Finding the k temp of a CF bulb

[JDogg]

ok my new CF bulbs (u-shaped) give off a yellowish-green light :?

i thinking that this is not an ideal wavelength for plants...

do you think they will be ok?

2 20watt bulbs on a 10 gallon

is there a way to figure out the k #? it was not on the package...

being a science teacher i have some simple spectroscopes so i could determine the wavelengths that the light gives off... in manometers...

if i get this info could someone tell me it these will be good bulbs of if i wasted my money ordering them...

thanks

 

[rkilling1]

blue and red are what you are looking for. Those are around 450 and 700 nm.

EDIT: corrected the red nm.

 

[JDogg]

blue and red are what you are looking for. Those are around 450 and 700 nm.

EDIT: corrected the red nm.

so if i get blue and red wavelengths i will be ok, even if the dominant wavelengths are in the green-yellow range?

 

[rkilling1]

so if i get blue and red wavelengths i will be ok, even if the dominant wavelengths are in the green-yellow range?

That I can't anwser, but I can give you the spectrum of common bulbs used for planted tanks.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/add_info.cfm?pCatId=4505

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20050425175734/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/flora_glo.jpg

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/add_info.cfm?pCatId=12768

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20050425175722/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/aqua_glo.jpg

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/11...rsfostersmith.com/images/adinfo_tropicsun.jpg

 

[JDogg]

so if i get blue and red wavelengths i will be ok, even if the dominant wavelengths are in the green-yellow range?

That I can't anwser, but I can give you the spectrum of common bulbs used for planted tanks.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/add_info.cfm?pCatId=4505

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20050425175734/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/flora_glo.jpg

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/add_info.cfm?pCatId=12768

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20050425175722/www.drsfostersmith.com/images/aqua_glo.jpg

http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/11...rsfostersmith.com/images/adinfo_tropicsun.jpg

thanks, these bulbs were not made with the intention of planted tanks in mind i am sure...
did email the company and asked if they could tell me the k temp fo the bulbs, they have not emailed me back though...

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Since they are the model 2220, it's the same bulbs they had at Walmart, which I have 2 of. You should be ok. Can you take a pic of the tank with the lights on to kind of give an idea on how it looks? If it's the same as mine, they are ok.

 

[czcz]

I do not know how to determine color temp, but fwiw I use cheap screw-in CF all the time, and I am certain they are well below the recommended K range. With modest goals such bulbs work great.

I am also of the opinion finding the right K range for your eye is worth the cost, though. I think if one has already invested in proper CF and ballasts (say, AH Supply), ignoring color temp is silly, if only for aesthetics, let alone optimum plant growth.

 

[JDogg]

here a tank shot to show how yellow-green the light is... as well as a pic of the bulb...

 

[rhetor]

JDogg,

this is how i found the kelvin rating for most of the bulbs i looked at.

Take the part number that is printed on the bulb, and type it into a search engine. I go to altavista.com and put in the part number. It'll probably be something like TH-3249-L or some random number like that.

A lot of lightbulb warehouse webpages come up, and if you take a few minutes looking at different pages you can frequently find the kelvin rating, if the manufacturer releases that rating.

 

[JDogg]

JDogg,

this is how i found the kelvin rating for most of the bulbs i looked at.

Take the part number that is printed on the bulb, and type it into a search engine. I go to altavista.com and put in the part number. It'll probably be something like TH-3249-L or some random number like that.

A lot of lightbulb warehouse webpages come up, and if you take a few minutes looking at different pages you can frequently find the kelvin rating, if the manufacturer releases that rating.

good idea...unfortunatly...
they have a color temp of 2,800° Kelvin 8O

http://www.budgetlighting.com/store...0094.657*ih6KY1&p_id=1014&xm=on&ppinc=search2

i should infact have ordered the 2220S-2VP with a 6500 kelvin temp not the 2220-2VP :?

 

[rhetor]

JDogg,

Here's what you do: unscrew 2 incandescent bulbs somewhere else in your house, and screw in the CF bulbs. That way you are saving money on your electric bill, and not all is lost. Then get the 6500k bulbs for the tank.

 

[JDogg]

Aparently these bulbs have the same K temp as FloraGlo Bulbs, will they work??? keep in mind my plan for this tank in not wonderfull growth, just to keep the plants alive...

JDogg,

Here's what you do: unscrew 2 incandescent bulbs somewhere else in your house, and screw in the CF bulbs. That way you are saving money on your electric bill, and not all is lost. Then get the 6500k bulbs for the tank.

yea i can do that

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I've never experimented with 2800k and plant growth. So I'm not sure. Didn't know there were 2 different model 2220 bulbs.

 

[JDogg]

I've never experimented with 2800k and plant growth. So I'm not sure. Didn't know there were 2 different model 2220 bulbs.

hummm maybe i should start a new thread to try and see if anyone has had sucess with the FloraGlo bulbs...