True actinic lighting?

[fallnhorse]

I bought lighting system new with 4 compact 65watt florescent. Two are 10,000k and the other say true actinic. What do they mean true actinic? I've only seen 420 actinic. Only paid $120 and it has 8 led moon lights. I love it. Looks very professional.

 

[fallnhorse]

bump

 

[natureboy]

Not sure, but i believe that true actinic lights actually emit light wavelengths that are in the actinic portion of the light spectrum and are not lights that have been simply painted/tinted blue or purple. Hopefully someone will have a more difinitive answer for you.

 

[seannmelly]

A true actinic bulb is 420nm and 460nm on the same bulb. If you look at the pc bulb, there are 2 tubes on one bulb. One tube is 420nm and the other is 460nm. I've seen these bulbs go for $50 a pop for 96watts. They also make straight 420nm and 460nm.
Melly

 

[reefkprz]

the true actinic bulbs use type 03 phosphers to supposedly be brighter, I cant verify that but thats what it means. hope that helps
true actinic produces from 420 to 450 nm over almost the entire life of the bulb 8-12 months, were as the 420 peaks at 420 and the 460 at 460.... Well I just learned something new today. good question.

 

[fallnhorse]

Good info guys. Thanks

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by seannmelly
A true actinic bulb is 420nm and 460nm on the same bulb. If you look at the pc bulb, there are 2 tubes on one bulb. One tube is 420nm and the other is 460nm. I've seen these bulbs go for $50 a pop for 96watts. They also make straight 420nm and 460nm.
Melly
420nm is considered true actinic. actinic 03 is heavily spiked at the 430nm spectrum and is considered true actinic (probably interchangable terminology with 420nm bulb). 460nm is not considered true actinic and not known to stimulate pigmentation growth in corals like the 420nm spectrum. Since actinic is "generally" considered between the spectrums of 420-460 I could see one reasoning a 420/460 split bulb being a true actinic. technically its the 420nm spectrum thats considered true with other spectrums close to it are considered close but no cigar. 460nm really isn't visibly close in color to 420.
the 420/460nm bulb are current USA's Sunpaq dual actinic and they make a simular daylight bulb Smartpaq dual daylight which are 10K/6.7K spectrum bulbs. the 460nm is strictly added for aesthetics since true actinic/420nm is barely visable and dont really change the color of a 10K lighting of equal wattage (its a brighter lighter blue). As far as I know only current usa makes bulbs with different spectrums on each tube of their PC lights. My 96w bulbs were $28 from the doctors (on sale from the normal $33).
edit: should note the 420nm bulb by itself looks purple (not the blue it looks below) but with any other bulb on at the same time its impossible to capture how it really looks (other than much dimmer than anything else). I did start out with a true actinic bulb before switching.
here's both smartpaq daylight and subpaq actinics on my 30gallon. the tubes from top to bottom 6700k/10k/420nm/460nm.

and just the actinic. note the 460nm is much brighter (but supposely less functional to coral health) than the 420nm