Bulbs--which should i get?

[Ok, I am soon to be replacing my bulbs for my power compact setup. I have a CustomSealife retrofit setup. Well, I can purchase bulbs by SunPaq that are Dual actinic (420nm/460nm) and Dual daylight (10000k/6700k). I currently have four 65 watt bulbs: two Ultra Actinic (460nm) and two 10000k daylight. Do you think I should just purchase the same bulbs I already have or the Dual bulbs? Do you think it would be better to give the tank the wider variety of spectrums, etc.?

(Note: I have a 55 gallon with fish and corals (mainly softies with some LPS) and a hippopus clam.)]
 
[I don't know what dual means. Do you mean like a 50/50 bulb (half actinic, half daylight)?

I have 50/50's on my tank, and I bought them on clearance at Champion Lighting. Well, that wasn't a good idea, and after only 6 months I had to replace them all.

I'd rather have 1 daylight, 1 actinic 03, and one 50/50, with a bulb that is good for 12 months again.]
 
[No, it is a dual actinic and a dual daylight. The dual actinic is half 460nm and half 420nm (460nm is usually referred to as Ultra Actinic), and the dual daylight is half 10000k and half 6700k. These bulbs are what come with the setup that Andy (Maldivan) just bought. (See this thread:
Andy's new lights


Read this page about them:
Dual Bulbs]
 
[My Coral lite has a 50/50 actinics in it.its rated at 10,000k for the white actinic side of the bulb and 6700 of the blue actinic on the other half on the bulbs.Two bulbs in the pc for 120 watts total.]
 
[Michael--I believe you are talking about the same 50/50 that Marc is referring to. I think these bulbs are ALL blue for the dual actinic with only different nm ratings each side and ALL white for the dual daylight with different k ratings each side.

Could someone tell me if I am reading the site correctly? I know I started out with 8800k daylight bulbs and they were white light (generally speaking) in color and then I moved up to the 10000k bulbs (also white light...generally speaking). I'm assuming 6700k is another white light (again, generally speaking) and not a blue actinic-looking light.

I'm leaning towards getting pure 10000k, since 6700k would give it more of a yellow in the light. And the dual actinic, since I hear that the 420nm range gives off light we can't necessarily detect with our eye, but that the corals like. Haven't fully decided yet.]



Edited By buyitjody on 1089643009
 
[Guessing you are talking about the PC bulbs that has one side one color and the other side the other color? not a 50/50, its almost like having 2 bulbs, each side of the PC is filled with a different phosphorus...

To answer what I think your question is, yes 6700 is a yellowish/white light, not blue at all.]
 
[Yes, Mark, one side one color, the other side a different color. I believe you have answered my question, the 6700K emits a white light that leans more toward the yellow side and the 10000k also emits a white light but leans more towards the blue spectrum.

Now, I just have to decide what I want to get. Any advice from the peanut gallery? :laugh long:]
 
[@buyitjody wrote:
I'm leaning towards getting pure 10000k said:
Actually 420nm is within the spectrum considered visible to the human eye(380nm-770nm). Since photosynthesis seems to spike at 430nm and again at 660nm, it does make sense to ensure you are providing enough intensity with those spectrums.

That said, 10K bulb, or even a 6700k bulb might have greater intensity at 430nm than the dedicated actinic bulb(even though it appears more yellow). You'd have to know the spectral output of the bulb to know that however.

My point is that actinics are generally more for aesthetics than actual photosynthetic supplementation. Generally speaking, the intensity out of those type bulbs isn't really enough to matter much.]
 
[I will admit I'm not up to speed on the whole nm part of lighting...but the 6700 will be noticiably yellow. A 10,000K is suposed to be considered 'true white' ie. not blue not yellow just, white. Of course this varies from manufacturer to manufactuere.

I have always been a big fan of 6700K MH bulbs with actinic supliments.

A 6700 - 10000K bulb is going to be the most intense. When you start getting over 10000K you lose intensity to blues, lower then 6500K and you'll start losing intensity to reds

edit - I have 4, 65w 10000K PC's over my 75, its freshwater though so the color may not be 100% the same as it would be on yours.]



