yet keeping the neat look of the aquarium.

Maybe we should exchange pointers/views since we both doing the canopy.

Great minds think alike.

[reefer guy]

well, my canopy is on the way... did the design, and asked my contractor to do for me.... and yes, its 18 inches high!! not going to include the light casings, just the reflectors to make it lighter coz i am much more worried with the stress it would put on my glass tank rather than the aesthetic look of my setup.... but then again, my tank is 2ft high, sitting on a 1m cabinet, and putting up a 1.5ft canopy atop doesnt really look bad; almost proportional i suppose....