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Old 09-25-2009, 03:48 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Flora Sun bulb useful life


I currently use the Zoo Med Flora Sun bulbs on my planted tanks that don't require a lot of light and just have the normal fluorescent fixtures. I've been happy with the results so far but want to know how long the bulbs are good for. I've had mine for a year now and Zoo Med claims that they are good for 10,000 hours which would mean about 2 3/4 years when turned on 10 hours a day. Does anyone out there have any personal experience with these and can tell me when they should be replaced?

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Old 09-29-2009, 10:40 PM   #2 (permalink)
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I read on different forums for regular flourescent lights only last 1 year. You can still use it to light your tank but I don't think the plants will nourish after that 1 year period. I would post where I got that from but I forgot where it's located and I didn't cite the sources so It may be wrong.
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Old 09-29-2009, 10:48 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Mine seems to lose a lot of their intensity after about 8 months. After that, algae seems to set in.
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Old 09-30-2009, 02:49 AM   #4 (permalink)
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I plan on getting new ones. I contacted Zoo Med and they recommended replacing them after a year as well.
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