Actinic and moonlight q's

[TotalKhaos]

I heard about a guy using a mini set of blue x-mas lights for moon lights. You know the small ones used in wreaths and such. I guess it was a 25 light string that he removed some bulbs from so he had one light on for every 8 to 10 inches or so.

Any thoughts on using these as moon lights? Anywhere local I can get a simple inexpensive moonlight. I really want plug and play without the Cost.

ALso I really feel like I need some more blue... My tank just doesnt have the same glow as it did when I had some actinics to go with my halides. Not to mention I miss having the dawn to dusk effect.

I do have 2 spare workhorse5 ballasts I could wire up with some actinic bulbs...If I were smarter. Basically I need to work something out that can be mounted inside my canopy with my halides and be relatively inexpensive. Anybody have Ideas for me?

 

[Nu2SW]

Wal-mart has the Blue led lights that go on your finger.

If you could rig them on to your light fixture that would work...

only thing is im not sure if they still have them or not When I got to walmart I can check or you if you want, I think there about 2 bucks and they are really bright.

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

All through it might be pushing it a little bit, you could get some endcaps and standoffs and use one of the WH5's to drive 2 54 Watt HO T5's. They put out a lot of light for a small footprint and easy to install with endcaps and standoffs. 108 watts might be too much for a single WH5, but you could wire each one separate. BTW the WH5's and all other florescent ballasts can be used to light any bulbs up to their rated capacity and length, not like MH's that must match exactly.

 

[TotalKhaos]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7183441#post7183441 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaliforniaDreamer
All through it might be pushing it a little bit, you could get some endcaps and standoffs and use one of the WH5's to drive 2 54 Watt HO T5's. They put out a lot of light for a small footprint and easy to install with endcaps and standoffs. 108 watts might be too much for a single WH5, but you could wire each one separate. BTW the WH5's and all other florescent ballasts can be used to light any bulbs up to their rated capacity and length, not like MH's that must match exactly.

Where could I purchase the proper materials for this locally? (Endcaps etc..) Would Lowe's or Home Depot have what I need?

Also What type of T5 actinic bulb do you guys recommend - The Bluer the better!

thanks

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7183663#post7183663 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TotalKhaos
Where could I purchase the proper materials for this locally? (Endcaps etc..) Would Lowe's or Home Depot have what I need?

Also What type of T5 actinic bulb do you guys recommend - The Bluer the better!

thanks

I would suggest having John at your reef get them. I haven't seen them at HD or Lowes and I doubt they would have them, especially the water resistant ones. He can also get you the lamps. I had him order me some on Thursday, not in yet. BTW I guess I should ask how long your tank is. 54 Watt is the 4 foot size, 80 Watt the six foot size. The size is actually a little shorter than the 4 or 6 foot so ther is room for them in that size hood.

 

[robertloop]

Hey guys... I got work horse ballast from Light bulbs plus off of Auburn blvd. They have them in stock for about 28 bucks. By the way. The WH5 is rated to run two 4 foot HO T-5 (54w) or 1,2 or, 3 36 inch HO T-5 (39W) bulbs. You can also just wire in one bulb. Light bulbs plus also carries the wiring diagrams that I am looking at for free if you buy the ballast. Really a cool ballast. It can run almost any bulb including VHO, and PC. If you need more wattage or bulbs simply get the Workhorse 6, 7, or 8. All are electronic and great quality.

I got my 36" bulbs on line at custom aquatic for alot cheaper than here in Sac area. The end caps are a little spendy no matter where you get them so I just made some. They are 9 bucks each on line a 4 bucks for the stand offs. You need one stand off per endcap. LAME!!! If you mount two bulbs you will need an additional 26 bucks for hardware. But dont forget reflectors..... I just ommited the reflectors and mounted my t-5s next to the halides in the reflectors that the halides use. I either like doing DIY or im just really cheap. :smokin:

Hey total... just get actinic blue bulbs... they are as blue as it gets.

 

[palileo]

hi I had a question about lighting... has anyone heard of t-12 bulbs... I had a vendor come by my shop on Friday and installed a few super bright t-12 bulbs. will these work for my tank? says the bulbs put out 6050 seeable lumens... 86 cri... tone: bright white... not yellow like standard flourescents... tri-phosphor blends for brightness...

does any of this sound good or not...

 

[TotalKhaos]

AHA! I found some Blue LED Nightlights at walmart for super cheap $2 bucks each! I tried them out last night and Boy they are great - They have light sensors so they come on automatically when the lights go out. Perfect!!

 

[Fragmented]

T-12 flourescents are the old regular type. They are not good for tank use. T-5 are smaller diameter and more energy efficient. There is a trend to phaes out T-12 and replace them with T-3 to conserve energy.

I built a T-3 fixture for my tank years ago to suplement my PCs before I started keeping SPS. It worked will for that purpose, but I wouldn't recommend them alone.

You might want to look into T-3 for your shop.

Light Bulbs Plus is a great store to do research. Good prices too.

I hope I'm remembering all these numbers correctly---It's been quite a while since I did my research and built my fixture. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't really kept up since I switched to MH.

