Newt

Are they T5 linear tubes or T5 CF/PC bulbs? Can you get spectral outputs for what you are thinking of using? T5 is the most efficient and will give you more light penetration required for taller tanks. A lot of the German hobbists are using T5 but they dont always tell the brand name.

Moment

It's so much better to know why you are doing something the way you are doing it than to just hope blindly it works out right. That's why I started digging though all the information I could find.

I'm really trying to justify the amount of money that my T5 setup cost me, and I want to make sure I got the right bulbs considering the cost.

So I guess given all you know about this, and that I am only starting to cobble it together, I will ask you a question. Which should I have bought?

I bought Hagen T5 linear bulbs based on the relative power that is shown in the spectrum. Thing is... as you said and I understand now, they do not necessarily reflect what the bulb actually puts out. The bulbs I bought were 18000k. The show large blue spike at 430 with smaller mound in blue around 450. Then they show red spike around 600 with smaller red mound around 650. They are Hagen Powerglo. I felt that since it was showing lots of red and blue they would be good for plants. I didn't buy Hagen 6700k Lifeglo because the peak was all in green and I knew that to be why the lumens were so high (3000 per 39watt bulb), and that green had no part in plant growth.

What do you know the Hagen bulbs aside from the fact that they poorly market there bulbs? Do you know where to get an actual spectral graph of their bulbs? One bulb comparison page I referenced in my forums actually showed that Powerglo had rather high Par efficiency. I feel good about this but still wonder based on the high color temp. Obviously it would be strong in blue but what about red? That last question was rhetorical...lol

"B"

hi
i hope i don't ask a old question but how does this relate to using energy saving bulbs
http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/var...l.asp?var=3296
or even better this smaller one
http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/var...l.asp?var=3526

i'm planning on growing plants in lower shady light in my channa set-ups
it all is supposed to be very economical
i could use plastic plant and use cheaper energy savers that cost a lot less but real plants help with waterquality and also looks so much nicer

to give you an idea of my set-ups
its all in a rack
reflectors could be added. custom made of course

ruki

Compact Fluorescent are an energy efficient replacement for the traditional round, screw-in incandescent light bulb. When comparing lumens per watt, the light output is 3 to 4 times greater than incandescent light. The tube is spiraled to make it longer, since a tube is not very bright at the ends. Also, it's to replace a round bulb, so it has to keep that basic shape.
These also work OK in the old-style incandescent bulb aquarium hoods since the original incandescent bulbs may produce too much heat and not enough light to grow plants well. These also produce more blues that help plants grow as compared to an incandescent bulb.

hubbathejut

so ... here i stumble across this great post After i went out and bought TWO Powerglo´s.

A friend of mine convinced me they were the best bulbs for plant growth. It says 18´000k on the packaging , but assuming that was its range i looked at the drawing of they´re spectrum estimate on the packaging.

Would be better off with a 6500 and 3500 combo than using the Powerglo at all ?

My vendor only carries Harden , so any advice on two fluoros from Harden for my aquaplantarium would be immensly appreciated .

Thank You kindly...i really dont know who else to ask

jut

hinoone66

Thank you very much Newt. Like I told you in my private messages, I was a salt water geek for years. I had a very nice coral tank set up for years (75 gal). I dug out my 48 inch flour. bulbs, I used 4 of them. I did some research on them, 2 bulbs had a cri of 96, and 2 acri of 86. The color was awesome on the coral. I did not know about lighting. I used the bulbs because my petstore guru, talked me out of spending hundreds of dollars on a fancy lighting system. Your thread was awesome. Made me do alot of reading on lighting to understand what you were getting at. To me thats a good thing. A gain thank you very much for your fast replies on my private messages. Hope to see some new threads from you on other topics in the future.

boink

This is an excellent thread with actual data backing up the post as opposed to just comments on how it grows plants. Ive been looking around for a thread like this since i am thinking about changing my bulbs.

Thanks Newt

Newt

Hagens are a bit pricey. Attached are the graphs for the PowerGlo, LifeGlo and AquaGlo. The AquaGlo is probably the better plant bulb. It is somewhat like the GroLux but lower power. I also attached two graphs of normalized spectral plots so that you can see the output intensity at a given nanometer in true relation to each other. You can go to HomeDepot and get some T5 Philips 6500K that will balance out the lighting and make it more pleasing to the eye.

PowerGlo:


LifeGlo:


AquaGlo:




Hagen spectral graphs:

Newt

Thank you, Boink

Great User name.

boink

would you by any chance have spectral graphs for coralife 6700 and 10k bulbs? those are what i have now and i was curious

thanks