10 gallon lighting upgrade, now I have questions - Page 2 - Lighting

dgphelps · 08-06-2008, 06:39 PM

Thanks for the links! I wonder if that ballast bit would be too big or if it would fit in my hood. I'm sure the non spiral bulb will be loads better than the spiral ones I have currently too.

I don't see what output the Colormax is; 6500k, 8500k etc.

hoppycalif · 08-06-2008, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agentkhiem

I have used the 6500K GE bulbs and let me tell you, they aren't that great for lighting...

I swapped the standard bulb in my Eclipse 5 with a 15 watt 6500K and all it grew were aglae and insufficient plant growth. Makes sense because all that white light is just parts of the spectrum that plants can't utilize well.. especially green. Aesthetically pleasing results, but better off using it as a supplement.

That's interesting! I had never considered that those bulbs might be producing most of their light at wave lengths that plants don't use. That could explain the really bad results I got with the bulbs. Since I plan to get rid of that tank very soon I won't be trying other bulbs, but at least I can now see where I might have been off track. And, that could explain why others had so much better "luck".

dgphelps · 08-06-2008, 09:48 PM

Great, and I thought I had gotten good bulbs.

Agentkhiem · 08-06-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dgphelps

Thanks for the links! I wonder if that ballast bit would be too big or if it would fit in my hood. I'm sure the non spiral bulb will be loads better than the spiral ones I have currently too.

I don't see what output the Colormax is; 6500k, 8500k etc.

The Colormax is 6700k. It's important to keep in mind that temperature ratings are not that important to plants.. the spectral graph is where it really matters. In this case, the Colormax can do a sufficient job. I don't know of any screw-in compact fluorescent bulbs that are outstanding in red and blue areas. On a budget, two 20 watt bulbs compared to a 40 watt power compact fluorescent bulb fixture would save you bundles of money.

The ballast should fit fine

Agentkhiem · 08-06-2008, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppycalif

That's interesting! I had never considered that those bulbs might be producing most of their light at wave lengths that plants don't use. That could explain the really bad results I got with the bulbs. Since I plan to get rid of that tank very soon I won't be trying other bulbs, but at least I can now see where I might have been off track. And, that could explain why others had so much better "luck".

They're nice bulbs that can whiten a tank, which would be great if you happen to have a Freshwater red spectrum bulb.

El Exorcisto · 08-09-2008, 03:11 PM

I'm using 4 26 watt GEs over my 10 gallon in a custom HDPE hood with an aluminum foil reflector. I have two standard bulbs and two 6500K daylights. The color is great and the plants pearl like no one's business. I'm growing a thin film of diatoms but I think it is more a result of my homebrew CO2 dying than the lights.

Agentkhiem · 08-09-2008, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Exorcisto

I'm using 4 26 watt GEs over my 10 gallon in a custom HDPE hood with an aluminum foil reflector. I have two standard bulbs and two 6500K daylights. The color is great and the plants pearl like no one's business. I'm growing a thin film of diatoms but I think it is more a result of my homebrew CO2 dying than the lights.

Nice, could you post us a picture of your current setup?

El Exorcisto · 08-09-2008, 07:34 PM

Here's my hood. It's some high density polyethylene that my dad has laying around. The reflector is just some heavy duty aluminum foil. The cord, plugs, and porcelains were bought at Home Depot or Lowes, don't remember which. I doubt I'm seeing 100 watts of real light, but it sure beats having a standard fluorescent hood. The outer bulbs are normal whites, the two inside are daylights. I left the gap so I can expand it to 6 bulbs if I end up feeling the need. If I can find a 2 light, electronic ballasted 18 inch T8 fixture I'd just do 4 ODNO bulbs. Unfortunately, locally I haven't seen a fixture to work with.

Agentkhiem · 08-09-2008, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Exorcisto

Here's my hood. It's some high density polyethylene that my dad has laying around. The reflector is just some heavy duty aluminum foil. The cord, plugs, and porcelains were bought at Home Depot or Lowes, don't remember which. I doubt I'm seeing 100 watts of real light, but it sure beats having a standard fluorescent hood. The outer bulbs are normal whites, the two inside are daylights. I left the gap so I can expand it to 6 bulbs if I end up feeling the need. If I can find a 2 light, electronic ballasted 18 inch T8 fixture I'd just do 4 ODNO bulbs. Unfortunately, locally I haven't seen a fixture to work with.

Clever construction.

If your plants indeed do pearl, it's not from the green spectrum that the daylight bulbs are emitting. Since you have about 100 watts of mixed lighting, it may be that the low ends of red and blue are compensated through the standard fluorescent and some bits of red and blue from the 6500K.

El Exorcisto · 08-09-2008, 08:58 PM

The color of the standard bulbs was horribly yellow, much too yellow for my liking. The daylights are more for me than the plants, as performance really didn't change with the bulb swap. As for the green spectrum not mattering, Amano theorized that due to the shade that the majority of aquatic plants live in, they have evolved to utilize green more than initially anticipated. Honestly, I don't really care what the spectral output of a bulb is. I have had the same results between a 10 watt/gallon mercury vapor lamp, a 4 watt/gallon ODNO fluorescent setup over my 55 gallon, and this setup over this 10 gallon. All three grow plants, and grow them well. My thoughts are, the brighter the tank looks, the happier your plants most likely are. It's a little oversimplified, but if more people just broke it down to the nuts and bolts, the confusion would end rather quickly.