New BML, not impressed so far

[cjldad]

Got my new fixture in and put it in place of my 2x54w fixture. The BML is nowhere near as bright as the t5ho setup. I was under the impression I'd need to dim the led unit a little. Now, I guess brightness does not equal usable light for the plants but I was expecting more. The light however not as bright does have great colors.

On a side note, when the fixture is dimmed and the power removed it flashes bright then off. Not quite the sexy look I was going for with the dimming feature..

 

[Rivercats]

What K fixture did you order? The lower the K rating the dimmer to the human eye the light appears but has no bearing on the plants. I got my fixtures when there were only 2 freshwater ones to choose from. Mine are a 8300K and that light is very bright even in my 220g 30" deep tank.

Now there is a bright flash when you unplug the power cord but it doesn't affect anything IMO.

 

[cjldad]

I went with the 10k color setup. I wanted to match my 10k t5 setup.

Yeah, the flash doesn't cause any issues with the fixture or ballast, but takes away from the cool factor.. Thoughts on just leaving it dimmed and still on overnight? I think the max dimming is down to 10%..

 

[Rivercats]

Even at 10% that is too much light to leave on all night.

If you got the 10K then that should be bright, even brighter than my 8300K. Plus the BML fixture probably has more of the red spectrum in it than your other bulbs. Any time you change types of lighting it takes an adjustment period because they never look the same. I use metal halides, T5HO's, and BML fixtures and each type of light gives off a different intensity even with the same K rating.

 

[cjldad]

Yeah, I thought even fully dimmed it would probably be too much to leave on all the time.

Just worry that I have taken a step in the wrong direction as far as my plants light requirement. The BML fixture was a good bit of coin to waste if my plants start getting unhappy.

Again, it does look nicer however.
Not washed out as with the t5..

 

[Rivercats]

In normal 10k lighting it's heavy in blue which is why it washes out some colors, especially reds/pinks. The BML fixture has more red which makes colors, even the reds/pinks look much better. IMO this is also much better for the plants.

I have all planted tanks and a ton of non green ones and the ones in the BML fixture tanks do as well as the ones in other lighting. As long as your using good ferts and either liquid carbon or CO2 your plants will thrive. I don't know what the Par level of your old fixture was but if your Par level is higher in the BML fixture you will have to watch your photoperiod as you might have to change it. There's a lot more to consider than just how bright it looks to you.

 

[cjldad]

The temperature of the fixture and ballast seem high to me..
In a 75 degree room, the fixture is 124 and the ballast 115.. Does this seem to fall in line with yours?

 

[Rivercats]

Yes, mine run hot. I asked someone, "maybe" Brian_Nano12g who said that was normal or okay. It was a while ago so I don't remember the details but my oldest fixture is just fine. You can always call the company as they are always helpful and can give you an exact reason why.