Time to replace my PC bulbs

[fishfreek]

Its been about a year since I got my first PC blubs and its time to replace them.

I know I have to look at the pin design to know if they are in the :: or .... format. I currently have 36W jobs but I am thinking of putting 55Wers into my 20 gal.

I got my bulbs the first time from Ahsupply.com

What other sources have people used for their bulbs.

I heard that actinic bulbs in PC are out and they are now true actinic vs just blue bulbs like they used to be.

 

[reefrunner69]

I have heard good things about Hello Lights, you might also try Champion Lighting & Supply(although I don't know how their prices will compare), and check Big Al's Aquarium & Tropical Fish Supply (they say they'll beat anyones advertised price).

You should definitely spend the extra money on the True .03 Actinic bulbs. Your reef will love you for it.

I do not know about the versitility of the PC ballasts, make sure your ballast is capable of the upgrade in bulbs before you order them. I can say from personal experience that 2 X 55W PC on a 20H is pretty spectacular. I was able to grow T. croceas and T. maximas in one.

 

[fishfreek]

Ok well I sent an e-mail off to Ahsupply.com but I wanted everyone's option as to what this page says. 36-55W kits It seems to me that they use the same ballast and the only difference is that the 55W bulb is a little longer.

If thats the case then I am looking at maybe 1 10K and 1 .03 55W PC for my 20H. Or should I go with 2 50/50 10K/03 bulbs? I have the german connector style that is ....

Of the vendors listed above I think I am going to go with HELLOLIGHTS

They have the following lights available. I am correct in wanting the 10K in conjunction with the 03 correct? Or should I combine the 03 with another temperature.

6700K
8800K
10K
20K

 

[Bang Guy]

I don't understand how they can light a 3' PC bulb with a 55 watt ballast.. ?!?

But then I 'm not a physicist and I can't spell well.

 

[reefrunner69]

I don't understand how they can light a 3' PC bulb with a 55 watt ballast.. ?!?

I believe a 36W bulb is between 17 and 18 inches long, 55W is about 24 inches long. I didn't see where it had to light a 3 ft bulb (96W). I saw a reflector that was about 35 inches, but it was for a 2 X5 5W, and I assume you get the extra for a 36 inch tank and want to stagger the bulbs?

From what I saw it is the same ballast for a 36W or a 55W.

 

[fishfreek]

I got an e-mail back from them that said the only thing I needed to worry about in the upgrade was if the 55W bulb would fit in my canopy. There is no problem there as the 55W bulb is just a few inches longer than a 36W bulb.

So should I go with a 10K and a 03 or two 50/50's?

Or a 8800K and a 03?


Probably put the order in toward the end of next week given that I will be leaving for danny's grand opening this thursday.

 

[reefrunner69]

My preference is a 10K and an actinic. I think I read Guy (known to us as Bang Guy) post once that buying 50/50 was wasting some money. The phosphurs in the actinic break down quicker, so if you go with 2-50/50's you'll have to replace both bulbs on an accelerated schedule, where if you go with one daylight and one actinic, only one will need to be replaced more often.

 

[fishfreek]

Maybe guy can enlighten us with the replacment schdule of the actinic bulbs. I know they say 10,000hours on the websites that sell them. But if I calculate that correctly if we run our lights for an average of 12hrs a day 7 days a week thats a life span of 833 days.

That cant be correct. Unless they are talking about how long it will take the light to burn out.

 

[reefrunner69]

CSL, recommends changing PC bulbs every 14 months, I don't know what the difference would be between daylights and actinics. I have seen people's tanks that have had their bulbs running for three years 8O , but the degredation of spectrum and intensity was immensly visible. The inverts were surviving, and I use that word in it's most basic form.

 

[fishfreek]

Well I replaced my bulbs with bulbs I got from hellolights.com I must say the change is tremendious.

The new PC actinics sure look (not a good judge) true actinic vs the old PC "blue bulbs".

 

[Bang Guy]

Actinics

Maybe guy can enlighten us with the replacment schdule of the actinic bulbs. I know they say 10,000hours on the websites that sell them. But if I calculate that correctly if we run our lights for an average of 12hrs a day 7 days a week thats a life span of 833 days.

That cant be correct. Unless they are talking about how long it will take the light to burn out.

I agree. If they are using the Actinic Phosphors developed by Phillips then they begin to degrade around 4000 hrs and are pretty well depleted by 5000 hrs. For magnetic ballasts it's about half that lifespan because of the damage caused by using 60 cycles.

833 days has got to be average burnout.

Actinic phosphors definately burn out faster than daylight phosphors. The good news is that there will by no spectral shift since it's a single phosphor bulb.