Lighting Q!

[Abraham1907]

Well I have a 10 gallon paludarium and I bought an 18" light fixture at home depot and I have a repti-glo 2.0 bulb in it. This light is supposed to help plant growth and good for reptiles and all that good stuff so I chose this one! I have two questions, fist of all is it ok to leave the plastic shield on the fixture, I wasthinking it would stop the beneficial rays from penetrating through so I took it off. Secondly, does the distance between the light and plants make a big difference, because I was thinking about attaching the fixture to the bottom of the tank I have above it so it won't look bad just sitting on top?

[Rainfrog]

Fixing it to the above tank would be fine I would think (im not the lighting or plant guy) I do know UVB wont travel through glass or plastic so I would remove your cover if you get something that need the UVB. Most of the options you listed though dont need it or can have thier Vitamin D3 needs met through supliments

[ubstrong]

distance between plant and light does make a difference. lights don't affect the plant at a distance of more that about a foot, depending on the plant, and lights get old and weak and need to be replaced at least each year. at least if they are to do any good for the plant