Actinic 03 420nm vs. 460nm

[UndergroundReef]

Anyone have some insight to share on which spectrum is better than the other with power compacts. 420nm or 460nm or does it make a difference at all.

I've used the coralife actinic and the hello lights actinics. both manufacturers claim there bulbs peak at 420 nm but they are clearly different colors with the coralife being more blue and the hellolights being more violet or pink.

 

[wooddood]

in my personal experience the custom sealife actinics out perform them all.

 

[Curtswearing]

WELCOME TO REEF SANCTUARY!!!

PS.....here's a Great Thread

 

[zy112]

i personally like the look of csl the best too, but i do not think they are actinic at all... just a blue bulb in my opinion. i do lke the look though

 

[Witfull]

420 nm is the one you want. URI super actinics are good too.

 

[Boomer]

Actinic light, is light that has the power to effect chemical change. Actinic light can be found only in a fairly narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum. It includes a bit of the lower end of the visible light spectrum as well as the upper part of the UV ban. So, 460 nm isn't Actinic . It starts at about 420 and drops to a lower nm . Most bulbs that are actinic have "spill-over" so the range of the bulbs are usually way over 420. The "hello" bulbs are more actinic as their spectrum is more in the violet and UV region.


Common Actinic

The one that started it all was the Philips Actinic 03 or Super Actinic 03 (color code 03), introduced by an old friend of mine, John Burleson, many years ago. This lamp produces mostly violet and violet-blue light. The color is a slightly dim and not extremely deep violetish blue. Although this lamp has a "blacklight" effect, this is due to visible violet and not ultraviolet. This lamp is also used for photographic/photochemical industrial processes.

The phosphor band's spectrum seems basically confined to the 400 to 480 nm range, with most of the output between 410 and 435 nm. The peak seems to be in the 415 to 420 nm range (bluish violet). There is a very weak spectral line around 610 nm in the red-orange.

 

[UndergroundReef]

Actinic by Coralife

It's strange though how two manufacturers claim their bulbs peak at 420 nm but they can be totally different color. Makes it really difficult to know who is telling the truth.

Personally I like the way the coralife actinics look conbined with a 10K lamp. (more Blue) and don't much care for the violet look of the hellolights actinics, but they give a better glow to the corals.
So is a Coralife and CSL bulbs true Actinic?

At this point I just want whats best for the corals health growth rate and color.

I appreciate everyones feedback. Keep it coming!

 

[dwall174]

Originally posted by Boomer
The one that started it all was the Philips Actinic 03 or Super Actinic 03 (color code 03), introduced by an old friend of mine, John Burleson, many years ago.

I have looked all around for these Philips Actinic 03's! Do you know of a vendor that carries them?

 

[BoomerD]

Both bulbs MIGHT peak at 420nM, but one might have more of the red or yellows than the other. Most blue PC bulbs aren't really actinic by true definition, just nicely colored blue bulbs...Check the actual color spectrum as published for MOST bulbs and see which ones have the most of their output in the low to mid 400 range. Also, see which ones have more of the less desirable reds and yellows. If both bulbs peak in the 420's, then the big visible difference will be what other colors they also have peaks in...
Damm, Boomer 'splains it so much better...

 

[Boomer]

It's strange though how two manufacturers claim their bulbs peak at 420 nm but they can be totally different color. Makes it really difficult to know who is telling the truth

No, it is actually quite easy. It is no problem for two bulbs to peak at 420 and then for bulb "a" to have a higher peak at 470nm mark than bulb 'b" . Bulb a will still have that peak at 420 but it will not be as blue as b. Thing mixing paints. 420+420 / 2=420 bluer..........420 + 470/2 = 445 less blue. Bulb b will also have a higher K than a. One always need to look at the SED Curve of a light bulb so you know what is going on, such as the one I posted on the other reply. See that peak at 550 & 580, now pretend they are not there. Still a peak at 420. Now pretend that peak of 450 is not there. 420 is still there and as we remove these other peaks the bulb becomes more actinic and has a higher K temp

Here is an true actinic, what corallife claims theirs is

Hellolights

No SED but also claim to be a true actinic .So I can't say which one is more actinic but it appears the Hello is, based on observed color.