 

[palileo]

here is a link to the bulbs i'm referrencing...

http://www.me-dtc.com/product_line/fluorescent_page_mouseover.htm

when he changed out our bulbs you could notice the definate difference between our phillips 'white plus' bulbs and the 'xtrabrite alpinewite' he installed. we could see the difference in the colors of the vinyls and color charts we have. the 'white plus' bulbs put out a yellowish light that changes all the colors slightly. the 'xtrabrite' was definately whiter and the colors seemed closer to actual when in sunlight. the vendor was saying that these bulbs put out full spectrum of light as naturaly sunlight. supposedly these aren't normal t-12 bulbs. from what he says, you can't buy these at a retailer... i guess the t-12 part stands for the connector type... as far as t-5 connection bulbs, what should i be looking for as far as lumens, brightness and so forth for the reef tank, they also sell t-5, mh, and pc lighting and the bulbs. will the t-3's do the same? for our sign and graphics shop that's what we need most, the energy consumption would be a bonus.

he says all their bulbs carry a 60 month warranty. they cost a bit more than regular bulbs, $16 each, but maintain 95% output for 60 months. so he says... i did ask him what if i measured the light output somehow and if it dropped below that before 60 months if he'd replace them... and he did say yes... haha... be nice if he's not lyin... how long do the t-5 or hid bulbs last and how much do they cost? is there a certain spectrum or lumen needed for saltwater reef? what i mean is, will their t-5 or hid bulbs work?

they have a 12 bulb minimum... if these are good, we are ready to order at least that for the shop and can order more for whoever else.

 

[Nu2SW]

I wanna see what they look like please. I wanna get some maybe

 

[TotalKhaos]

T-12, T-8, T-5, Etc... Doesnt represent the connection it refers to the size of the bulb.

The number that follows the T is the diameter of the bulb in eighths of an inch. The numbers run up to T17 but only two or three are generally used on aquariums.

Whats the Kelvin Rating on those bulbs? I'd be very careful about using anything less than 10,000k. ANything Less tends to be quite yellow. 10,000k and up gets you a cleaner bright white, the higher you go the bluer you get. Also Remember flourescent lighting options like t-5 will require individual reflectors for each bulb to be as effective as possible.

but hey I dont know crap from tar when it comes to lights: Check out this thread Super Helpful:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=550860

 

[TotalKhaos]

Food For thought:

t-12 bulbs are big they take up alot of space so you wont have near as much room for nice reflectors that will make sure the light is directed in the right places. t-5's are much smaller allowing for plenty of room to put in nice reflectors.

MH's are point source lights - it doesnt take much of a reflector to direct the intense light from a halide down into your tank.

The goal here is to illuminate your critters not your living room floor, whatever you choose make sure your reflectors will keep the light where it belongs.

 

[hiepatitis]

do you think the LED's from wal mart will be ok? i heard that moonlight encourages spawning behavior is that true?

 

[palileo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7199983#post7199983 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TotalKhaos
T-12, T-8, T-5, Etc... Doesnt represent the connection it refers to the size of the bulb...

...but hey I dont know crap from tar when it comes to lights: Check out this thread Super Helpful:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=550860

I stand corrected about the connector... i remember now what he was saying... the t-5 are much smaller and have a smaller connector, won't work N.O. units...

thanks a bunch... that link answered a bunch of questions i had on lighting.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7199983#post7199983 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TotalKhaos

Whats the Kelvin Rating on those bulbs? I'd be very careful about using anything less than 10,000k. ANything Less tends to be quite yellow. 10,000k and up gets you a cleaner bright white, the higher you go the bluer you get. Also Remember flourescent lighting options like t-5 will require individual reflectors for each bulb to be as effective as possible.

they are 5100K, supposedly the whitest in the market... i was able to notice a significant difference compared what we thought were the whitest bulbs... phillips white plus

http://www.me-dtc.com/product_line/pdfs/t12_fluorescent.pdf

but i guess anyone can say anything... 'just like natural light'... but can this be true... should this question be directed to WaterKeeper?

t-12, t-5, or PC... it seems that actinics is really what you need, without going MH? the other bulbs are just to illuminate the tank?
i probably missed something in the very long but very informative thread by WaterKeeper.

also, since most bulbs get replace withing 6-12 months because of of dropoff... does that mean that it's worth it to buy from this vendor since they're bulbs are warranteed for 60 months to have minimal dropoff, 95% of initial lumen output. all their bulbs carry this warranty... t-12, t-5, t-3, PC and HID...

about the Moonlights... we recently had a signage display project that we did using 12V LEDs and found various suppliers in our industry for these. we also found various 12V adapters that were very inexpensive, they plug right into the wall. we even found one version that you can adjust from 1.5-12 volts with a switch. i mounted 6 blue LED's under the hood of my tank... they look great. i'm even able to give it a mooncycle if i wanted... run for a couple days at 1.5, then up to 3, then 4.5 all the way up to 12... have New Moon to Full Moon phase... if people are interested in the LED's or 12 converters i have a source...

 

[palileo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7204642#post7204642 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hiepatitis
do you think the LED's from wal mart will be ok? i heard that moonlight encourages spawning behavior is that true?

check out this link. WaterKeeper touches on about 7-9 pages into the thread...

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7199983#post7199983 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TotalKhaos

but hey I dont know crap from tar when it comes to lights: Check out this thread Super Helpful:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=550860