Anybody use the 50/50 Colormax-6700K PC Bulb?

[jmhart]

Anybody used this bulb?

And, on the topic, anybody have any real experience with the colormax bulb?

I'm using a 2x96w strip over my rhizome tank, so I'm keeping it lower light by only using one of the bulbs. I'm just curious what the 6700k-Colormax bulb looks like.

[Cory Keeper]

I'd try it. And it appears that using a blueish light helps leaf growth, while redder helps in root and tuber growth. Its really interesting. So I would say it probably helps. You probably wont see much of an increase in leaf growth say the first couple of weeks, but after a month if you compared the two, the one under the 50/50 might show better growth. I think the same was done with LEDs, and the bluer light really started a forest.

[Riiz]

If its anything like the T5 counterpart that Coralife uses now in their strips, its a pink/purplish color meant for making fish colors pop better. I dont know how well they work for fast growing plants, but they work well with anubias and crypts, which might not really mean much with those plants. But the CF version might be different.

[Cory Keeper]

50/50 is usually a PC bulb, with one side being actinic for corals and 6700K so you can see your fish. Its been previously thought that it does nothing for the plants, but I'm not so sure that's the case if what I've read is accurate.

It would seem that the different wavelengths have properties on plants. Blue will help the plants grow leaves (don't ask me) while reds are used for roots and tubers.

This site explains what I'm talking about http://www.waynesthisandthat.com\fluorescent.html

From what I see, plants use light between 430-475 nm for chlorophyll production, and right around 650 nm for root systems.

I plan on making an LED array using this kind of light and seeing the results. My 5g could use some new lights, and it would be perfect to experiment on.

[Riiz]

Cory this is what Jmhart is probably talking about, http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~PC5659~tab~4.html (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem%7EidProduct%7EPC5659%7Etab%7E4.html)

These arent the 50/50 actinic/10k bulbs.


@Jmhart, looking through plantgeek.net and some report that they have lower plantgrowth with these bulbs. Might wanna stick with the GE 9325 or blend 6700 with 10k's for a better color light.

http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11405&sid=faac46b40ff3d67a3745f682d83aab7b

[Mgamer20o0]

i have used other 50/50 bulbs and they look great. ill toss them on tanks here and there.

[Riiz]

i have used other 50/50 bulbs and they look great. ill toss them on tanks here and there.

Which 50/50 bulbs? The Actinic/10k or the Colormax ones?

[jmhart]

Saying 50/50 was confusing, sorry. I meant the Colormax-6700k bulb.


So, I'm thinking of using this over my "low" light tank, only 2 wpg instead of the 4 on my other tank. However, the fixture on this tank is a 2x96, so currently I only use 1 of the bulbs.

I would prefer the GE 9325k, but they don't make it in 96w.

Since I kind of have the extra space, I may get this bulb and try it out. If I don't like it I have a 10,000k sitting around I could replace it with.

[Bk718]

A buddy of mine had the color max bulb (though it wasnt PC) with another regular 10000K bulb in back of the tank. What he saw was that the stem plants were reaching towards the colormax light and were gaining a bit more color from it.

heres a link to a cheaper one
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18367/si1379056/cl0/coralifecolormax6700k65wpowercompactlampstpin

[Riiz]

Also they have a 6700k/10k blend bulb http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~action~view~idProduct~PC1967~idCategor y~FILTBUPCSQNWDB~category~Daylight__White-96_Watts-Square_Pin-Power_Compact-Bulbs-Lighting-Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies~vendor~.html