Advice on glo light combinations

[hibiki]

Currently setting up a lighting system for 3 24" T8 bulbs. Can anyone recommend what combination I should use? I see some say do 2 powerglo and 1 aquaglo and others say 1 power, 1 aqua and 1 life

This is for a 30 gal tank which i hope will be heavily planted.

 

[Tong]

At about $16 a bulb I would consider NOT using Hagen bulbs. Sure, I admit they are brigther bulbs (each uses 20 watts instead of the normal 17 watts) but value wise I think they are very poor.

Standard 24" T8 bulbs are hard to find but they are out there. I am in the process of setting up a 20 gallon long with 4 24" T8's and I just bought all my bulbs from bulbs.com. Thats the only place I could actually find a 24" T8 bulb with the right color temp and CRI. Just look for a bulb with a color temp of 5000K - 10000k and a CRI of 80ish and you'll be fine.

If you insist on using Hagen bulbs I would recommend 2 LifeGlo bulbs and 1 FloraGlo bulb.

 

[Zezmo]

Wattage is determined by your ballast not the bulb.

A 17 watt ballast will power a 20watt bulb at 17 watts.
A 20 watt ballast will power a 17 watt bulb at 20 watts

 

[Tong]

Wattage is determined by your ballast not the bulb.

True for magnetic ballast and false for electronic ballast. Electronic ballast are load sensing and change the output based on the load. This why you can overdrive electronic ballast and not magnetic ballast.

Trust me, my F32T8 electronic ballast is not running 32 watts through my 15 watt T8 bulbs.

24" T8 bulbs range in wattages anywhere from 15 watts to 20 watts with 17 being the most common. T8's are usually driven by an electronic ballast due to thier variable wattages.

 

[mr funktastic]

i have a custom built hood that can run up to 4 24"t-8 bulbs. i assume it is electronic since it is made to run up to 4 48" bulbs(i think maybe a little smaller) and i just simply spaced the end caps to fit 24" bulbs and they run fine. but i use all the hagen bulbs aswell. i prefer them becasue of the intensity and colour the give out. i use 2 life glo and 1 powerglo. the life glo are an almost pure white light light which makes your tank have a very crisp sense to it and not the dull yellow u normally get from other bulbs. and the power glo just sets off the colour in everything. u could use 1 aqua 1 life and 1 powerglo to make it have a more natural appearance if u dont like the bright white look.
here is the ballast i used

here is what the lights look like under my hood(i am only running 3 for algae issues) but u can clearly see the colour difference from the powerglo bulb.

and here is the colour i get

i hope that helps. i really think they are worth the extra few bucks. if u shop around online u can find them pretty cheap then just get big als to price match and they knock off 10% and u get free shipping

 

[fish_4_all]

Just my two scents but I have 48" t12 bulbs in my house and 4 of them are 40 watts each and 2 of them are 24 watts each.
Also, if you can afford to set it up, I would put at least 1 bulb on a second ballast and a second switch so you can adjust your lighting when needed.

 

[hibiki]

tong are you using all bulbs with the same color temp or are you using a variety?

 

[Tong]

For my 10 gallon I am using 2 5000K bulbs and 2 3000K (Plant and aquarium) bulbs. This has a real yellow to it that most people wouldn't like. For my 20 gallon I will be using 2 5000K and 2 6700K bulbs. Hopefully this will result in a little more whitish light. I like mix and match a little even if the bulbs aren't that different just for whatever reason. I think you could do just fine using all bulbs of the same type.

I don't disagree with mr funktastic bulb choices. I bet those bulbs would make stuff look awesome. Another reason to go Hagen is that they are the only ones who make a 24" T8 bulb with a color temp greater than 6700K.

 

[mr funktastic]

ya the life glo are 6700 i think but the power glo is 10,000 k which is why the colour is so different. if u can fine bulbs whith the colour u like that are not hagen bulbs then buy them.. and please tell us who makes them. but for the colour and wattage the hagen bulbs are your best bet. and also if u dont mind the yellow look then buy the cheap 3 dollars bulbs from HD. its wayyyy cheaper and u can spend your cash else where but if the yellow looks doesnt appeal to u then hagen is the way to go. u can see from my pic that there is no yellow at all in the lights. thatys what i like but it varies from person to person.