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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #179






>
>
> Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 14:19:29 -0800 (PST)
> From: Erik Olson <eriko at wrq_com>
> Subject: Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #178
>
> > From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Hans_Sand=E9n?=" <hans.sanden at vaxjo_mail.telia.com>
> > Subject: light
>
> > I have read this articel
> > Low-Tech Natural Aquarium Guide
> > By Dan S. Quackenbush for "Freshwater and Marine Aquarium" magazine
> > Part 1 (Vol. 20 #2) Febuary 1997
> >
> >
> > He writes "A 65 watt bulb gives me more than a 50% increase over the dual 20
> > watt fluorescent bulbs over my 20 gal. high. " and a little futher down he
> > writes "I can get 150 watts of light. That's about the equivelent of 8
> > fluorescent bulbs on my 20 gal."
>
> Sigh.
> 150 watts of incandescent light is about equivalent to as little as 1/4
> that amount in fluorescents, or about 40 watts of fluorescent.

 That part of my article probably deserves a little more than a "sigh".  It was
written over a year before it was published, and I simply didn't have any
information on how the watts of incandescent and fluorescent related. Maybe that
was good, because had I known I probably wouldn't have ever played with
incandescent. I do suggest fluorescent lamps over incandescent, but I do believe
there is a place for incandescent.
 For me they are a cheap option to set up if I need some temporary lighting. For
$10.00 you can buy a lot of light and a beginner might want to try plants without
first making an expensive fluorescent light purchase.
 Interestingly, incandescent does work (be it wasteful in the long run). I have a
10 gal. I play with in my office that has only a 65W incandescent bulb for
lighting. There is an assortment of plants one of which is Riccia. I have Riccia in
8 tanks (and vats) which are lit by fluorescent. At best, the Riccia gets about 2"
deep under the fluorescent. Under the incandescent, The Riccia is much thicker with
the incandescent. Directly under the bulb it's 4 1/2 " deep.  It is also the only
tank  where the Riccia tips protrude above the water.
 This is  more interesting (at least to me) because Riccia typically disappears in
Florida when the water warms up. Yet in spite of the heat from the light, this
Riccia thrives.
  The article I wrote has been revised on my web page
http://www.malloftheworld.com/aquarium
Dan Quackenbush
All Aquatic Plants