VHO vs. T5

[dhoch]

bureau,

I've never seen the UVL T5 actinic bulb in action BUT based on my conversations wtih the UVL reps at MACNA last summer they were saying that it didn't have the same pop as their VHO bulb...(I know the UVL VHO is better than the geismann actinic which is pretty purple to my eye).

Dave

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

The geismann pure actinic is rather purple, but their actinic+ is really blue. Don't know if it stacks up to the VHO actinics, but it looks pretty good to me. One thing I've noticed is that the daylight T5 bulbs seem to give off alot more intensity than the actinic T5's. This could partially explain why they do not "pop" as much as the VHO's. The daylight bulbs wash out the effect of the actinics. I imagine that if you mixed daylight T5's with actinic VHO's you'd see the same problem.

 

[sjfishguy]

A few guys on another thread are telling me that actinics can not be counted toward your total light output anyway, since the wavelength is outside that used for photosynthesis. Is this true? If is so why do we even use actinics?

 

[skydvr]

Will T12HO actinic give you similar results to a VHO actinic?
Would the T12HO actinic be better than the T5HO actinic?

The actinic bulbs give you better colorattion. Better vibrance, or the "pop" that dhoch talks about.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Actinics have PAR (photosynthetically available radiation), they just tend to have lower PAR than other "daylight" bulbs. They do add to your "light output" as far as growing your corals go. After all, consider that corals can live fairly deep in the ocean where most of the light is blue. Are they as effective in growing corals watt for watt? That is tough to say, and would more than likely depend on the specific coral. If you want to really get some good growth with the demanding species you're going to have to go with MH's anyway, so it is somewhat a moot point. For the most part, people choose actinics because they want a bluer color and some fluorescence.

I've never heard of anyone using T12HO, didn't even know they were available in this hobby. I couldn't see why one would want to use them over T5HOs. Pretty much all of the benefits of T5's stems from their slim profile.

 

[pjf]

Fluorescence from Actinic Bulbs

Fluorescence from Actinic Bulbs

I see plenty of fluorescense from my corals and anemones by using a 405nm LED at night. Unfortunately, visible light, even from my blue actinic T6 bulbs, totally washes out the fluorescence. I can certainly replace the T6 with T12 lighting and even upgrade my ballasts to VHO.

(1) To see "pop" with actinics, do I need to turn off other aquarium lights?
(2) Which bulbs produce the most "pop?"
(3) In which fluorescent color do you see the "pop?" Is it only green?

Thanks!