[bluecheese]

I currently have 6700 and 10000 bulbs in my t5 ho. The bulbs make the tank look kind of yellow. I have another t5 fixture that i can use, but i dont want to increase the intensity of the light. If i were to put an actinic bulb in the extra fixture to mellow the color, how would that affect the intensity?

 

[SeaSlug182]

oooh...good question, im interested in an answer to this as well

 

[OverStocked]

10000k is already pretty blue....

Some will say actinic bulbs do not effect anything.... they are wrong. This light is still in the usable spectrum for plants and algae. It isn't "complete" but that doesn't matter.

 

[bluecheese]

10000k is already pretty blue....

Some will say actinic bulbs do not effect anything.... they are wrong. This light is still in the usable spectrum for plants and algae. It isn't "complete" but that doesn't matter.

So what is your opinion on using the actinic? Will it add a ton of intensity?

 

[2in10]

It will add about 40% of what a 6500K bulb will.

 

[OverStocked]

It will add about 40% of what a 6500K bulb will.

This seems like an arbitrary guess, at best.

What we "see" and what plants get are two different things. Blue light be nature "seems" dimmer than yellow light.

 

[2in10]

This seems like an arbitrary guess, at best.

What we "see" and what plants get are two different things. Blue light be nature "seems" dimmer than yellow light.

137 PAR for an ATI Actinic and 340 PAR for a GE 6500K. 40.29%

 

[2in10]

Swap out a 6700K for an ATI Aquablue Special. It is supposed to be a 12000K bulb and looks blue next to my GE 6500K.

 

[2in10]

A link for you

http://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/348223/lots-of-t5ho-info-par-and-lamp-pics

 

[OverStocked]

Swap out a 6700K for an ATI Aquablue Special. It is supposed to be a 12000K bulb and looks blue next to my GE 6500K.

Thanks for the link, good reading. I stand corrected on my last statement

This is what I would do. Remove the 6700k bulb and see if you like just the 10000k bulb.

Then find a new combination from there. Another 1000k bulb, one of the 9235(or whatever bs number they use) bulb, an 8000k, etc. Most 6700k bulbs are prob closer to 4500k in real visual spectrum, but since it is so subjective putting one bulb side by side with another of the same rating will often yield different color.

 

[2in10]

Thanks for the link, good reading. I stand corrected on my last statement

This is what I would do. Remove the 6700k bulb and see if you like just the 10000k bulb.

Then find a new combination from there. Another 1000k bulb, one of the 9235(or whatever bs number they use) bulb, an 8000k, etc. Most 6700k bulbs are prob closer to 4500k in real visual spectrum, but since it is so subjective putting one bulb side by side with another of the same rating will often yield different color.

Agree on this recommendation. UVL Aqua Sun has a light pink color and the UVL Actinic White has a strong pink color to it.

 

[bluecheese]

Thanks for the answers everyone. This may something I need to experiment with.

 

[zachary908]

Agree on this recommendation. UVL Aqua Sun has a light pink color and the UVL Actinic White has a strong pink color to it.

I personally love UVL Actinic white bulbs, IMO they bring out the red in plants quite well.

 

[2in10]

I personally love UVL Actinic white bulbs, IMO they bring out the red in plants quite well.

That they do

 

[redfishsc]

You need to be SURE on what you are defining as an "actinic" bulb.


Most of the answers here that say they give about 40% of the intensity of a 6500K bulb are absolutely right regarding the actual violet-colored 420nm "Super Actinic" or "Pure actinic" type bulbs. Obviously the actual intensity varies, but for the most part, these 420nm actinic types put out very low PAR/intensity.

The problem is, they don't really contribute much to cooling down the color temp of a tank. The violet is very odd looking over a freshwater tank. I highly, highly recommend you get a used (ie, free) super-actinic type bulb from a reef-keeper buddy and try it out before you spend $20 on a new one.


However, there is another color called "actinic" that is actually bright blue 460nm in output, and these are another story altogether. They put out a TREMENDOUS amount of PAR/intensity, and will definitely contribute to some algal growth very similar to how a 6500K bulb would. They just lack totally in any red/amber/orange spectrum, but are 100% blue whoop-ass when it comes to PAR.

Unfortunately they are also the most effective at muting down the harsh yellow of a 6500K bulb.

Try a 1:1 combo of an ATI Blue-Plus (460nm) and one 6500K daylight bulb, or even 1:1 blue and "cool white" (4200K). Both combos will give very good PAR and good color, but may be a touch too blue for you.

Normally I prefer 1 460nm blue tube, 1 6500K tube, and 1 4200K tube in a 3-tube system. I ran a 55g on T8 bulbs for years with this combo and it was absolutely gorgeous.

I personally love UVL Actinic white bulbs, IMO they bring out the red in plants quite well.

+1,000. Definitely agreed.

Their "Aquasun" will do the same thing and it's a 10,000K bulb and higher in PAR. It's the oddest looking 10,000K bulb I've ever seen. It's peppermint red to my eyes.