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	how to know the kelvin of lights
tankie Fish Addict Posts: 857 Kudos: 848 Votes: 230 Registered: 15-Mar-2005	hi...will someone tell me what is the kelvin of a compact flourescent light with 15 w and emitting 900 lumens??? is there a wat to know this thru computations??? i know lumen is different in definition with kelvin... Last edited by tankie at 02-May-2005 12:05
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
FRANK Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002	Hi, The "Kelvin" of a light depends upon the phosphors used within the bulb. The Kelvin rating is assigned by compairing the color of a black metal object that is heated. As the metal absorbs the heat it begins to glow. First shades of red, progressing to shades of yellow, to shades of white and then shades of blue. A bulb of say, 3 or 4,000K is a redish pink in light. A bulb in the 6,700-8,800K rating is like a bright sunlight, and bulbs 10,000K and higher (20,000K) tend to be bluish in color (actinic blue for instance). Lumins, on the other hand, are a measure of the lights brightness or strength. For the specific Kelvin rating of a particular bulb you would need to read the manufacturers' specifications. If this is a standard bulb you could find it in a hardware store catalog such as Grainger or Home Depot. If it is a bulb sold by an LFS such as CoralLife, etc., Look it up on the internet either through the manufacturers website, or try a site such as Drsfostersmith.com or Big Al's.. Usually they give the complete information on their bulbs. Plants prefer bulbs with outputs in the red and blue spectrum. Too low in K rating and the tank will appear dull, too high in K rating and the tank will tend to be faded in color. The best color rendering (reds are red, and greens are green {not washed out}) for a freshwater tank are bulbs that fall into the DAYLIGHT or SUNLIGHT ratings and they are about 6700-8800K ratings. BTW, any bulb that says Warm or Cool should not be used in an aquarium. Those are designed to reading and lack the "glare" of natural sunlight. Frank Last edited by FRANK at 02-May-2005 13:21 Last edited by FRANK at 02-May-2005 13:22 Last edited by FRANK at 02-May-2005 13:22 -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
sham Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3369 Kudos: 2782 Votes: 98 Registered: 21-Apr-2004	Alot of bulbs have the kelvin rating on the end of the bulb. Try taking it out and looking for some numbers.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45
tankie Fish Addict Posts: 857 Kudos: 848 Votes: 230 Registered: 15-Mar-2005	thank you
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:45


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