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Power Compacts
> From: dozenne at 10fold_com (David Ozenne)
>
> I just got the new (Spring '98) catalog from Pet Warehouse
> and on the very last page, they list 96 watt compact
> fluorescent bulbs from CustomSeaLife. They seem to be
> double tubes about 3 feet long. The ad claims that they
> will produce twice the lux of a 110 watt VHO. I don't
> believe that for a second, but given the high efficiency
> of CF lighting, these look like an excellent alternative
> to VHO or MH. Has anyone tried these? Can I find a
> ballast for them at an ordinary lighting supplier? How
> about the bulbs? How hot do these bulbs run?
I think a number of reef people have used them in the last couple years
(as always, they are the main target for such expensive solutions). If
you don't need 96 watt tubes and can settle for 4100K color temp, you can
buy commercial equivalents (termed PL-L) up to 50 watts for half the price
(tubes, $12-15 each), and probably way less for ballasts ($35 for
two-tube). I've been promoting this as a great way to set up a 10 or 20
gallon tank with > 4 watts per gallon.
Isn't Lux lumen per square meter? That just means they can concentrate
more light in a smaller place, I don't think it means it has a higher
LUMEN output. Sneaky and annoying marketing statement.
Can't speak to the CustomSeaLife tubes, but the commercial PL-L
equivalents are rated similar in efficiency to current T8's, which do beat
out MH (ever so slightly). More info is available on the Osram/Sylvania
pages: http://www.sylvania.com/prodinfo/business/fluorescent/duluxl.htm
- Erik
---
Erik Olson
eriko at wrq.com