Hello Lights--are the PC s really actinic??

[EmilyB]

Yes. Be sure to get the 03.

 

[Mouse]

I have heard that the PC Actinics dont give qite the same ammount of Bioluminecent glow as NO or VHO flourecent Actinics do. So if you want your corals to glow like a 90's warehouse rave you may want to check this rumour out.

 

[amber]

I'm running 2 actinic PC lights ( 96 watts) which I bought from Hello Lights.( and 4 10K) My friend tells me that some so-called actinic lights don't produce the 420 nm(?) light spectrum.

If you have "hello lights"--are they working for you? TIA amber

 

[MattM]

Both the regular "Actinic Blue" PC's (Panasonic, CSL, Coralife, etc.) and the so-called "Actinic 03" from HelloLights emit light in the 420nm range.

But...

<ul type="square">[*]There is nothing magical about 420nm. It is the wavelength that penetrates seawater to the greatest depth, but it has little or nothing to do with photosynthesis or coral health.[*]There is nothing magical about the "03" designation on a bulb. It is a color code number used by Philips in their lighting catalog. Any manufacturer can label any bulb "03" at will - it means nothing.[*]The HelloLights bulb is more purple because there is less output at the longer wavelengths. Thus it is significantly dimmer.[*]If you want the highest level of 420nm output, get the regular "actinic blue" from CSL, Coralife or Panasonic. Be aware, it looks less purple beacuse it also has higher output in the blue-green range.[*]If you want the deepest purple color and the most coral fluoresence, get the HelloLights bulb. Be aware that it's lower overall output makes it less able to balance the yellow-white color of MH bulbs.[*]The Coralife Actinic Blue PC is labelled as "Actinic 03" despite being identical to the CSL "Ultra-Actinic".
[/list]

[ March 15, 2002: Message edited by: MattM ]</p>

 

[Anonymous]

It's entirely a matter of personal preference. It's not as if the Actinic 03 is right and 7100K Blue is wrong. "Actinic" is simply a description anyways. Olive green and forest green are two different colors--which is better?