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Re: Tired of my Tritons
Cavan wrote:
"The rear bulb is an 8500k Flora Sun, and the front one
is a 6500k Ultra Sun. They are very bright. Also,
I'm pleased with the color rendering. Overall, the
light is bright, clear, and crisp."
...
"Up front is a single Triton tube. I have a few issues
with it. For one, it gives off a light that's kind of
pinkish."
...
"The hygro growing
under the Zoomeds looks lush and green, while that
under the Triton looks yellowish with green persisting
around the veins, making it an eyesore in an otherwise
good looking tank. The hygro growing
under the Zoomeds looks lush and green, while that
under the Triton looks yellowish with green persisting
around the veins, making it an eyesore in an otherwise
good looking tank."
Don't confuse your perception of the quality of the light (and how it
affects the colors your eyes see) with how the plants react to the different
bulbs. The differences in how the plants look to your eye might have more to
do with the mixture of wavelengths those bulbs are emitting than with how
effective each bulb is in promoting plant growth. The human eye is a
wonderful instrument - but it has limitations. With proper training, humans
can recognize and distinguish millions of different colors. Under mixed
fluorescent lights, this ability can be severely degraded. But this is an
issue of human color perception and has nothing to do with how well various
plants react to the different tubes.
To more objectively judge the difference between plants growing directly
under the rear bulbs and those growing under the Triton, take a cutting from
each area and look at them under regular sunlight.
It should not be surprizing that the Ultra Sun "looks" nicer to your eye
than the Triton - it matches the ideal "black body" spectrum (as rated by
the CRI) much better.
Flora Sun - 8500 K; CRI = ??
Ultra Sun - 6500 K; CRI = 98
Triton - 5700 K; CRI = 91
James Purchase
Toronto