hiramshaish
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Plasma light... the future?
- Thread starter Jk5
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Horace
New member
Darn cool, though im not sure im excited about the spectrum on these. Typically I like to see much higher spikes in Blue and very low spikes in Red. Red has been shown to actually inhibit coral growth. Blue is obviously what the spectrum is shifted towards for many of the waters/corals we keep.
Horace
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15259688#post15259688 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gomer
The spectrum isn't ideal, but then again it wasn't designed for a reef. If the idea of this catches on or has enough support in the reefing community, then I'm sure that the bulbs could be made with more reef appropriate spectrums
I would agree, though often times bulbs made for reef are SUPER expensive because of the relatively small market compared to commercial use, which it seems this bulb was intended for (street lights, buildings etc etc).
wschang812
New member
i hope they come out with these soon. cant wait
I'm at a photonics conference right now and saw a pair of light sources which used the Luxim source. I did get out one bit of interesting info while inquiring about the output temperature (kelvin color). The sales rep (not from Luxim) said he visited the facility and said that the the capsule was basically hand filled (ie, not mass produced by machinery). Makes me wonder if it would be fairly easy to get a custom high kelvin mix.
addicted2reefin
New member
if u watch the utube video, they say the bulb burns at 6000K and puts out a light close to the sun, which is also around 6000K. To make it burn at a bluer temperature, they would need the inside of the bulb to burn at a higher temperature. seems like it is pretty far from being used on reefs. it seems like it would be great to grow sum sticky icky with tho!!!!
for now, in order to use it on ur tank, it would be cost prohibitive, in terms of electricity usage, as u would have to balance out the intensity with alot of actinic supllementation, so why not just grab a 400 watt 20k radium and call it a day.
for now, in order to use it on ur tank, it would be cost prohibitive, in terms of electricity usage, as u would have to balance out the intensity with alot of actinic supllementation, so why not just grab a 400 watt 20k radium and call it a day.
Josh72836G
New member
From what I've read if you dim the bulb it produces a bluer spectrum so with the right tools you could in theory figure out what voltage produces the right spectrum.
So... now I just need to convince myself that a plasma light wouldn't be over kill above my RSM.
So... now I just need to convince myself that a plasma light wouldn't be over kill above my RSM.
thatguy559
New member
i have this light over my tank been running with it for about 3 months now and all my corals are growing pretty good here is a video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx0oxUey6iw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx0oxUey6iw
WI reefer55
New member
back from the dead. awesome vid tho. theres a build thread with plasmas over on nano reef do you have one? If I was goin to try it this would be it screw leds.
I've started a 65 gallon cube with one from Stray Light Optical. The lamp is manufactured by Luxim. Since the tank is new there's only rock, but the color looks great 50% or less. Which even at minimum it's plenty of light.
Here's a review by some professionals
Dear Robby,
Thank you for visiting the Aquarium and for writing us with your question regarding plasma lighting in our exhibits. I asked an aquarist here for the information you're looking for, and here's what he said:
"œWe are using plasma lighting over many exhibits now here at the Aquarium. The tanks range in all sizes and depths, and they are all custom built so I cannot give you a LxWxH without knowing exactly which tank you are talking about. What will probably be most helpful are some PAR numbers that we got from a side by side comparison with a 400W metal halide (Blueline E ballast and 6500K bulb). At 1.5" depth, the plasma puts out 660 µmol/(m*sec^2), the Blueline only put out 271 µmol/(m*sec^2) at the same exact depth. At 24" deep, the plasma put out 179 µmol/(m*sec^2) and the Blueline only 81 µmol/(m*sec^2). With the plasma dimmed to 25% it still beat the Blueline MH with 127 µmol/(m*sec^2) at 24" depth. Overall the plasma lights perform more like a 600W metal halide, suitable for almost any home aquarium. I would not recommend using the current plasma models over tanks with coral that are deeper than 36". They only use ~280 watts, are dimmable (we have had problems with units that constantly dim, though they are working on the firmware to better support dimming) and they have a useable life of ~8-10 years depending on how much output you want. The spectrum produced by the bulb is the closest to sunlight than any other known light source on the market, a true 96 CRI. You can buy fixtures from Straylight Optical and Sfiligoi."
Thanks again for writing, and I hope this answers your question. We are constantly striving to make the Aquarium the best it can be, and our visitors' thoughts and suggestions help us in reaching this goal.
Melissa Snyder
Writer/Editor, Editorial Coordinator
P 831-648-7974
Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940
www.montereybayaquarium.org
Our mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans.
Here's a review by some professionals
Dear Robby,
Thank you for visiting the Aquarium and for writing us with your question regarding plasma lighting in our exhibits. I asked an aquarist here for the information you're looking for, and here's what he said:
"œWe are using plasma lighting over many exhibits now here at the Aquarium. The tanks range in all sizes and depths, and they are all custom built so I cannot give you a LxWxH without knowing exactly which tank you are talking about. What will probably be most helpful are some PAR numbers that we got from a side by side comparison with a 400W metal halide (Blueline E ballast and 6500K bulb). At 1.5" depth, the plasma puts out 660 µmol/(m*sec^2), the Blueline only put out 271 µmol/(m*sec^2) at the same exact depth. At 24" deep, the plasma put out 179 µmol/(m*sec^2) and the Blueline only 81 µmol/(m*sec^2). With the plasma dimmed to 25% it still beat the Blueline MH with 127 µmol/(m*sec^2) at 24" depth. Overall the plasma lights perform more like a 600W metal halide, suitable for almost any home aquarium. I would not recommend using the current plasma models over tanks with coral that are deeper than 36". They only use ~280 watts, are dimmable (we have had problems with units that constantly dim, though they are working on the firmware to better support dimming) and they have a useable life of ~8-10 years depending on how much output you want. The spectrum produced by the bulb is the closest to sunlight than any other known light source on the market, a true 96 CRI. You can buy fixtures from Straylight Optical and Sfiligoi."
Thanks again for writing, and I hope this answers your question. We are constantly striving to make the Aquarium the best it can be, and our visitors' thoughts and suggestions help us in reaching this goal.
Melissa Snyder
Writer/Editor, Editorial Coordinator
P 831-648-7974
Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940
www.montereybayaquarium.org
Our mission is to inspire conservation of the oceans.
BeanAnimal
Premium Member
At this point I think a spectral plot at different power levels would be useful.
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