Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:3242 sci.physics:3753 rec.pets:3020 misc.wanted:2550 misc.consumers:5589
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!cornell!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!sei!sei.cmu.edu!rsd
From: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,sci.physics,rec.pets,misc.wanted,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Need information about metal halide lights
Keywords: Metal halide lights
Message-ID: <6125@aw.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 6 Jul 88 21:24:44 GMT
References: <523@rbdc.UUCP> <2589@kitty.UUCP> <529@rbdc.UUCP>
Sender: netnews@sei.cmu.edu
Reply-To: rsd@ae.sei.cmu.edu.UUCP (Rich D'Ippolito)
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, SEI, Pgh, Pa
Lines: 20

In article <529@rbdc.UUCP> andy@rbdc.UUCP (Andy Pitts) writes:

>Believe it or not, I really am using this for a marine aquarium (David Dalton
>will verify that).  I have a 55 gal tank and am building a trickle filter. I 
>have had a marine system running for about 5 years and am doing 
>improvements.  

What intensity (in footcandles) do you need? It might be much cheaper and
produce less heat near the aquarium to use several fluorescents ( "daylight"
and/or "grow lamps" ). You will also have a problem with the concentration
of light -- the fluorescents will have a larger radiation surface so that
their intensity will be less for a given total flux. The other lamps may
produce damaging amounts of UV at close range, which might deteriorate
rubber and plastic ( and 'burn' the fish!).

In other words, are you paying as much attention to the quality of the light
source?


Rich