hovmoller Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Do you have the reflectors that you can buy with juwels? If you do just put it exactly the wrong way around so they reflect light up and not down. Problem solved with no mess. That's the most silly thing I've read in a while.. Paying for a 54w tube on with the only purpose of blinding you when you open the lid! I've tried to take out a tube of my juwel hood but it needs both plugged in to work :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Dunno. :lol: I wouldn't be surprised if they were like 60 bucks each. maybe you can use tinfoil. Just remember that your plants like light and were happy with the light you were providing them with. That's the most silly thing I've read in a while.. What works, works. :lol: It will still provide light; just less of it. I think its brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 What works, works. :lol: It will still provide light; just less of it. I think its brilliant. Brilliant if you don't mind paying for something you are not getting.. but yes in Dennis case he is probably not paying the powerbill.. Anywho.. I also wanted to shade my juwel a bit in a previous setup and did so with duckweed.. I am a big fan of duckweed but at full cover it really tends to make everything in the tank look green!.. everything sort of blends together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Brilliant if you don't mind paying for something you are not getting hahahaha. Like taxes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 If I can get it dark enough, I will add tannins. Only if its dark enough though so it doesn't look like tea... hahahaha. Like taxes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 take one of the bulbs out and give it a quick spray with spray paint any colour just lightly though- let it dry then try it out it wont completly block the light but will dim it a lot i used to do this with the tubes on my old frog tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Will the paint be ok with that much heat? The HO tubes get terribly hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Dennis I have a rio 125 where I just removed the hood and replaced it with 2 glass lids that fit snuggly in the groove already on the tank.. looks very good. The I have 240V Spotlights mounted on the ceiling shinning down into the tank with LED spots from TM.. they are a bit expensive but final usage is 9w!!! that is for a tank with no plants of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Sounds more complicated and expensive than necessary for my circumstances. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Tinted glass or a light blocking lid of some sort could work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishplants Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 The fact that there are TWO of them suggests a quick and easy possibility... The Juwels will not run a single tube on a double ballast, unfortunately. If one tube fails or is removed, the other one will start for less than a second and then the ECG will shut itself down. Double ballasts can be rigged (in parallel) to run two tubes individually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishplants Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 Hi Dennis, not sure if someone has mentioned this, but what about replacing one or both of the tubes with the Juwel Blue tube? It has a very low amount (relatively) of visible light. Then add peat to your filter, hey presto, dark tank! But floating plants do a more natural job. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 You can try neutral density filter. Complicated name for what is essentially tinted film. You can easily find it in a photographic supply store (I know Wellington Photographics has it here - http://www.wps.net.nz/). Put it on the top over the glass and voila! I used heaps of this stuff over the lids of my containers when I was doing my grad work and needed to precisely control light intensity. Its about $30/m (and its 1m wide) and comes in at least 3 grades. I forget the exact labels for the grades but its something like .3, .6, and .8. .3 is '1 stop' and thus blocks out half of the light, and I suggest this one (or something lower if its available) because you can always layer them. You can also cut little bits out of it to create that nice light beam look in your tank. It will withstand the heat of the lamps and does not block out UV which is a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 There is no glass at the top on the juwel tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 Sorry, didn't have time to read the whole thread. Stink! Maybe put the filter over the bottom of the lights? Or just turn 1 of them off? Isn't it a bit of a waste to be burning those bulbs without getting full use of the bright light? Otherwise, I like the idea the others had of putting in floating plants (ricca or duckweed) or tiger lotuses or just adding tannins to the water. There is no glass at the top on the juwel tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 Or just turn 1 of them off? Isn't it a bit of a waste to be burning those bulbs without getting full use of the bright light? You can't do that either. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 Hey, quit getting me on technicalities! :lol: Hehe, if you can't turn it off, just remove the bulb! You can't do that either. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 lol... you're going to hate me now, but you can't do that either. If you take one out, they both don't work. :lol: They are also HO units, so you can't run only one tube in a dual tube hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquila Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 *pulls hair out and runs away* :lol: lol... you're going to hate me now, but you can't do that either. If you take one out, they both don't work. :lol: They are also HO units, so you can't run only one tube in a dual tube hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 *pulls hair out and runs away* :lol: He tends to have that effect on people :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted September 23, 2010 Report Share Posted September 23, 2010 You learn to love it :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted September 24, 2010 Report Share Posted September 24, 2010 You can try neutral density filter. Complicated name for what is essentially tinted film. that to me sounds like the best idea, or car window tint. im not familiar with the jewel tanks but if the lids like this: http://www.priceinspector.co.uk/d/17336 ... are-prices then it looks like you can lay a bit of hard board or thin tinted/ clear/ black perspex to block some of the light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ismart120 Posted October 30, 2010 Report Share Posted October 30, 2010 Ha, I'll swap you my old t8 lighting unit from my 240 for your t5s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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