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Rogers lights



Roger,
   That's a great case study you have there.  Well it sounds that way, I bet
you have a great feeling of accomplishment right now eh?:)  I would have
probably come to the same conclusion as you have.  The fact that you only
gave the UGF deal 2 weeks is a little short, but the quick turnaround you
see does lean more to the lighting.  I am sure the conditions you have
provided/changed too, all contribute on some level, but it surly sounds like
the majority of the problem is lighting.  The old bulb should not Cause the
problems you saw as a direct effect of the bulb.  Their output slowly
degrades over time.  But the fact that they were so old, you could have lost
one or more of the important spikes in the spectral output that left you
with less then desirable output.  Without a good output your plants could
suffer.  Do not let your eyes be the judge.  In one of my tanks I usually
know when it is time to replace the bulbs, algae breakout.  When I see
algae, I check the date of the last re-bulb and typically it was 6 of so
months ago.  And this tank is 50/50 Tritons and GE Daylights.  At the price
of a std 4 foot tube, just trash them after 6 months.  And I assume your
ballasts are working properly and do not destroy the tubes output in a short
time?  And I also assume that you did not just get a bad batch of tubes.  In
response to statement 2) I guess it would depend on how slow.  If your
growth slowed then there would be less demand on the fertilizers.  And if
one or more elements were limited the slow in growth/consumption could tip
the scales and make excesses as apposed to limits.  So that's possible.  
  But I write this note as I am interested in see the spectral output of the
bulbs you were using and the ones you switched to.  If you have these on the
computer I would love a copy.  I saw that Phillips does not have them online
yet.

Keep up the good work, and I hope things stay this way for you,
Jeff