RE: hydroponic light
hey scott, I was wondering if you could tell me the length of this light? I’m going to be using it on my 6ft aquarium do you think this light would work? and are they metal halide lights?
I assume you mean the 130W high output fluro that we are advertising on our website in our catalogue.
The lamps are great for aquariums too as they come in a 14,000K ultra blue for aquariums and a 6000K blue for plant growth in tropical aquariums. These are both the typical colours of Metal Halides. The Flowering spectrum is available but more for veggies and other flowering/fruiting plants.
The lamps are 30cm long, the reflectors we use are 60cm x 43cm and have an effective range of around 80x60cm and would penetrate well about 30-50cm depending on the intensity required. The reflector, lamp and adaptor is $170 I would suggest that 2 should cover a 6 foot aquarium, but corals might be best at a range of 20-40cm. If you tank is very deep then either raise the coral or go for a 400W Metal Halide. (About the same price but they are hot and will heat the surface of the water.)
These 130Watters would be equivalent to a 150W to 250W metal halide, and because they don’t run at high temperatures, they don’t need large exhaust fans to keep the lights from heating up the water. This heat can lead to having to raise the lights. The 130W runs only nicely warm to the touch , not incendiary hot like a Halide, and is a better idea for most situations. The 130W is fine to touch, but don’t leave your hand on it for long though as it is fairly warm.
In all cases where lighting is used, effective glass shielding must be in place whenever the light is running or the bulb will break if fish splash water on the lamp. Turn off lights while doing maintenance/feeding.
Another idea is to use an existing hood (such as a wooden hood) and add your 130W fluro/s and maybe some UV like Actinic blue 40-60W or similar for a nice effect in the evenings when the main light might be turned off. A simple lampholder with a lamp and adaptor is $130 but maybe some reflective material such as white steel or aluminium can be used to protect the wood from some prolonged warmth from the lamp and to reflect the light into the tank.
There are some 100Watt versions available but are not approved for use in Australia. I can get these lamps but the general school of thought is to avoid them altogether.
Scott
Scott Andrew
www.hydrocentre.com.au
Nerang Hydroponic Centre 4/50 Spencer Road Nerang QLD 4211 Australia Phone (07) 5527 4155
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