Should I remove the 50/50 bulb

[maverick2402]

Should I remove the 50/50 bulb from my power compact light.I just bought a Satellite 65 watt single bulb that comes with a 50/50 bulb and noticed it gives the tank a blue appearance.Should I switch bulbs for something different that will help the plants grow.The owner of the LFS that I bought it from said it will work fine but I'm not sure,so does anyone have any suggestions as to what kind of bulb to use.

 

[Harlock]

The blue bulb is likely an actinic bulb for reef aquariums. It still produces light, but the blue spectrum penetrates deeply into water, so it can lead to an algae problem. I would try it and see how it goes for you and if you see algae strating, replace it.

 

[james1644]

The 50/50 bulb that came with your Satellite is 1 tube daylight (probably 10,000 k) and 1 tube atenic (420 nm lighting). I have the dual Orbit also made by Current-USA, and tried it with the dual lights and did have a slight algea problem. Since then I opted to take out the atenic bulb and install an additional daylight which is 6700/10,000k. All this is that 1 tube is 6700 k rated and the other is 10,000. Since I have done this and cleaned the tank a few times from the previous outburst. I have had problems since and really enjoy the light and the difference that it has made in my plant growth, and the moonlights make a nice addition to the tank. HTH

Jim

 

[Seaman]

actinic shouldnt hurt anything, it just isnt anywhere near as good for the wattage as 6500k bulbs are.

 

[Karnaaj]

If you would read his post more closely you would see that he has a single bulb fixture, not dual. I am assuming that since you chose to post your question in the plant forum you have a planted tank. If you want to receive the maximum benefit from your light you'll want to swap out the bulb for one in the 6500k to 10,000k range.

There is very little proof that an actinic bulb causes algae, but on the same note it is next to useless for plants.

 

[james1644]

The Orbit and the Satellite use the same bulbs. If you do get a spell of algea and want to change it out then you can use the 6700/10,000 daylight bulb that is sold four the dual model. As I said in my post I did have a slight algea outbreak soon after using the light, but by no means did it over take my tank. In my case I had a free slot with the atenic bulb since I have the dual Orbit and opted for another SunPaq 6700/10,000 bulb to get more lighting. If you chose to swap the bulb they run in the range of 25 - 35 dollars US. HTH

Jim