Nowadays, "Actinic 03" has become the marketing term used to identify "blue" looking bulbs. Many bulbs are passed off as "actinic", when they are just a blue bulb. Blue 7,100K bulbs are visually brighter than HelloLights Actinic bulbs. Blue bulbs will NOT fluoresce your animals as well as our Actinic bulbs. Many others sell "actinic", but they are really selling blue bulbs.

 

[Boomer]

I forgot dwall

The king of custom built lamps is Light Sources. They make about 75 % of flourescent lamps in this hobby. Most of those you see are theirs, with someone elses name on them. How come An old reefer and friend of mine, named Dr. Perry Thrasher, was the director of light research and designed all these bulbs that most use or have seen. A few years ago he took ill and had to leave the company but not his bulbs Their actinic is the best there is :smirk:

http://www.light-sources.com/aquarium.html

 

[dwall174]

Originally posted by Boomer
The king of custom built lamps is Light Sources. They make about 75 % of flourescent lamps in this hobby.

When I follow the link you posted & look for a distributor! I end up back to URI?

J&L Aqutaics in B.C. Canada is the only place I have found the Philips 03's that I'm looking for!

I was hoping to find a vendor closer to Michigan to help save on the shipping costs!

 

[tommyp]

Are you running only PC bulbs? I switched to a 460nm suppliment because the MH that I run have a big 420 spike. no real need to suppliment more 420 so I went for a bulb that would add to a spot in the spectrum where I didn't have light.

I used to buy bulbs from that fish place because they never charged shipping. I only bought vho's there and not pc's so dunno about that but I was never charged extra shipping for lighting.

I run t5 20k bulbs and they flourece the animals pretty well. I lost some flourecence in one of my acros but everything else looks a lot better than under the VHO super actinics.

Tom

 

[dwall174]

Originally posted by dwall174
When I follow the link you posted & look for a distributor! I end up back to URI?

This Post cleares it up some. I will have to check into it.

 

[Boomer]

Doug

When I follow the link you posted & look for a distributor! I end up back to URI?


What is the problem you lost me. URI is a USA distribitor. They are well know for their selling of aquarium lamps. URI is not Light Sources, it is Ultraviolet Resources International. URI does not make lamps, they just sell other companies lamps. LS is in Orange, Connecticut and URI is in Brook Park, Ohio.

 

[Boomer]

Here

http://www.lighting.philips.com/nam/wheretobuy/where.cgi

 

[dwall174]

Originally posted by Boomer
Doug

When I follow the link you posted & look for a distributor! I end up back to URI?


What is the problem you lost me. URI is a USA distribitor. They are well know for their selling of aquarium lamps

This is from the link you posted?

Thanks for the latest link I should be able to find the Phillips there.

 

[Boomer]

This from the link you posted?

Yes, and if you want to buy the best actinic there is call or e-mail URI for the Light Sources actinic. The Light Sources is a better actinic than the orginal Phillips 03

From my other post (below) you must have gotten confused some how, as this makes no sense

When I follow the link you posted & look for a distributor! I end up back to URI?

You were suppose to end up at URI




I forgot dwall

The king of custom built lamps is Light Sources. They make about 75 % of flourescent lamps in this hobby. Most of those you see are theirs, with someone elses name on them. How come An old reefer and friend of mine, named Dr. Perry Thrasher, was the director of light research and designed all these bulbs that most use or have seen. A few years ago he took ill and had to leave the company but not his bulbs Their actinic is the best there is

http://www.light-sources.com/aquarium.html

Any how Doug, we solved your problem, so now you can choose

 

[wildcat]

Do we know who OEMs the Light Source actinic and resells it under their marketing name?

 

[dwall174]

Originally posted by Boomer
From my other post (below) you must have gotten confused some how, as this makes no sense

That's not hard to do :laugh:

You were suppose to end up at URI

if you want to buy the best actinic there is call or e-mail URI for the Light Sources actinic.

Thanks for clearing that up