One more lighting question

[nightbreed]

I think I understand what the numbers mean now.

Correct me if I am wrong.

1.You want the highest C.R.T. rating you can get.

2.You want the highest Lumens you can get.

3. you want a Kelvin rating of at least 5000-5500k

4. have one or two of the bulbs that have a Kelvin rating of 6500K-7100k to even out the yellow/orange effect. Get them in the highest C.R.I. and Lumens rating. The way I understand it is that it is personal choice to add a Day or Cool light to even out the light to the human eye. (Thats all)

What is the best Kelvin rating for vfts and sundews? 5000-5500K or 6000-6500k? What name brand 4' T-8s have the highest C.R.I. and Lumens ratings? What is the best and best priced. Is it GE, Sylvania, or Phillips.

 

[nightbreed]

What is the deal no one will ever help me?

 

[Tony Paroubek]

O I didn't read the post since you had one going in the VFT section...

CRI (not T) is not an issue. Although one that is higher will give you a white more natural looking light which should be well balanced. Plants use primarily red and blue light though and a bulb that is deficient in yellow/green will not cause much trouble for a plant, but such a bulb would have a lousy CRI.

If you stick with high lumens and a Kelvin of 4500-6500 you will be in fine shape and you won't see much in the way of strange color on your plants like old sodium bulbs produced.

Which brand is best/cheapest etc I don't know. Most people just buy coolwhite and daylight tubes at the hardware store. These work fine. Personally I use Ultralume 75 from Phillips. These have excellent qualities for plants and very high lumen output for a standard tube. So you can use less tubes and fixtures which saves on electricity and fixture cost but the bulbs are more expensive. Most of my plants however are not grown under lights so it is only a minor issue for me.

First I would check around your local hardware and home improvement stores to see what they stock. Avoid soft white bulbs.. Lots of people use a warm white in their mix but it really isn't necessary unless your trying to force flowers. The tubes should be marked on the ends. Normally they dont give the kelvin ratings but coolwhite is ok, daylight is better. You probably wont find lumen output either.

If you can't find a decent bulb at a decent price then you may have to go to a lighting store for a more specific bulb
Tony

 

[nightbreed]

Thanks Tony for the reply. One more question and I'll quit. My fluorescent hoods do not have a reflector edge to lay on the glass. Can I set the flourescent bulbs directly onto the glass or will it create a hot spot on them and burn them out? If I can't do this, I will have to make something to keep them off the glass. Again thanks.

 

[mcrwt644]

nightbreed...I just added another fixture to my one tank (48"). I had the same problem, it didn't have a hood long enough to keep it off the glass. I took several pieces of like one inch wood and placed them under it. It seems to work just fine.

 

[Odysseus]

Hah! I did exactly the same thing! And yes, it has worked supurbly! Good luck with your plants!