[AquaticLife] Turning On The Light?
As I mentioned in my reply, comparing wattage was for savings you might obtain using CFLs. As I mentioned in my reply, output, in lumens, a real measure of light output is much greater per watt in CFLs than it is in the regular fluorescent and incandescent bulbs.
Currently, there are a large number of options available for lighting an aquarium. Each has their positive and negative aspects. Here is a general list:
1. Incandescent lights 2. Fluorescent lights 3. Fluorescent lights with a defined spectrum 4. High output (HO) and Very High Output (VHO) fluorescent lights 5. Metal Halide lights 6. Compact fluorescent lights 7. Compact Fluorescent lights with a defined spectrum 8. Light emitting diodes (LED)
Most of these categories can be broken down further, can be used in combination, etc., giving one an awful wide choice of lighting.
Frankly, most people arrive at their current lighting scheme more by happenstance than by planning. I’ve got to admit that I am in this group. What we should be doing is looking at the type of tank we are going to be keeping and choose the best lighting available that will fit our purchase budget (some lighting options can be very expensive to purchase and operate).Lighting for a fish only tank is, and should be, very different than lighting used for a planted tank with fish.
\Steve//
> —–Original Message—– > From: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of > Lenny V. aka GoldLenny > Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 2:06 AM > To: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > Subject: RE: [AquaticLife] Turning On The Light? > > \Steve//, > > I’m not sure you would need to replace 40W’s of incandescent with either > fluorescent or CFL lighting. While we use wattage as a simple comparison, > it’s really only viable when comparing apples to apples… as in > incandescent to incandescent, fluorescent to fluorescent, CFL to CFL, etc.. > A 40W fluorescent bulb puts out a LOT more light than a 40W incandescent. A > 40W CFL puts out a lot more light than a 40W fluorescent. And since you > brought up LED’s.. 40 watts of LED lighting would be like you were living on > the Sun. 
> > I know you already know this but wanted to clarify it for others. > > Wattage is actually the amount of energy being used rather than the amount > of light (lumens) being created. With incandescent bulbs, 90% of the energy > used is creating heat rather than light. I never really realized it but > recently read that a 100W incandescent bulb actually puts out up to 10 times > more light than a 40W incandescent bulb.. rather than 2.5 times… when you > look at the lumens created by both. Fluorescent’s are much more efficient > in creating light (lumens) and put out no heat from the bulb itself (just > some from the ballast). Power compacts and CFL’s are more efficient than > the long fluorescent tubes. And then the LED’s are WAY MORE efficient than > all of the above… but the prices on LED fixtures are quite high when I was > looking at them online recently. > > For now, I’ll stick with my $20.00, 4′ shop light fixture with two 40W > tubes, over my 4′ tank. After all, it’s hidden by the canopy anyhow and the > fish and plants have never complained about the aesthetics when they look > up… but if I ever win the lottery or inherit a lot of money (not likely > since I don’t have any rich relatives who have a foot in the grave yet and I > don’t buy lottery tickets.. but if I ever do…), I’ll likely go with one of > the sophisticated LED systems where the timers can be set so that the light > will slowly come on in the morning and slowly dim in the evening, until off, > more closely imitating nature. Then the “moonlight” LED’s will come on so > you can still see what’s going on in the tank… all timed and energy > efficient. Of course, low cost moonlighting LED’s are already available as > add-ons to current lighting if someone likes that effect… or wants to use > the tank as a night light. Of course, we don’t know what the environmental > impact will be from the thousands of LED lights… are there any hazardous > substances in them like mercury in the CFL’s? > > Lenny Vasbinder > Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com > (Links to any articles referenced in above reply are listed on the right > side, alphabetically under Labels and also under Archives by Year, Month) > > > > —–Original Message—– > From: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com] On > Behalf Of Steve Szabo > Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2008 12:36 AM > To: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > Subject: RE: [AquaticLife] Turning On The Light? > > Bill, > > The compact fluorescents are old news. What you really need, to save on > electrical costs, are the LED lights. > > Actually, compact fluorescents (or CFLs) can be a good way to light tanks.. > They come in many flavors, and have the ability to provide many more lumens > per watt than standard fluorescents. If you are considering a planted > aquarium, you probably should consider the CFLs. If you have basically a > fish only tank, save some money and go with a standard fluorescent bulb. AS > the conversation you heard claiming that CFLs were less expensive, that is > not really true. They are more expensive to purchase, though the gap is > closing, or has closed–it has been a bit since I last looked into it, do > your own research–they still need replacement prior to burning out, as do > standard bulbs. There is a savings in electricity, but likely you will > replace 1 40 watt bulb with 2 or 3 CFLs. At 13 watts, you save a total of 1 > watt with three and 14 watts with 2. > > Incandescent bulbs are a completely different story, different type of > light, and should not be under consideration. > > \Steve// > > > —–Original Message—– > > From: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > [mailto:AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > > ] On Behalf Of > > bill1433 > > Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 8:26 PM > > To: AquaticLife > > Subject: [AquaticLife] Turning On The Light? > > > > > > I just heard part of a conversation that I found most interesting. It > > seems the two people talking were discussing Aquarium lighting and one > > suggested to the other that there was a better way to light an aquarium.. > > > > It seems their thoughts centered around the idea of NOT using the > > standard fluorescent type fixture or cover but rather the use of > > Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs types that screw in like a light bulb in > replacement of the tube type fixture. > > > > Their claims were simply this, cheaper to run with better over-all > > illumination, cheaper to buy and better life span and also better for > > aquarium plants. Now I cannot remember seeing this discussion on list > > but I¢ve only been here a short time. Is any of this true? If so > > which part or parts? I have seen hoods for incandescent lights but > > they were all for small aquariums, 5 or 10 gallon. Or is this what they > are using and simply doubling up on the fixtures to accommodate larger > tanks? > > Bill > > > >
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