what's the deal with bulbs?

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NowherMan6

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Jun 28, 2004
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so i'm looking around for compact flourescent bulbs and i can't find any of the wattage and size i need (28 watts, 6700 K) that are made by "aquarium" brands like coralife etc. Nadda. On the whooole internet. Then I'm looking some more and I find just general bulbs made by panasonic that have the exact specifications i'm looking for. What's the deal? Are they any different than if an "aquarium" brand made them? Or are coralife bulbs and the like just over-priced versions of general bulbs? Am i missing something here???
 
Take a look at the CRI

If the CRI is decent, 75 or higher, then the bulbs will work fine.

I am using some 13w CF twist types that have a CRI of 84. I have had pretty good success with them. They are 6,500k TCP Springlamps IIRC.
 
you do not need "aquarium" made bulbs, as long as they are the right Kelvin (color temperature) and will fit into your light fixture, they will work, I currently use osram bulbs.
 
Go to Google.com and click under the "Froogle" heading. I found a site w/ Flourite for $10 a 7kg bag.
 
Phillips makes tubes like you are looking for. Check your local Lowes or Home Depot for them. Any daylight tubes in the 6500K range will work fine.

Len
 
CRI = "color rendering index"

The higher the number, the closer the output spectograph resembles natural sunlight. Some bulbs that are cheaper may render the light in the correct color temperature, but it may be missing wavelengths that are beneficial to plants.

Just try to keep the color close to 5100k - 6700k and the CRI over 75 and you SHOULD have good success with the bulbs.
 
i have tryed "plant/aquarium" bulbs from walmart and homedepot, they put out a horrible pink light and make a loud noise and look just awful.
 
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