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 | Quartz Halogen lamps on an open top tank? |
Curare  Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004   | Ladies and gentlemen, I'm curious as to whether anyone has used quartz halogen lamps to provide lighting for an open topped tank. How has it been? How do the plants find it? How do you find it? |
 Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:38 |       |
FRANK       Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002   | Hi, Those style lights as well as the me are generally found over saltwater tanks that contain corals and other inverts. In a pendant style, they generally provide about a 2 foot, "footprint" (circle of intense light). They work great with an open tank and with submerged and emergent plants. They run very, very, hot. Take care to dissapate the heat, and don't touch! To take care to keep splashing from the bulb, and DO NOT handle the bulb with your bare hands. The oil from your skin will adhere to the quartz and intensify the heat at those points. That accumulated heat will soften the glass and it will deform at that point. Frank  -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<-- |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:38 | |
| Curare Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004 | basically the plan was to provide a light source from a stand, which houses the globes, sort of a floating system, off a wall. I'm aware of how hot these babies get as we have them all through our office, but I am curious as to wether they provide enough of the right light to get good plant growth? |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:38 | |
| FRANK Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002 | Hi, Yes, I believe so - as long as the tank is in the actual footprint of the light, and you are not just lighting the room with them and the tank is getting "incidental" light. Frank -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<-- |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:38 | |
| Curare Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004 | that's the plan Frank. I'm thinking some sort of assembly that places the lights directly over the tank to reduce the ammount of refraction. And seeing as the tank isn't that big, MH lamps would be overkill for sure. |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:38 | |
techjak Fish Master Posts: 1515 Kudos: 2354 Votes: 4 Registered: 09-May-2003 | Keep in mind that quartz halogens, although look quite white are still an incandescant range bulb and will not provide a "daylight" style light. Some plants (swords if I remember correctly) respoond well to some halogen light, but most other plants need light in the 5500-7000 K range to do well. For a pendant style light, I would look for MH instead. |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:38 | |
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