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Re: lumen ratings, watts/gallon




Hi Roger,

Yes, I'm glad you pointed out that the triphosphors are not really
full-spectrum. They certainly do have more pronounced peaks than the "full
spectrum" bulbs.  It is very interesting to hear of your success with Grow
Lux and Daylight Ultra over the UltraLume and Advantage X.  I currently am
using UltraLumes and Philips Daylight Delux.  Maybe I'll switch to your
combination for a comparison.

I agreed with most of what you say, however, my spectral photos (see my web
site) show the GE Daylight Ultra more closely related to the triphosphors
than the full spectrum bulbs (where as the Philips Daylight Delux is more
like a full-spectrum bulb).

Regards,
Hoa

>Date: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 13:15:00 -0500 (EST)
>From: "Roger S. Miller" <rgrmill at rt66_com>
>Subject: Re: lumen ratings, watts/gallon

>My 55 gallon tank was once equipped with two Advantage X and two
>Ultralumes - both high lumen/watt lights with big peaks in the green band.
>When I switched the tank to two Grolux and two Daylight Ultras (neither
>with the green spike) I got much better growth, even though the tank
>appeared to be darker than before.  The lumen rating is misleading.

>Incidentally, the triphosphor lamps (Advantage X, Triton, et al) are *not*
>full spectrum lights.  Their light consists largely of three spikes, each
>in a narrow band - one in the violet or blue, one in the green and one in
>the orange or very near red.  That gives them a nice color rendition
>because its close to the way our eyes sense color.  All of them have big
>gaps in the spectrum, and I only recall seeing one manufacturer's spec
>that showed very much true red light.

>Vitalites and a few similar brands are actual full spectrum lights - they
>produce a fairly even distribution of light from infrared through
>long-wave ultraviolet. GE Daylight bulbs and their look-alikes are wide
>spectrum lights with a broad distribution across most of the visible
>spectrum.



*************************************************************
                     Hoa G. Nguyen  
SSC San Diego D371             Email: nguyenh at spawar_navy.mil 
San Diego, CA 92152-7383   http://www.spawar.navy.mil/robots/                
  Aquarium: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/2637/
*************************************************************