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Re: screw-in CF's



 paprikash at boo_net asked if anyone considered using "
>the relatively new screw-in integrated electronic compact
> ballast lights . . . 

I presume you are referring to the coiled tubes that are mounted on a
base containing an electronic ballast and which screws into a standard
light bulb socket.   In my own case, I did consider them when setting
up a couple of tanks about a year or so ago.  At that time I was
dissuaded by the following:

- the wattages available (that I could find) were generally less than
16 watts -- When I added up the wattage and figured the cost, there was
no price advantage over AH Supply's PC kits

- the color temps weren't published and there was no info I could find
regarding the phosphors and spectra of these bulbs -- I assumed they
used essentially high quality "normal" phosphor coatings (aka
halophosphors), not the rare-earth tri-phosphor coatings used in PCs
since the manufacturers apparently designed the CFs merely to replace
incandescent bulbs for household lighting purposes, not gardening
purposes.

- I suspected that the coiled shape was less efficient that the PC
straight twin-tube shape -- half the surface of a coiled CF tube is
facing towards the inside of the coil.

- The long thin shape of the PCs was easier to fit into a long low hood
(which I preferred) than the shorter, more portly shape of the CFs.

Most these might no longer be the case.  Some of them might not even
have been true back then.  For example, I do know that much higher
wattages are now more easily to be had and a wider range of color temps
is available.  Also, some CFs do use expensive tri-phosphor coatings. 
Color temp and PAR might be an issue but if regular T8s work, why not
these?

Scott H.

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