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Re: lights




> Why is it then that every time I see a really stunning planted tank
picture
> the tank is usually lit with some sort of wide spectrum lamps. I see very
> knowledgable people using things like Tritons or Tritons mixed with cool
> whites or P and A lamps mixed with cool whites, Chroma 50s or T8 950s and
> 965s or MH lamps. There must be some reason that they chose those lamps.
> Some of those lamps really cost a lot of money too. I don't think I have
> seen any really nice tanks that use lamps with a true triphosphor
spectrum.
> I would really like to continue to use 850 lamps as they cost such a small
> amount of money but when I addded in some 950 lamps things really actually
> improved. I suppose it could have been a coincidence but who uses true
> triphosphor lamps with great success.

George wrote:

I use triphosphor bulbs and I think I have great success. Aren't these
usually considered "wide spectrum"? The third phosphor is there to emit a
strong green component. All the photos on our web site were taken with just
the tank lighting (no flash) and daylight film. I think the color rendition
is very good.

I'm confused by your posting. Tritons are tri-phosphor bulbs. "Tri"-ton.
Peen Plax Ultra Tri-Lux are tri-phosphor bulbs.

I reply:

I am aware that you use or have used Tritons and I am also aware that they
call them Triphosphor lamps but I wouldn't describe them as triphosphor
lamps. Perhaps it is just a name that sounded cool to the marketing people.
Specifically, Triton lamps do not have the very intense peaks of an 850 or
an 865 spectrum and the are valleys are filled in to a greater degree. They
are sort of a mix of the triphosphor concept and a wide spectrum lamp. I
don't know what the spectrum of the Pen Plax lamps looks like though.
Perhaps they are more like 865s than Tritons.

Since you are talking about changing lamps  if 865s, being triphosphor
lamps, were just as good as Tritons or Penplax lamps then why not use them.
I only have to pay about $2 each for them and they sure last a lot longer. I
would really like to see someone like you who really knows what they are
doing give them a try. ;-)

Wayne