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Re: Testing lighting



>> Now, if Tom Barr, who seems to have at least one of every plant known to
>the
>>  hobby and then some, had a lux meter (or borrowed mine) and took
readings
>in
>> the
>>  dozens of tanks he owns or maintains, maybe we could create such a
table.
>>
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>This sounds like an excellent idea. To be thorough, though, you'd have to
>observe the plant at different light intensities, and drop the lighting
until
>the plant shows signs of demise, which would give the minimum. Note the
>changes in the plant coloring & growth at different intensities. (I do want
>those reds & pinks!)
>
>And it would be complicated by the fact that in different substrates/water
>conditions it may vary. (Wouldn't it?) Higher light could require the plant
>have access to more nutrients, but it may also just mean that the plant
would
>be more effective at utilizing what's available.
>
>Sylvia

Tom Barr wrote:

Not really if you do a good design. By using the same tank (say a 55 gallon
tank) for example and adding say 24 inches of CP FL's on one side half and a
T-12's etc on the other side all other components will be the same because
the nutrients/substrate/Bio cycles/CO2 levels will all be the same and be in
the same tank etc.
Lighting is the one issue that we can test well I think with some degree of
absolution.
I tried some of this method on lighting but the plants need to be the same
also. I didn't do that part<G>. I really don't want a 55 gallon full of one
species! But it would work and even without the same species I think for
many of our purposes here this would be an good test nevertheless.
To be scientific and all it would be nice to do a good test with several
moncultures.

I reply:

Seems like a dimmable ballast would be perfect for this. You could get the
plants growing nicely and then dial down the light on one side of the tank
until they stopped thriving.

Wayne










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