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Looking for better lights.

Hey everyone i have been using GE plant and aquarium fluorescent lights for about a year now. Before GE i was using Grow lux and Vita-Light and still not happy with any of them. Im looking for strong light's that give off good color does anyone know of any lights that gave off great color to the plants.

Geesh i hate to use this new faces but what ya gonna do?
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J/K LOL

ElectricCarnivores!
 
Have you tried Verilux? I've been using them for the last 8 years.

Merlin
 
I just use "cool white" GE bulbs and "Daylight" GE bulbs. They're just as good for like 1/5 the price.

Capslock
 
I swear by the Regent. It's a compact flourescent dang near identical to MH but much cheaper wattage and product. It's very durable unlike the Flourex, which I hear breaks easily.

Joe
 
I assume you're looking for T12 fluorescent lamps. If you are in the market for new fixtures, Home Depot has a very inexpensive T8 fixture with electronic ballast (no flicker and more efficient). There are also some good Philips T8 4100K bulbs sold by HD for $2/bulb.
 
just go MH, its easier and way bright!!! you can get them on ebay or you can make your own if you're feeling brave. Home depot sells the work horse M59 ballast. I think the M59 ballast is for a 400 watt fixture (someone correct me if I'm wrong). they also sell the M57 which is for a 250 watt MH lamp. Just buy the ballast and wire it up to the according mogul socket and get a bulb and you can buy or make a reflector out of some polished allumium... Yea you can probly slap one together four about 100 bux. Don't worry about the wiring the ballast has a printed wiring schematic on it
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I like the way i can set the fluorescents on the terrarium top without worrying that they're going to explode or burn up something. That's the only reason i don't have MH.

If you have a large growing area with a high ceiling, MH can be useful, though. I think anything less than 400W is better handled by fluoros- they're more versatile, and probably more efficient for small wattages.
 
the only thing I don't like with flouresecence is their intensity, 150 watts of flour. compared to 150 watts of MH is night and day. MH puts out my lumens then flour. Thats why I choose MH. Plus the only reason you would have MH bulbs exploding on you is if the get splashed with water. So if you're not properly sheilding the bulb thats your own problem.... Manufacturing defects are a whole other post. Also with MH heat isn't really an issue if you provide proper cooling....
 
I use both, and for general purposes I prefer the flourescents since heat build up is a concern with many of the species I cultivate. I use a balanced specturum bulb (Gro Lux) mated with a cool white. I change the bulbs every 6 months if possible.
 
  • #10
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Flip_Side_the_Pint @ May 28 2004,8:52)]the only thing I don't like with flouresecence is their intensity, 150 watts of flour. compared to 150 watts of MH is night and day. MH puts out my lumens then flour.
Actually, i was pointing out that the opposite is true for small wattage MH.  By the time you consider the not insignificant ballast losses on the (almost always) magnetic ballasts used in MH and the temperature necessary for the bulb to function properly, lower wattages just can't compete in efficiency with modern fluorescents.

It's true that you can't fit as much light intensity over limited spaces with conventional fluorescents, but unless you're growing corals, i don't think that the light density is going to be a big factor in lighting decisions.
 
  • #11
[b said:
Quote[/b] (D muscipula @ May 28 2004,1:51)]I assume you're looking for T12 fluorescent lamps.  If you are in the market for new fixtures, Home Depot has a very inexpensive T8 fixture with electronic ballast (no flicker and more efficient).  There are also some good Philips T8 4100K bulbs sold by HD for $2/bulb.
Yeah and it saves 30% of the energy or somethin' like that, so your long run average costs will go down...hehe economics...
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Just plan how long you going to be into cps though...
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