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View Full Version : Lexan and keeping heat out of your tank


jestronix
02/18/2016, 08:40 PM
I have a nice thick sheet of lexan that i used to use for my 150w unshielded halide, Ive now got a 400w halide and heat is a big issue.

Boy was i suprised when i put my hand under the 400w, its a lot of heat! so i grabbed the bit of lexan i had and put it between the halide and my hand, wow ! almost no heat and little difference in light to the tank.

So there must be a reason everyone isnt using lexan over their tank right? The lexan does bend a bit from the heat, but keeps it shape on the most part.

The lexan i have is about 1.5cm thick, it was pretty expensive too,

Any thoughts on what it might take out of the spectrum ?

jestronix
02/18/2016, 09:26 PM
A little more searching says its 85% transparent, by the eye it looks more than this. Also spectrum wise it seems sweet.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/VisibleLightSpectrum2.svg

jestronix
02/20/2016, 09:08 AM
Well , huge temp difference in the tank, 35c day today and the chiller didn't let the temp rise up like the other day. So I also have a fan for evap and it's also cooling the lexan, without the fan it gets real hot, so it's certainly stopping the heat before it gets into the tank. I think I'll have to do some temp tests to see how good this stuff is. Whilst I lose some light, I save a heap on cooling. In winter I'll just remove the lexan so the heat goes into the tank and helps with heating.

kmbyrnes
02/21/2016, 07:21 AM
If that is blocking 15% of your light, be careful when you remove it so as not to shock your corals.

biecacka
05/16/2016, 04:58 PM
How's this working out for you? Very interesting idea.

Corey

jestronix
01/26/2017, 03:44 AM
How's this working out for you? Very interesting idea.

Corey

Yeh it worked well , keeps heat with lower than before, I run a fan so the lexan is cooled by it, lexan is basically grabbing it and the fan is pushing it away, less heat going into the tank.