DIY T-5 Lighting shield / cooling questions

[Reef55]

Hi, I'm putting together a diy light rack for T-5's and had questions on cooling and shielding. I'll be using icecap reflectors spaced very close together. I looked through dozens of pages in the T5 faq and other threads and did not find what I was looking for, so here goes:

1) Light shield: Required or not? Should low-iron type or optical glass be used? If so, any suggestions on where to buy said glass?

2) Cooling: having fans at one end, blowing all the way across to the other end? Is that the right way, or how should it be done?

Thanks very much :)

Mark

[James77]

1. Not required, but cooling is more easily controlled and more effective. I would think that acrylic would be the best bet
2. Blowing lengthwise down the bulbs is best. Ideally you want the incoming air to hit the lamps "cold spot" first, which is almost always the label end.

HTH