[Prev][Next][Index]

Compact Fluorescents

>Have been eyeing those "power compact fluorescents" at the local fish
>store and want to ask if anyone can give me manufacturer's names. I know
>the lights have been mentioned on this list but where can I buy them (or
>at least compare costs with my local shop's)?

>Greg. Tong
>San Francisco, CA, USA

One company the sells CF lights is CustomSeaLife at:
http://www.customsealife.com/

Champion sells these lights through mail order for about 20% less than
Nippon Goldfish or another company in Hayward, Aquarium Concepts.  So far,
Craig Murata (Nippon) has been willing to match the catalogue price--so I
bought mine at Nippon.

I'm sure this is nothing special, but I have tried maybe three times in the
last 2 and 1/2 years to grow a lillaeopsis "lawn" under T-12 bulbs at 24
inches and failed each time (it was grim, grim, grim).  At present I'm 8
weeks into a lillaeopsis lawn under a 12 inch, 2 bulb (28watt @) CF fixture
(I mounted the fixture front-to-back in the hood just over the lawn) and it
is a joy to watch the lawn spread and grow.  The 6700 K CF bulbs put out a
bright whitish light which is pleasing to my eye.  

I'm 97.5% sure I'm not going to lose the lawn to an unknown catastrophe,
but I can report that lillaeopsis definitely does not appreciate an
overdose of iron (thanks to my misguided reliance on the SeaChem Fe test
kit for low range Fe levels).  With an iron overdose, the leaves begin to
turn dark green/brown and look like the will succumb in the next day or two
to a brownish algae overrun.  A 50% water change (on two occasions) saved
the lawn, IMHO.

Steve Dixon,  also in San Francisco