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Poseidon's Realm: Lighting
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$48.00 |
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Wattage: Most of us can relate to wattage from dealing with light bulbs in normal everyday life.
Kelvin: Simply stated this is the color temperature properties produced by the bulb. Lower numbers such as 4500K lean more to the red/yellow end of the color spectrum. Higher numbers such as 20,000K lean more to the blue end of the spectrum.There are six main types of aquarium lighting:
1. Standard output Fluorescent
These are the fluorescent tubes that you will sometimes find in ceiling fixtures in schools, office buildings etc. These lamps can be used successfully in fish only systems and come in several different color varieties.
2. Very High Output Fluorescent (VHO)
VHO Lighting is also a type of fluorescent lighting. They are similar to the standard fluorescent tubes but produce a much higher wattage. For instance, a 4' standard fluorescent tube produces 40 watts. A 4' VHO fluorescent tube produces 110 watts. In general fluorescent tubes are cooler to the touch than the Metal Halide. However they do not produce the "shimmer" effect.
3. Power Compact Fluorescent (PC)
PC Lighting is another form of fluorescent lighting. The main advantage of PC lighting is that it is a more compact type of bulb that lends itself to situations where space is tight and another type of lighting isn't feasible.
4. Metal Halide (MH)
Metal Halide Lighting is an incandescent lighting source, similar to the light bulbs that go in a standard lamp. MH provides an extremely intense form of light and are available in a range of color temperatures (Kelvin). MH lighting produces a desirable "shimmering" effect in the tank, similar to what you see on the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day. These bulbs become very hot and should always we protected from splashing water to keep them from shattering. Most informed hobbyists agree that the most intense and highest quality lighting is provided by MH lighting.5. High Intensity Discharge (HID)
HID lamps are different from standard halogen lamps in that HID lamps replace the filament of the light bulb with a capsule of gas. The light in HID lamps is emitted from an arc discharge between two electrodes. HID lamps require ballasts to operate, which supply proper voltage and control current. The amount of light produced by HID lamps is greater than a standard halogen lamp. HID lamps consume less power and last longer than halogen lamps.6. LED