Edited By mwolek on 1089657185
 
[grrr to many replys! If you have a 4 bulb setup I wouldn't bother with the split bulbs. I'd put 2 actinics and 2 of something else between 6700 and 10000k. A lot is gonna be personal preference :/]
 
[As it pertains to aquarium bulbs, the degrees Kelvin thing has turned more and more into a marketing term. Which is why, as Mark points out, it varies with the manufacturer. In terms of actual frequency(NM) and aquarium bulbs, it's just a spot on the spectral graph of things the human eye can see.

Think of it like a radio, and NM wavelengths are like stations. We can hear all kinds of stations on our radio, but some stations are stronger than others. Your bulb is like the radio, you can get all kinds of light out of it, but different stations come in better on different radios. Ok, the radio analogy may be awful, but maybe it helps get the point across.

By way of example, the Iwasaki 6500K 400W bulbs has as much in the blue spectrum as many 10K bulbs. However it is a 6500K bulb, and it definitely looks yellow. This is because along with alot of blue, it also has alot of rest of the visible spectrum, specifically yellows and greens.

Here's a chart derived by Sanjy Joshi, which kinda makes the point:

f1fig3.jpg
alt="">


You can also see that while the 20K and the Coralife 10K have a bit more blue than the Iwasaki, they have alot less of everything else in the PAR range.

Similarly, "actinic" PC bulbs do not appear blue because they have such a high degree of intensity in the blue spectrum, rather it's because they have less of everything else. Though I've not seen any PC bulb data, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that the yellow Iwasaki had way more "blue" than these actinic bulbs. I'm not saying it would "look" more blue, just that it would be more intense within that wavelength.

My only point is that "actinic" bulbs are mostly an aesthetic thing, and if you are using them instead of 10K's cuz you think it's better for your corals, that may not really be the case at all.]
 
[:cry:
Just don't know what to do!

Ok, I have four 65 watt compact bulbs. Should I get:

Two Dual Daylight (10000K/6700K)
Two Dual Actinic (460nm/420nm)

or

Two Daylight 10000K
Two Dual Actinic (460nm/420nm)

or

Two Daylight 10000K
Two Ultra Actinic (which is only 460nm)
(This is what I currently have.)

(Duane--note that I was never thinking of ditching the 10000k bulbs at all.)]
 
[Jody,

Nope didn't take it that way at all. Hope I haven't confused matters more. It seemed to your decision to use the dual actinics was being based on something that wasn't a wholly correct assertion.

And the dual actinic said:
While the statement is sorta correct, it leads one to the wrong conclusion, that actinics are somehow superior to other bulbs at providing this wavelength. It's a common misconception because they appear more blue to the human eye. However in most cases they are actually inferior in this regard. But, they do add a nice look to the tank, and that's why I used them. Ultimately, I'd pick something you like looking at. :)]
 
[Ahhhhh....I see now. I'll wait until Andy get's his new setup and ask him if he likes the look and if he thinks it is too yellow with the dual daylight bulbs. His will have four 65 watt bulbs but with two dual actinic and two dual daylight.]
 
[Jody,
Look at Blides pic in my thread, the dual bulbs look like that. Infact they look exactly like my JBJ's do and they have 2 each 10k, and 2 each 7100k actinics.Ill post a pic up this week when i get them in.Im hoping ill have them by weds!

Andy]
 
[Okay, this is what I had at one point:

1 6500K 55w PC bulb
1 7100K 55w PC bulb

Looked great. Nicely balanced.

Later I added a third bulb for my clam's needs:

1 50/50 55w PC bulb (one side white, one side blue)

After 12 months, I bought new bulbs. I got 10,000K, 6500K, 7100K and nothing looked good. I paid to ship them all back, and bought all 50/50 bulbs (half white, half blue). They work, but not outstandingly.

I was recently on HelloLights.com and noticed they have 7100K actinic, and 03 (true actinic that everyone raves about). So at this point, I'd like to have one 50/50 bulb, one 03 and one 6500K.

If that helped explain what I was referring to earlier, my job here is done. :p]
 
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