3 foot UVB tube...what you reckon...

Me again haha...last question for today.

Like i said in my other post;

https://www.rollitup.org/newbie-central/204159-flowering-canna-terra-molasses-any.html

I have switched to 12/12 for almost a week. I went out and purchased a 36inch 10.0 uvb tube (like this
its 30w btw


Its a funny size, 3 foot and im finding it difficult to buy a shade. I searched the forum and found a few people use the smaller ones like this;


Then cut open a can of beer/coke and use that as a shade.

Can i make a shade for my 3 foot tube out of lots of cans of beer? I know lines and joins in metal can cause heat spots for HPS and MH...is this the same of these UVBs? Or am I way off due to the difference in heat being outputted?

I know to turn the uvb bulb on about halfway through the day in the room adn increase the duration over the coming weeks. To the people that use UVB...whats your cycle method?

They guy in the shop also had a "sun light" bulb which was twice the price...but it sounded good.

Thanks in advance folks

Home depot man. I used to set-up reptile enclosures to suppliment my income and the local harware store is always the best buy for floro fixtures and reflectors. IF you decide to make your own which shouldn't be hard dont worry about hotspots. Its impossible to form a hotspot with a flouro tube strong enough to effect a plant.

ahhhhh...i was in looking at one...but i thought it doesnt come with a reflector so didnt purchase it. Here it is...what you think;

http://g.imageshack.us/img194/96777530.jpg/1/


Just make my own reflector or are these things kinda standard sizes (will fit all/most)? I was thinking alot of light would be lost due to the design (and no reflector)

thanks dude

What does your grow area look like? I personally would use a fixture just like the one you pictured. If your growing in a small enclosed area with a low ceiling you probably wont need a reflector. If your spot isn't enclosed you probably should make one - be creative, anything semi domed or with angular straight sides and a reflective surface will work. If you want to go fancy go buy some thin sheet metal, secure to the back of the light and then bend around.

intresting read sicc, thanks for the link. I will sit down with a few doobies and get stuck in. You notice a big difference? As this is my first grow, I dont have anything to compare it too.

To get it going for now, im going with gastankers idea (cheers man!!!!)...buy the cheapo fixture and get a sheet of thin metal and wrap it round making a nice curved shade. nice one!

Need to get myself a 30x microscope thingy...cant wait to say "check out the size of her trichomes"

So, I picked up the fitting and now just need to source something to make the reflector...either sheet metal or a bit of reflective insulation like this;



Which then got me thinking...I would love to make a my own reflective hood for my MH & HPS...it would allow me to measure it exactly to fit the tent. Meaning all the plants get even light!

Anybody done it before? I will have a look around the DIY section.