CFL 75 gallon tank.

[rickycxiong]

So I am using the four twist in CFL bulbs with reflectors for my planted tank with liquid CO2. They are Daylight bulbs with 6500k, 1600 lumen output, and 23watts=100 watts.

My substrate is a mixture of topsoil, clay, pond ferts, osmocote, and some potash, topped off with Montmorillonite clay used for koi ponds.

These are my results, thus far.

View attachment 4052

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And I'm not entirely sure if the lighting I have is low, medium, or high lighting...

The dimensions of the tank are 48" x 18" x 21".

But then I stumbled upon this light...

http://www.bulbamerica.com/silver-c...r:adType=pla&gclid=CIDAiqrrw7QCFYZaMgoddm8AAA

Will this light be too strong, and maybe fry my plants? or not?
Or should I just stick with what I got... or should I add more bulbs?

P.S. Sorry the photos are from my iPhone, so don't mind the badly taken images. =D

 

[rickycxiong]

Blah

When I get the time and money, I want to try and experiment with this lighting... but I just want some professional feedback on the idea thank you. =D

 

[rickycxiong]

No reply yet T_T

 

[nwozniak]

Not sure if you are considering ordering 4 of those sunlite bulbs why you wouldn't just get something from AHA Supply or another pre-fab plant bulb kit out there. If you are going to spend nearly $200 to replace those, you could put it toward something that would be more efficient and direct more light down at your tank.

I personally put my LED system together for under $100, and get plenty of growth from my plants. I have used the AHA Supply bulbs before and also had great results. I just think if you're gonna be spending that amount of $ anyway... your better investment would be to look into a pressurized CO2 system... but that is a different thread altogether.

 

[Stickey]

That would not be high light. I would think about twice that would be getting to medium or medium high. Note - that doesn't mean you won't have success.

As an FYI, I have 2 x 40/55 W AH Supply Kits and a 1x40/55 kit that I'm no longer using. Haven't gotten around to selling. PM if interested, I just moved to LED lights.

 

[jerrybforl]

The only sure fire way to know is with a PAR meter. AH Supply has good kits that are reasonable. You should give them a try.

 

[aquabillpers]

A "23 watts=100 watts" CF bulb puts out the same useful light (LUX) as a 60 watt incandescent bulb - a lot of the lumens are wasted do to restrike.

I haven't measured this, but I've read that CF lights put out less light as time passes. The "23 watts=100 watts" in my bedroom reading lamp was adequate when it was new; now, 2 years later, it is noticeably dimmer and will be replaced. So much for the 10 year guarantee.

IMO, CF bulbs are a consumer fraud, even though they are heavily promoted by our government.

Bill

 

[shoggoth43]

I have to agree. I've had quite a few that never lasted even a year or two. They are cheaply made and VERY heat sensitive which is a problem if they are going into places where you'd put an incandescent. I've also had a couple burn and smoke the place up. No filament bulb ever did that. LED bulbs might be the answer here but I'm not dropping 35-40$ on a bulb just to find out.

-
S

 

[Marcel G]

One 23W CFL bulb (1450 lm) gives cca 60-70 µmol PAR at the distance of 30cm. I'm using it over my 12L nano tank (I had measured its light intensity with PAR meter). Unfortunately I have no experiences with SHO bulbs (60W, 85W, 105W etc.).

 

[aquabillpers]

One 23W CFL bulb (1450 lm) gives cca 60-70 µmol PAR at the distance of 30cm. I'm using it over my 12L nano tank (I had measured its light intensity with PAR meter). Unfortunately I have no experiences with SHO bulbs (60W, 85W, 105W etc.).

You have the equivalent of 60 watts for a 3 gallon tank. That is a huge amount of light, regardless of the bulb or the metric.

Bill