Icecap 660 running NO flourescents

[Carlo]

I wondering if anyone out there is running regular 40 watt flourescents on an Icecap ballast 660. I have been running the ballast for about 2 months. I'm using 2 philips daylight and 2 philips actinics for . It seems that the red slime algae started to show up recently.

I have read a few articles indicating that this should be no problem. That is the bulb life should be about a year, and the CRI and kelvins only change slightly.

I was wondering if the actinic bulbs burn out extremely fast.

I've just changed the actinics to see if the red slime returns. It may be the daylight bulbs.

thanks

 

[rayjay]

My 660 has been running for a year now, powering 3 GE Daylight Ultra 6500K lamps and one Philips Actinic 03. Ends of the tubes haven't even darkend at this time. No negative results with the tank at all, other than some corals partially shut down when these lights come on.

 

[imow]

Where do you guys get your 40W bulbs?? Especially the actinics.
Thanks

 

[Carlo]

thanks Adam,

I get my bulbs at Home Depot. Philips daylight 6500. Philips has another bulb called the colortone 75 (7500 k/95CRI). These are excellent bulbs and cost about $6 each. A few speciality shops here in Toronto sell them (Hydroponic stores).

I pick up the actinics from a LFS at $20 each. But Im actually looking into ordering a box from an electric supply store. I haven't received the cost yet but I'm sure it will be about $10.

Carlo

 

[Carlo]

Thanks Ray.

Nice web page.

It may be the Philips daylights I have been using. Apparently Philips has a 7500 k bulb called Colortone 75 product #33464-9.

thanks again
Carlo

 

[Adam1]

Carlo,

FWIW, Spectral change in the lamps probably has little to do with the cyano. Water movement and dissolved organics are probably at the root of the problem.

Brighter light does seem to inhibit cyano, but that probably has as much to do with algae outcompeting the cyano for nutrients.

Adam

 

[rayjay]

I buy my Philips Actinic's from a local hydroponic store. The last ones about a year ago were $15 but I'm sure they're going to be more this year.
I use the GE Daylight Ultra because it has the highest lumen output of any 6500K lamp, including aquarium specialty lamps and the Philips Daylight.
I buy them here at Walmart for $3.99 or if they're out of them, at Canadian Tire, for $4.19.

 

[jasonrog]

So can I use these bulbs as opposed to $40.00 vho's?

 

[rayjay]

That depends on what you need to accomplish in your tank. If you need a lot of light, the NO's will not put out as much as the VHO's.
In my case, my 90g has 8 NO's, four of which are on a 660. With a cheap light meter, measuring the light from the four regular ballasted lamps and comparing to the light from the lamps powered by the 660, the light intensity appears to be approximately 50% more so that's still a long way from the light of the VHO's.
I don't go VHO due to the cost, and the fact that what I'm presently doing works well for what I have.