lights over acrylic tank cross brace

[reeferdale]

I am getting ready do my LED build. On my 270 acrylic tank. I have on center cross brace that is about 3 inches wide. Just looking for opinions on whether to run my lights right across this brace or make seperate 'fixtures' that fit into just the openings.

I am not sure if the lights will casue the brace to yellow or become brittle over time or would they cause the light spectrum to shift to an undesirable spectrum?

[jay13]

even led lights do not just throw their light straight down. not covering the entire tank top with them might make you wish you had after they are all done and hanging. that being said you can also look at it from the point that a center brace blocks lighting pretty well regardless of the source. its one of those six of these half dozen of the other type answers. heat on the other hand could be an issue, make sure the lights are not so close they heat up and warp that brace over time.