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Lights



>Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 23:55:20 -0500
>From: "wayne jones" <waj at mnsi_net>
>Subject: PAR
>
>This topic is like the black hole of
>aquatic plant keeping so I should know

You're right of course, and if, as you pointed out
we were growing tomatos, we'd be golden as most of
the reaserch uses them.

>That is not to say that lamps do not
>exist with spectrums that are indeed
>generally more efficient at producing
>desirable plant growth  but it is very
>difficult to prove for sure one way or
>the other. Anecdotal evidence seems to
>point to, for example, Chroma 50s but is
>it's spectra so much better that it is
>worth putting up with it's inferior lamp
>life and poor system efficiency? Their
>large diameters and relatively low
>intensities make it practically
>impossible to increase lighting
>intensity beyond certain levels and make
>it impossible to design a good


Who knows ? All I know is I used 2 20W SPX27 bulbs then switched a a single
20W chroma 50 and the plants just *took off*.

Of course I also added Fluval filter and started using some new
fertilizer that Hagan puts out, so it's not like any of this
is a controled experiment.

The availability issue is a big one here. I can walk into
a big store and get C50's for $8 CDN. Anything else is
special order or has to be had through a speciaslist
so you can double or triple the price - or worse.

As to spectrum - the guys in the Kent State book whos name
I've forgotten invented the gro lub bulb because it was
the ebst for growing tomatoes and was I think matched to
the chlorophyll absorbtion curve. I dunno, I get far better
results with C50's than I do with gro lux.

You'd think that any plant that performed better  under gro
lux than sublight would be at an evolutionary disadvantage
to the latter. Who knows.

I'mnot gonna kill myself finding tubes. If/when T8's are
comon and cheap I'll use them.


--
Richard J. Sexton                                         richard at aquaria_net
Maitland House, Bannockburn, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1Y0       +1 (613) 473 1719