URI VHO bulb info

[bjmumy]

I am going to be replacing my VHOs very soon and am looking at replacement options. Right now I have 2 actinic and 2 50/50 URI bulbs. I like the color but would like to decide on replacements based on their usefulness to the corals (I may even add another ballast and a couple more bulbs). I called URI for any information about PAR values of the bulbs, but they couldn't tell me. They just faxed me a spec sheet which had no info on lumens or PAR. I don't know if they even have this information available - let alone to the public.

So my question for you all is: How do the 3 URI bulbs (super actinic, actinic white, and aquasun) compare in terms of PAR? Has anybody stuck a PAR meter under some bulbs to test or know of some data out on the internet somewhere?

[bjmumy]

Does anybody have any info on URI bulbs? I'd also like to see any numbers which compare them to MH (in terms of PAR, lumens, whatever).

[DougL]

bjmumy;

I believe Dana Riddle did some testing.
To summarize, He found that 4 4' URI driven by an Icecap put out about 1000 uE. There were several versions on the web. I have a link to one of them.
http://www.athiel.com/lib4/par1.htm

Hope this helps;

http://smilecwm.tripod.com/net5/nut.gif

DougL



------------------
Email: dougl@speakeasy.org
Alt email: douglxyzzy@netscape.net

Homepage sites.netscape.net/douglxyzzy/homepage (http://sites.netscape.net/douglxyzzy/homepage)

[bjmumy]

Doug,

That's very helpful. That's the type of thing I'm looking for. If anybody else has any more links like that, keep 'em coming.

Thanks,
Brian

[ScottT]

Brian (or anyone else),

Did you ever determine which bulb (50/50, actinic, aquasun) produced the most useful light for the corals/anemones?

I'm currently running 2 36" VHO's (1- aquasun, 1-super actinic) and am getting ready to add 2 more bulbs... can't decide what to go with..

I like the look right now, but want the additional bulbs to be as much (or more) for usefulness than for my viewing pleasure...

I'm thinking of:
* 2 50/50s,
* 1 aquasun, 1 actinic
or
* 1 aquasun, 1 50/50

Any help?

Scott

[Dr. B]

I recently went through this stuff myself. I was running 2 aquasuns and 1 actinic blue. I'm currently running 1 aquasun, 1 50/50, and one actinic blue - all URI of course.

Here's the deal. The most PAR will be coming from aquasun, followed by 50/50 and then actinic blue. This info was relayed to me via people on message boards. Do a search here or at reefs.org on VHO and you can probably track down the threads for more specifics.

I would go with 2 aquasuns, 1 actinic blue and 1 50/50. I find the tank looks less flourescent, and more natural this way. Also, the bluer the bulb, the less energy efficient it is. I like my current spectrum of one of each, but if I could add another, I'd add an aquasun. In fact, I wish I could add another aquasun, as I dislike the blue flourescent look. I mainly have the blue to bring out the green colors on corals, and colors of the fish. Some don't like the orange/yellow tint of the aquasuns, but if you don't have halides it's the closest spectrum color to daylight IMO.

Hope that helps!

[Zander]

just came across this... looks like some data related to the link DougL posted.

http://www.coralreefecosystems.com/ltg_technical_data.htm#Lightdistribution pattern

[Oppsea]

Over the past 12+ yrs with my 240g reef, I have tried various combinations with the 4x 160w VHO, all from URI (in addition to the 4x 175w MH). The PAR value is meaningless for actinic light, certainly for the pure Actinic 03 and significantly so for the 50/50. This can rapidly become “how many watts per gallon?� Also, 1000mE at mostly 420nm version 1000mE of 10,000K blackbody spectra is a huge difference for the animals and for viewing, but the same radiant energy. (ps. The aquasun seems to promote more algae (prominence in the red spectrum portion), but that is anecdotal).
The links are very useful, I’ll see if I cant find some of mine on the subject back at work.

We are on the right track when:
We like the look.
The inhabitants like the look.

[ScottT]

So, I have a vote for adding a 50/50 and an Aquasun... that would give me the following:

2 - Aquasuns
1 - 50/50
1 - actinic

Sounds like I'll still get some extra blue by adding the 50/50(which I like - because of what it does to the corals and fishes colors) AND I'll be adding more useful PARs with the add'l aquasun...

Sound good?

Scott