# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Urgent Light Bulb Question



## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Got a question for y'all. I have an included light bulb that is 1-10,000K and 1-460nm actinic. I know this kindda bulb is mainly used for marine tanks, but is it also feasible on planted tanks? If not then I will have to shell out another $25 just to get a 6500K bulb. Let me know what you all think ASAP; thanks!

Paul


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Got a question for y'all. I have an included light bulb that is 1-10,000K and 1-460nm actinic. I know this kindda bulb is mainly used for marine tanks, but is it also feasible on planted tanks? If not then I will have to shell out another $25 just to get a 6500K bulb. Let me know what you all think ASAP; thanks!

Paul


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Go ahead and shell out the money for a new lamp. Plants actually need the red light.


Roger Miller


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Consider it done, Roger! I have actually just bought a bulb on-line. Since my fixture is Satellite 65W, it uses a square pin bulb which seemed harder to find than the 55W straight pin. Now I just have to figure out a way to get rid of the one that came with the fixture. Anyone keeping marine tanks out there? 

2nd question is, would 10,000K work for growing plants? I have another fixture that uses two bulbs, one of which is 10,000K and the other is actinic. I know I will have to get at least one bulb for this fixture to replace the actinic, but what about the 10,000K? Save it or get another bulb with lower K(ie 5000-6700K)

Paul


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## nino (Oct 2, 2004)

I used it before without any problem. But after its useful life is over, I switched it to 8800K.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I think you can probably use the 10,000K bulb. Not all 10,000K bulbs are created equally. Some will work OK and your plants will even look reasonable under them. Others will make your whole tank look blue-grey. The plants will probably grow under the light but they are likely to grow better under a more balanced light.


Roger Miller


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Thanks, Roger, as always







That was just the advice I needed because I really need to order the bulbs soon; like now. I already ordered the 65W 6500K bulb for the 24" fixture. The other fixture I was talking about has two bulbs, one of which is a 10,000K bulb. That's why I asked the question. If this bulb is ok then I will need to order just one bulb; maybe a 5500K or a 6500K from AHS to replace the Actinic bulb. This will save me at least some money.

Paul


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## imported_chrismisc (Jul 25, 2004)

Hey there, I know you probably hooked up your quad pin bulb 2 weeks ago, but I wanted to assure you that the 10K works, too. I was stuck trading in the actinic that came with MY hood for a 6700K, and keeping the 10K-- with the intention of replacing it with 6700K, but the interesting thing is the light penetration capability. I read once that in the ocean below 3' of water, everything looks blue since that end of the spectrum is all that will penetrate to that depth. So, something to keep in mind if you've got an especially deep tank & you're stuck with a high-K bulb!


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Wow, look how long I've been away from the forum! My own computer crashed days ago, and so I had to use another computer. Took me a while to find the link back to Aquabotanic><

Thanks for the new advice







I still have all the bulbs that came with the hoods I either won or bought real cheap on eBAY. So I guess I can try the 10,000 when my 6,700 gets fried. So far so good, though. The JEBO 2X55W I got I took apart weeks ago, and now its inside sits comfortably in the DIY hood I made, along with AHS reflectors, of course







I will post pictures soon. With the new reflectors and wider spacing, the difference was just incredible! I am glad I made the change.

Paul


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## imported_timlawyer (Jul 14, 2003)

Where did you get the new reflectors for your diy project? It would be great if you posted info on how you took apart your Jebo and installed into your new hood. Thanks.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Definitely! For reflectors I got them from AH Supply. My idea was to transfer parts from JEBO to a DIY hood I made. The JEBO unit was not adequate in both spreading the light and ventilating the heat. It also only has 1 reflector which forced the two bulbs to cramp together in a very tight space. I should mention at this point that, prior to getting the reflectors I have already switched out the light bulbs(also from AHS). The two that came with the JEBO unit were less suitable for the plants; actinic and 10,000K. The two I ordered from AHS were 5,500K and 6,700K and much longer; another reason I had to build a new hood.

The entire process of taking the unit apart was really easy. Unscrew all corners and the rest just slid apart. This was a JEBO 2X55W at 24" that I got from eBAY for a bargain. The ballast removal was the only tricky part, and that most likely was because I am not experienced in the wiring department. This unit came with a switch, and since I didn't plan on keeping the original JEBO 'shell', I didn't have to hold back when taking it apart. The intact switch was pried out of its place with a flat-head screwdriver(see how poor my carpentry vocab is?!) Once out of its place, you can use pliers to twist and turn the metal casing so as to enlarge the hole the switch was in originally. Once done, the switch can easily be pull out. Now that the ballast is freed it is time to put everything into the new hood. For building the hood I will not go into detail as it is the kind built by AHS. You can just go to their website and check out the pictures. By all means if you got the time and patience, build a hood that you really want. I was hard-pressed by time because my 29-gal already had fish and plants so I needed to get this done. Like the pictures showed, the ballast, along with its wires, was screwed onto the middle top piece of wood of the hood. Once secure, I then used the wire-holders to keep all the wires neat and in place so they don't get tangled up or fall into the water. As for the switch and the power cord, you can either drill a hole or a groove in the back. Once everything is nailed and drilled and glued, the rest is a nice history of everlasting brightness







Well, not really, but it was so much brighter than before. The bulbs are now farther apart and each has its own reflector which kindda spooked me out at night when I put the hood on the floor. You will see why when you get it All I can say is my own experience simply confirmed what all my predecessors have praised and told about the AHS reflector qualities. Also, now more than ever the tank received lights in much more balance, whereas before with the JEBO it depended on where you placed the unit to see the area that is being lighted. My only advice would be to use a thicker wood for the top since long nails will go through for sure. Have fun and wear gloves!

Paul


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## imported_timlawyer (Jul 14, 2003)

Thanks a lot for the detailed description. I've been planning on building my diy hood for awhile, but my "workshop" is in the garage - and I risk heat stroke everytime I spend more than 5 minutes in there. I figure around Thanksgiving weekend it will cool off to a respectable 80 or so...which is winter in Galveston.


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