BlueMorpho
Juvie Member
I know this is a topic discussed ad nausuem, but I'm not finding the solutions that will work for me.
Eri's light fell, so for now, it's sitting on top of the tank and I need that to change ASAP.
I have a linear tube set up for an Exo Terra tank using a metal "under cabinet" ballast. Because the mesh top is so fine (1.5mm) and flexible, I don't want anything that will poke hole in it or stretch the wiring, so stringing it up in any manner is out of the question. There's a bar that runs crosswise through the top, and it's about a half inch thick, meaning I absolutely cannot mount anything directly to the mesh. I had several Velcro strips (which made up for the width) reinforced with superglue, and that held for over two years. Since it fell, I need another solution.
I've considered trying to see if I can buy just the magnets and locks from Magnaturals (my top choice, since I also hope to use them for future projects, too), but considering the prices, that's not likely going to happen in the next few months.
It seems my only option for now is mounting it directly to the glass, which poses a whole new set of problems for me.
One, I need to ensure the light is neither too close not too far from him, and bathing the floor of the tank, not just the doors. The 24” ballast I'm using has a 3” wide “head” before the bare bulb, and my extra ballast has a 2.5" gap (it's an 18”, which I'm not sure is big enough for a 34” tank and would require me buying a new bulb). I've recently been suggested to start using a T5, so a new ballast and bulb isn't entirely out of the question, but due to my finances, it might take me until next month. Two, the UVB lights (and all other fluorescent tubes) give me terrible migraines, so *I* don't want to be exposed to it any more than when I actually stick my head in there, so I'm not sure if covering the screen top with black paper or something would be an option, but in all honesty, just having it mounted on the back wall staring at me every time I look in the tank would be torturous.
Can somebody pretty please help me find a solution?
Eri's light fell, so for now, it's sitting on top of the tank and I need that to change ASAP.
I have a linear tube set up for an Exo Terra tank using a metal "under cabinet" ballast. Because the mesh top is so fine (1.5mm) and flexible, I don't want anything that will poke hole in it or stretch the wiring, so stringing it up in any manner is out of the question. There's a bar that runs crosswise through the top, and it's about a half inch thick, meaning I absolutely cannot mount anything directly to the mesh. I had several Velcro strips (which made up for the width) reinforced with superglue, and that held for over two years. Since it fell, I need another solution.
I've considered trying to see if I can buy just the magnets and locks from Magnaturals (my top choice, since I also hope to use them for future projects, too), but considering the prices, that's not likely going to happen in the next few months.
It seems my only option for now is mounting it directly to the glass, which poses a whole new set of problems for me.
One, I need to ensure the light is neither too close not too far from him, and bathing the floor of the tank, not just the doors. The 24” ballast I'm using has a 3” wide “head” before the bare bulb, and my extra ballast has a 2.5" gap (it's an 18”, which I'm not sure is big enough for a 34” tank and would require me buying a new bulb). I've recently been suggested to start using a T5, so a new ballast and bulb isn't entirely out of the question, but due to my finances, it might take me until next month. Two, the UVB lights (and all other fluorescent tubes) give me terrible migraines, so *I* don't want to be exposed to it any more than when I actually stick my head in there, so I'm not sure if covering the screen top with black paper or something would be an option, but in all honesty, just having it mounted on the back wall staring at me every time I look in the tank would be torturous.
Can somebody pretty please help me find a solution?