Re: NANFA-- light bulbs and tannins

archimed_at_netdoor.com
Thu, 18 Jan 2001 20:16:52 -0600

On 18 Jan 2001, at 8:51, Al G Eaton wrote:

> The other great way to start a plant tank is to
> convert a shoplight to t-8 bulbs and the HO ballasts
> they require. The bulbs are pretty cheap...less than
> $3 for a 4100 K bulb at Home Depot and the ballast is
> under $40. T-8 bulbs are much more efficient than
> t-12 bulbs and can last up to three years before you
> need to replace them though 2 years is a better time
> frame.

Just to clarify: not all T-8 bulbs are H.O. And not all Home Depots
sell H.O. ballasts.

Going by memory, a T-8 is something like 20% brighter for a given
wattage than a T-12.

FWIW, the designation T-8 refers to a tube which is 8 eighths of an
inch (or 1 inch) in diameter. The T-number is always the nomial
diameter of the bulb in 1/8 inch increments. The same goes for
flood and spotlights (e.g. BR30, PAR40, MR16, etc.), where the
number indicates the widest diameter of the bulb in eighths of an
inch.

Prost,

Martin
Jackson, MS
-----------------------------------------------------------
Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk,
my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if
I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem
quite so funny.

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