lighting

[freeweights]

Well here is an easy one.I have a t-5, 4 bulb fixture. has 2 atinics and 2 white. Would it be any benifit to replace one of the atinics with a white one so then i'll have 3 white and 1 blue? What purpose does the blue bulb serve is it for growth or just for color? Thanks a-head-of-time

 

[king_neptune]

blue simulates moonlight and early sunset/sunrise.
the nicer ballast and lighting systems will have a dual set...the blue will come one for about an hour to "warm up everything" then the white. and at the end of the timer it will go back to blue and then turn off till morning.

 

[culp]

the blue bulbs make the color look nicer to us. with out them the light will be really yellow looking.

 

[reifermadness]

Originally Posted by Culp
http:///forum/post/2936077
the blue bulbs make the color look nicer to us. with out them the light will be really yellow looking.
+1. Plus the blue will give your tank a 'deeper' look because of the spectrum. IMO.
My blues really do a great job for the hour they're on before my MH kicks on and the hour it kicks off. I would keep the blues.

 

[king_neptune]

small world Culp,I used to head to Mishawaka weekly as a truck driver and spend it at my friends house just across the border in Michigan. I know your town pretty good.

 

[culp]

Originally Posted by King_Neptune
http:///forum/post/2936120
small world Culp,I used to head to Mishawaka weekly as a truck driver and spend it at my friends house just across the border in Michigan. I know your town pretty good.
yea its a smaller city. other than Notre Dame being within a 30 minute drive. and having AM General making hummers.
ok back to the topic.
i copied and pasted this off a different website.
Actinic Bulbs - Blue Light Waves Only
In nature, blue light travels deeper into the water than does the other colors in the light spectrum, such as reds, yellows, and greens. Actinic bulbs produce only the blue end of the light spectrum. Actinic bulbs are recommended for deep water invertebrates, and fish that don't like bright light, such as African Cichlids. Actinic blue bulbs are normally used in combination with other broader spectrum (5,000°K-10,000°K) bulbs. They can also be used to simulate dusk and dawn in your aquarium, providing your aquarium inhabitants with more realistic sunrise and sunset conditions.

 

[lil.guppy]

Some of the bulbs are even just as good as the whites but they give off that better looking blue instead of that bright boring white