Remember to change your bulbs

[knashash]

Just a tip as I was reaching the 7 month mark on my Flora Gro bulbs I noticed a big algae bloom.....got new bulbs and the carpet algae I was getting is barley coming back at all......just a friendly tip....I would say 6 months on the normal Florecent...I guess it is quite a bit longer if you have compact florecent though

 

[Kasakato]

CF are good for up to a year. I hate replaceing the bulbs. Iv got 3 of them and they are $20 a pop.

 

[Gambusia]

I've had my bulb since December 1994 and have never had to replace it.

 

[SnakeIce]

I write the date I put a bulb into use on the end of the bulb with a sharpie. No guessing when and which bulb to replace.

 

[abnscout82]

why would a bulb being old cause problems? Just curious...

 

[Kasakato]

why would a bulb being old cause problems? Just curious...

You anly really need to worry about this in a planted tank, because the K rating of the light changes.

 

[ashdavid]

why would a bulb being old cause problems? Just curious...

As knashash is experiencing , algae can become a problem. As the bulb ages the k rating tends to drop moving into the red visible light range, and this is the range that algae really grows well. Obviously there are other factors involved with algae blooms but this one can be eaisly overlooked. As kasakato said earlier , people with planted tanks are usually the ones effected the most.

 

[maaltan]

Red light makes algae bloom. cool .. been scouring for that information. I for one am trying to make algae grow in specific locations both as a possible decorative touch and for a possible addition to my denitrator(very iffy effectiveness. to help diminish phosphates as well.

I believe i can get some small gauge submersible wire and solder then silicone an LED to end, along the wire, etc to create mini spotlights i can position around the tank. I particularly like the look of algae coated limestone. It looks natural almost like mini lichen (but without the fungal symbiote).

 

[cloud]

So how do you tell if your bulb needs changing?
I've had mine for over a year and I've not noticed any change in performance.

 

[ashdavid]

So how do you tell if your bulb needs changing?
I've had mine for over a year and I've not noticed any change in performance.

If you want to measure kelvin you could do it the way that Scientist William Kelvin did. He developed the temperature rating scale in the late 1800’s. Kelvin got a cube of black carbon, heated it and recorded the color at certain temperatures.But for us mere mortals that is imposible, you could measure your bulbs kelvin with a light meter, but again this is very impractabale. So when you buy your bulbs it will have a standard bulb life written in the instructions eg. 6000 hours, and you should pretty much throw out you bulb when the bulbs life is over. The bulbs life is determined by hours it is switched on I must add.