Re: NANFA-- lighting

David Smith (idleweed_at_tusco.net)
Tue, 18 Nov 2003 06:55:48 -0500

Hello Todd,
I am going to go with the Ultras. I know that 500K gives good lighting
but I wasn't sure about plant growth.
I have all the glass to build a small eight inch aquarium just for
photography but haven't put it together yet.
I just put this four foot fixture over my aquarium and do not like the
color so I wanted to find out other peoples ideas before I bought new bulbs
(can't afford to waste money). I want to take pictures in that aquarium also
if I there is enough light for it.
I am using it for shiners, minnows, and daces. I had a couple of darters
in the tank but didn't think they were getting enough to eat so I set up a
ten gallon for them.
So far I have southern redbelly dace, black-nosed dace, creek chub, and
three other species I don't know what they are. One may be a bluntnose
minnow. I also have an unknown rock bass type (big mouth but no red eye).
I am still catching some fish in the headwater streams around here.

Dave Smith

----- Original Message -----
From: "Todd Crail" <farmertodd_at_buckeye-express.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 9:50 PM
Subject: Re: NANFA-- lighting

> Hey Dave,
>
> I've found that the GE Daylight Ultras are the way to go. They're rated
at
> 5000K, have a crisp _white_ (not yellow!) color. No idea on the CRI,
just
> liked the way they looked. All the natural colors of the fish show _very_
> well under them too (orange is orange, not glowstick orange... blue is
blue,
> not greenishbluishsorta... etc). I've also found that salmon pink and
> yellow colors show very nicely as well (for example, would you ever have
> thought a johnny darter would have GOLDEN pelvic fins? Or a mudminnow
would
> have an opalescent BLUE anal fin??? Beautiful! :).
>
> The best part... They're only about $6-$7 each (I get mine for $5 at a
local
> General Store). Any lighting "wholesale" place will have them, so I'd
check
> there if you can't find them at any of the usual retail places.
>
> There are other alternatives, such as the different Coralife lines, the
URI
> Aquasun, etc... But you'll pay at least twice as much. Looking here in
the
> Foster and Smith catalog, they have the lower end Coralife lines (as
opposed
> to the URI) for twice as much... And shipping for lights is horrible. So
> you can only guess what they'll be at the LFS.
>
> Oh, and the plants jam on them too. I haven't had any difficulties in a
> variety of planted tank setups.
>
> As for photography, I'm still figuring out the ins and outs of flourescent
> photography. I can get a decent shot every now and then if a specimen is
> over some white sand and light is reflecting about (for example, I have
two
> of the GE Daylights over one of those 33 long aquariums). But, usually, I
> have to play with the contrast and brightness in Photoshop to get a pic to
> look just right. Usually, they're too dark, and I wouldn't have any shots
> if I didn't have the good macro lense because I have to shoot right _at
the
> glass_ to avoid the flash showing up in a picture. If I do it manually,
> without the flash, I get a _lot_ of blurry shots (I'm an on-board features
> kind of guy ;). So it's a balance of many evils to get the desired
effect.
>
> I'm seriously considering setting up a metal halide "box" just for
> photography. I have all this old reef equipment laying around... Might as
> well get some pleasure out of it ;)
>
> Sunlight is still best. I still have my 2 1/2 gallon that I'll take
outside
> if I want to get a good shot. I can keep the specimen in there for a few
> hours, feed it, get it all comfy and then shoot it with natural light.
Same
> song and dance streamside. For now... Here's about all the aquarium is
> gonna offer :)
>
> http://www.farmertodd.com/nanfa/111503tank/
>
> Todd
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Smith" <idleweed_at_tusco.net>
> To: "nanfa" <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
> Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 5:51 PM
> Subject: NANFA-- lighting
>
>
> > Hello all,
> > I installed a four foot flourescent fixture above my aquarium and
need
> > advice about tubes. I want to take photos and I also want to grow plants
> > (photos are most important but would like both). I know that the closer
I
> > get to 5500 Kelvin the more like daylight the light is but will a
> > flourescent at 5500 Kelvin also grow plants well. Is there some other
tube
> > or combinations that I should use for this? Thanks for any help.
> >
> > Dave Smith

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/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
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/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
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/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org