Shade cloth vs. semi-transparent plexiglass.

[Paul Mc]

Would a piece of semi-transparent plexiglass work the same a shade cloth? I'm considering closing up the top of the terrarium except for maybe a small slit in the back with plexiglass. Since I think I'm going to need a shade cloth due to the light intensity, I thought I might try a semi-transparent piece instead of shade cloth. Or would the semi-transparent block out too much of the vital spectrum of light?