halogen lighting

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PHISH

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Jan 13, 2003
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I was wondering about this type of lighting for a planted tank. I was in Target and saw the double ended replacement bulbs in the lighting section. They claim to have a natural white light but no other values ( k?) and they were in the range of 150-300-400 watts, could these be used as say pendant fixtures over a tank with the correct DIY hood??? Something similar to a Halide fixture?? Thanks for any input you might have!!

steve
 
I don't know the K value of halogens and I am curious to find out as well. I do know that they tend to throw a lot of heat and they generally use a lot more electricity then flourescents.
 
Halogen lighting is basically an incandescent bulb that is 50% more efficient.

I do not recommend...here is why:

The amount heat they put off is very high
The color is still too yellow for the plants
The temp color (or K) is very low

Thanks,
Steve
 
Steve is right...

Link: K of Halogens

5,000K or 5,500K is about the minimum for an aquarium..
 
Steve said it well, but here's another way of putting it: you get less usable light per watt, by a longshot. Almost anything is better, except old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.
 
thanks for the input... I figured it would be too good to be true. A DIY 400 watt fixture for roughly $50.00 would be amazing. I knew there had to be a reason you didn't see more people talking about it and/or using it. Thanks again everyone..

steve
 
Yeah, according to this analysis, you would get the equivalent of about 100 watts of compact fluorescent light with your 400 watt DIY. Plus, for no extra charge, lots of heat.
 
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