A great refugium lightbulb, IMHO!

Like GROSSR, here's a pic of the bulb I found at a HD in Broomall, PA about a week ago.

IMAGE_00002.jpg


I don't have the packaging and sorry about the pic as it's from my cell phone as I couldn't find my digital camera. Anyway, it's a Commercial Electric bulb and has written on it:

SKU# 172-995
Model EDX0-23
5500k
120V 60Hz
23W .330A
V # 42836

It works well on the 10 gallon fuge filled with chaeto for my seahorse tank. I bought it in a 3-pack for, I think, $9.99.

Just sharing some info...
 
The bulb I found was 5000k. As I said I know that we are looking for 5100k. My question can there that much of a difference between a 5000k and a 5100k to cause growth rates to be as different as melev showed with his test? To me, I would think 5000 and 5100 are virtually identical.

When I get back to HD I will get a pic with the info.
rich
 
I wouldn't expect the difference of 100 Kelvin to make much if any difference at all. Who knows, perhaps 5000K is ideal for chaeto growth and 5100K is slightly less than optimal.

As someone else mentioned, the lack of reflector will diminish light output to the fuge and make cleaning far more difficult. It would seem that the bulbs from TCP remain that champion.
 
Oddly enough, you can have two different bulbs with the same K temp., but not have identical wavelength graphs.

So, brand X 5100 K might be better at growing chaeto than brand Y 5100 K.

There is also CRI which, I believe, stands for color rendition index and has to do with how close the light is to natural light.

And you can't forget lumens. Brand X 5100 K, 19 W might produce more lumens than brand Y 5100 K, 19 W.

I can't speak from experience, but I would not even consider a spiral PC unless it was enclosed from the factory into a flood or maybe a spot.
 
I can say that I've had great results from my 5500K spiral PC on my 10 gallon fuge. It's kept in a small reflector which does an awesome job.
 
Turn off the bulb, let it cool off completely, then immerse it in a container of water just to get the coils wet. Let it soak for a few minutes, then lift it out and dry it off without flipping the bulb over. You don't want any water to run down into the ceramic base. Let it dry completely for an hour or so, then reinstall.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7970228#post7970228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GROSSR
The bulb I found was 5000k. As I said I know that we are looking for 5100k. My question can there that much of a difference between a 5000k and a 5100k to cause growth rates to be as different as melev showed with his test? To me, I would think 5000 and 5100 are virtually identical.

When I get back to HD I will get a pic with the info.
rich

55 watt POWER COMPACT 5000K PLL BULB 21" Good Price for those that have the extra ballast. http://cgi.ebay.com/55-watt-POWER-C...6661357QQihZ008QQcategoryZ46314QQcmdZViewItem
 
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And here is what I bought for my refugium at Wal-Mart...scroll to the bottom of the linked page. It is a domed type spiral CF, 5,000K, 30 watts (lumens equal to 120 watts incandescent). My Caulerpa just loves it and I am having to harvest every 7-10 days.
 
essexboy73 : Look at the bottom of the screen you will see a subscribe to this thread option. You can select that rather than creating a reply.

Sir : Any light bulb will work. I had the LOA 6500k for a few years, my chaeto did ok. Melev is trying to optimize growth of the macro's by using a 5100k bulb.

Johnbob : I like the prices, but, I can't see spending 27.00 for 7 bulbs for experimenting. Also, those are the best prices I have seen. I wish they were the type with the reflector built in.

rich
 
I've been using the TCP 5100K for about 6 months. In the last month, my chaeto hasn't been growing to well. How long do these bulbs last?
 
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