Acrylic bracing impact of lighting/par

[blstravler]

So going with an acrylic tank for my new build. Tank is 48x30x22 The tank has a 3in Euro brace all around and a 3in center brace. I use a 48in ATI T5 fixture with 2 LumiLight Pros - do I need to be that concerned about par loss from the bracing? I figure many tanks have euro bracing so it must not be that big of an issue?

 

[Redfoxtang]

If the bracing is clear i would suspect you wouldnt lose par. But if the bracing is solid then you might lose some but not much to worry about as T5s do a great job spreading the light!

 

[Billldg]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[A. grandis]

So going with an acrylic tank for my new build. Tank is 48x30x22 The tank has a 3in Euro brace all around and a 3in center brace. I use a 48in ATI T5 fixture with 2 LumiLight Pros - do I need to be that concerned about par loss from the bracing? I figure many tanks have euro bracing so it must not be that big of an issue?

Not a big problem for PAR. You need to worry about maintenance and gas exchange though. It's not a pleasurable thing to set up the system and realize that after all running. Not to talk about scratches. I would get a glass tank instead.

 

[blstravler]

Not a big problem for PAR. You need to worry about maintenance and gas exchange though. It's not a pleasurable thing to set up the system and realize that after all running. Not to talk about scratches. I would get a glass tank instead.

Why do you think I’m going to have gas exchange issues? The bracing is exactly the same as glass tanks and they don’t have gas issues lol.

Also I’m sorry you had a bad experience scratching your Acrylic tank but I’ve never had the issue with prior acrylic tanks - you just need to have patience.

 

[A. grandis]

Why do you think I’m going to have gas exchange issues? The bracing is exactly the same as glass tanks and they don’t have gas issues lol.

Also I’m sorry you had a bad experience scratching your Acrylic tank but I’ve never had the issue with prior acrylic tanks - you just need to have patience.

Normally the acrylic tanks need much more bracing area on the top than glass tanks. If yours is different than most, you're lucky.
If you have that much of a patience and think you will never scratch then forget what I said and remember only if one day you accidentally scratch it. That's why we call "accident". If accidents happen with glass tanks you will have better chances to avoid deeper scratches.
Good luck with your project.

 

[blstravler]

Normally the acrylic tanks need much more bracing area on the top than glass tanks. If yours is different than most, you're lucky.
If you have that much of a patience and think you will never scratch then forget what I said and remember only if one day you accidentally scratch it. That's why we call "accident". If accidents happen with glass tanks you will have better chances to avoid deeper scratches.
Good luck with your project.

So I assume you haven't had an acrylic tank then?

 

[A. grandis]

So I assume you haven't had an acrylic tank then?

Of course... I tried twice. Good luck!

 

[Reefer1978]

Acrylic (all glass) will reduce par. I have a very thin polycarb sheet covering my tanks. My par readings are at 70 (Apex PMK monitoring kit). When I remove the sheet to work on the tank, it goes up to 82. So I would estimate 1/8" Lexan sheet blocks about 12% of light.