inexpensive flourescent lighting

[thisanthrope]

I have followed the advice somewhat of what I had read on the krib about buying T8 flourescents from a hardware store rather than overpriced tubes at the LFS. I went to home depot and bought 3 tubes of Plant/aquarium 48" lights. they were actually T12 because the T8 didnt fit my hood. They said plant/aquarium and were 6 bucks compared to $25 so what the heck.... They give off the most awful yellow light!

Is it that I bought the T12 instead of T8 or is it what I get for being cheap?
Does anyone know how to get around buying the overpriced LFS lights without settling for yellow?

 

[Guest]

Pay attention to the color temp of the bulb. I would guess that the T8 bulbs don't fit in your end caps. If you look around you can find some 6500k or 6700k bulbs that will give off a nice white light.

 

[justDIY]

I agree - color temp is key - what looks good out of the water sometimes looks very different under the water!

my home depot recently started carrying the 6500k T12s - two for $5.50 - look for the two-pack ... I believe they're called Ultra Daylight - the bulbs are also sold individually for $6 each in bright blue and white packaging.

although a T12 on a normal ballast is very dim, if you run that same bulb on a "Fulham Workhorse" or an ICECap ballast, it is very bright... just plan on replacing your bulbs every 6 months, but at around $3 each that is a great bargin.