Actinic Lighting!

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JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
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So if I left the blue light on all day, it will be no effect. ok thanks. Maybe I can add a "spotlight" for night viewing like what toms place suggests.

So let me get this straight. Corallife hase MANY types of bulbs. For a FRESHWATER UNPLANTED TANK, the different choices has no effects on lighting preferences for the fish only on our viewing? I know with Saltwater each bulb has a different benefit.I have a 50/50 coralife bulb on my 60 gallon thinking that was why the elephant nose was coming out alot because it was darker. oh well. But I cant believe the fish could tell the difference between the pure acitanic bulb and the 20,000 bulb. I mean, thats a drastic difference in lighting. I know with Saltwater each bulb has a different benefit.

One question: I heard with the 50/50's and acitanic bulbs, they need to be changed every 6 months? Mine has been going for a year now. Thanks for the helpfull info. LOVE those PICTURES!
 

slipknottin

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Jan 13, 2002
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yea pretty much, if your not growing photosynthetic creatures the lighting doesnt really matter. the different bulbs will look different and could bring out the colors of your fish better.

actinic bulbs can still be pretty dang bright, and i doubt the fish would take it as night time. from everything ive heard, red light is the most effective for this.

the reason they replace the bulbs every 6 months is that the bulb losses alot of intensity after the first 100 hours. In SW many people use the bulbs to grow photosynthetic critters, so a drop in intensity means slower growth.
 

JamisonBWolsh

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Nov 1, 2002
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Hawaii
So with FW tanks...we can keep the bulbs untill they "burn out" instead of the 6 month rule. Saves us FW hobbyist lots of money!
I may try the acitanic blue light just for the fun of it and see.. Big als sells them for 13.00 I think? The coralife 50/50 light on my 60 gallon is awesome. So I would probably by both for my 20 gallon and see which one "looks better".

PS. That middle tank is not a TRUE example of a 50/50. Its 2 different bulbs ( a blue one and a normal one). A 50/50 Is not nearly as blue as the middle one. It just has a very small tint of blue. Not too much, but not to bright eithor.

Here is a BAD example (blurry..webcam hooked to computer..I need a REAL camara) but you can tell the different lights. the 60 gallon has the 50/50 and the others are the "normal light" (lights that came with it.

3tanks.jpg
 

RTR

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Oct 5, 1998
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As slipknottin said, if you have no photosynthetic organisms, light spectrum for normal viewing is purely aesthetic and that is personal choice.

Clarification - ALL fluorescent tubes have much higher output the first 100 hours, but the are not rated for output until after that period. Fluorescents also tend to gradually lose output throughout their life, and may shift their output spectrum during that time as well. The severity of the loss and the rate of the loss is dependent on the phosphors used and the engineering of the tube. Cheap tubes need replacement after relatively few months due to output decline and color shift - but again, if no photosynthetics, do you care? At least until the tank is obviously dimmer?
 

Rocketman

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Oct 24, 2002
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Hey KVTC, how much was the middle picture setup with the
80w 5700k NO and 96w 6700k PC
For my new FW tank, I would like to pick some lights that show well on the tank and provide the few plants I will have with enough light to keep going ahead of the algea, but not so fast that I must trim them every other day.
Would that be the right setup for me? Cost must be low ($30), as I am not willing to spend to much on lighting, it seems like a silly thing to spend a lot of money on. This will be a 60 Gallon tank, with no supplemental CO2, and most likely no fertilizer or other added nutrients - I want these plants to grow well, but slow. Anyway, I would like the look you have in that middle picture - what is the cheapest way to acheive this?
 

slipknottin

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Jan 13, 2002
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Originally posted by RTR


Clarification - ALL fluorescent tubes have much higher output the first 100 hours,

preliminary T5 fluorescent testing by icecap, the bulb manufactuer and a couple independent sources (Sanjay)
shows T5 linear fluorescents dont loose ANY output in the first 100 hours. (all tests thusfar have been done on either fulham or icecap ballasts, and using GElighting 6500K 54 watt T-5)

CF bulbs typically loose quite a bit, and are worse than most NO linear bulbs. VHO bulbs are about equal with CF bulbs, URI bulbs are generally a little better.
 

JamisonBWolsh

I am what I am. Defender of truth!
Nov 1, 2002
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Hawaii
I thought corallife bulbs was the best in making bulbs..if they arent the best....which is?
 

slipknottin

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Jan 13, 2002
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URI brand NO and VHO bulbs are generally regarded as the best.

i dont know which PC bulb is regarded as the best...
 

ewok

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Jun 11, 2002
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i tried using actinic on my 55g ..... single tube (NO?), and found it to be too gloomy for my tastes. it was hard to see things in a way.... 50/50 seems to me to be the way to go with that and that would gain you nothing along the lines of what you are trying to achieve.
 

Rocketman

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Oct 24, 2002
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50/50 does that mean two separate tubes of different... whatever? Would I be fine just keeping the tubes that come with the hoods bought at the LFS, for a lightly planted tank?
 
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