[LS6 Tommy]

I see people doing DIY MH fixtures and I came to a relatively obvious question- why not just use a 150-300w Quartz-Halogen fixture? They're cheap as all get-out, provide pretty much the same amount of lumens and heat and cost a lot less. I know the reef guys use MH for the color temp needed to simulate direct sunlight in a reef, but is the color temp of QH not suited for a planted tank?

Tommy

 

[epicfish]

From: http://www.researchinc.com/infraredbasics.asp

Quartz halogen lamps were originally designed for lighting applications. In fact, there are many applications today for quartz lamps in area, accent and entertainment lighting. Of the energy emitted when a lamp is at 2227 °C, less than 6% of the energy is in the visible spectrum, which is the energy used in lighting applications. Over 94% of the energy is in the IR range of the spectrum, which has a useful propose in industrial heating.

Guess not.

 

[jebarj90]

Take a look on rate my fish tank. The number 1 planted fish tank. See what he is using on his #1 rated...

 

[slickwillislim]

You can grow plants with an incandescent bulb too.... It just isn't very efficient...

Halogen bulbs get hot. If heat is not an issue and you don't mind wasting electricity then the intitial cost might be worth it to you. In the long run the extra wattage might make this just as expensive as MH.

The tank you mentioned is gorgeous but that doesn't mean its the best idea for lighting.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Take a look on rate my fish tank. The number 1 planted fish tank. See what he is using on his #1 rated...

Where's that at?

Tommy

 

[evercl92]

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/enlarge.php/7923

 

[jebarj90]

exactly where it is. I am not very impressed with it though. I think many of the pros on here have much better looking tanks.

 

[Momotaro]

How about T-5s, Tommy? Only thing I'll be using from now on.

Mike

 

[Wasserpest]

You can look at this from another angle -- incandescents (like the halogen bulbs) are about 4x less efficient as fluorescents and HQI bulbs. If you want to light your 100gal tank with 200 Watts for example, you can get 200W of fluorescents or HQI, OR 800W of Halogen power to get to approximately the same light level. Obviously, you would need an industrial cooling solution for that. :icon_surp

 

[attack11]

They're cheap as all get-out, provide pretty much the same amount of lumens and heat and cost a lot less. I know the reef guys use MH for the color temp needed to simulate direct sunlight in a reef, but is the color temp of QH not suited for a planted tank?

it's not the color temp, it's the par (usually you mix 10000K with actinic bulbs to get maximum par, some reefers go with 20000K bulbs but require high wattage to get useful amounts of par). lumens only matter to our eyes.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

How about T-5s, Tommy? Only thing I'll be using from now on.

Mike

HIya, Mike! I'm not financially nor mentally in a position to switch from my AH PC's. If I was gonna make a change in the lighting, it would be to go to MH.

Tommy