UV Lighting Company bulb question

[astroboy]

Hello,

 

A couple weeks ago I got a pair of UVL (UV Lighting Company) 65W power compact bulbs from Bulk Reef Supply for my 29 gallon. They were the Actinic White 12K version. I'm very pleased with the brightness of the bulbs, a huge improvement over the coralifes I usually get, but the light the bulbs give is a little too pink for my tastes. I think a little more blue would make a more pleasing color. Does anyone have any experience with the

 

UVL Actinic White (12k)/Super Actinic (420 nm) bulb, or the

UVL Super Actinic (420 nm) or the

UVL Actinic White (12k)/Super Actinic (420 nm) or the

UVL Super Actinic (420 nm)/75/25 14K bulb?

 

That is to say

1) Does anyone know if any of the actinic/white combos look more blue or have a deeper purple than the Actinic White 12K?

2) How does the light from a 03 actinic vs 420 nm actinic vs 460 actinic bulbs compare?

 

I contacted UV Lighting Co to see if they'd be interested in a group buy from WAMAS but haven't heard anything back yet. Their bulbs aren't cheap, but I think they're worth the money in brightness, and also in longevity, according to reviews on the web....

 

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[gilmour01]

460 is more blue as opposed to 420 which is more violet or pink

[Coral Hind]

2) How does the light from a 03 actinic vs 420 nm actinic vs 460 actinic bulbs compare?

 

When actinic bulbs first came out they were all called "Actinic 03" which is the same as a 420nm lamp. The 420nm is a darker blue, almost violet color depending on the maker as was pointed out above. The 420nm will give you better fluoresce or glowing colors from the corals, kind of like a black light because the 420nm peak is good for the carotenoid pigments. The 420nm is closer to the peak for chlorophyll A, while the 460nm is good for chlorophyll B.

 

If all you want to do is add a more blue look to the tank the 460nm would be the better lamp. However, if you are able to and you want to provide the best spectrum possible plus get the color you want, a combination of both the 420 and 460 is best.