Glass between light and water surface?

[kittyhazelton]

Ok, so I wanna set up a nano reef. But the question I have is....
for a 5-gal with 20W of compact flourescent lighting (the screw-in 50/50 bulbs), would it hurt the tank/affect the light spectrum if I have a glass cover over it to protect the light/keep water in/keep cats out.

basically the light would sit right on top of the tank, no more than an inch or 2 above the water surface.
Would this be ok?

 

[SimonL]

I'd be very hesitant to keep the light so close without the cover, saltwater is very corrosive. Glass isn't ideal, but with that much light I wouldn't worry too much lol. Thin acrylic is better than glass, lets more UV through.

 

[kittyhazelton]

I'd be very hesitant to keep the light so close without the cover, saltwater is very corrosive. Glass isn't ideal, but with that much light I wouldn't worry too much lol. Thin acrylic is better than glass, lets more UV through.

So basically just a plexi glass cover then? I can manage that, I have plenty kicking around. Just thought that glass was nicer lookin.