Lighting question- Does anyone know about the Philips Aquarelle Fluorescents?

low05011487

Hi Folks

Well I did it again and bought another tank today So I now have 4. To cut it short its a second hand Juwel Rio 180 litre but looks like an older version (if that makes sense, as still waiting for the manuals), it came with everything as required and I snapped it up for £50 uk sterling, so had to get it and very -pleased as in great condition including the cabinet

However the fluorescents that came with it, are not Juwel fluorescents they are called 'Philips Aquarelle 30w' with a kelvin rating of 10,000k. They are sitting in a juwel multilux unit in which I cant really read the label as its in dutch but states 2x 30w - which I guess is why there are 2 of these aquarelle's in there.

Does anyone know about these fluorescents and if they are good for plant growth etc? Its a 180 litre long tank and I plan to heavily plant it and keep easy-moderate plants in there along with good substrate fertiliser and water column ferts and diy co2 if req.

Is this light adequate for a 100 cm x 40 cm x 50 cm tank?

Many Thanks in advance

Byron

I have no personal experience, and searching online has had limited success. Here is a blurb from one supplier:

Philips Aquarelle Tubes
These lamps create a natural light, with a colour temperature of 10000 Kelvin. There are four phosphors, giving a broad spectrum of colours blue/green, red, yellow and strong blue. This makes it a great light for tropical and Goldfish, offering outstanding colour rendering. Aquarelle encourages oxygen production, which in turn creates excellent conditions for growth.

I would like to see the spectrum graph, but if the tube is strong in the blue, red and green/yellow it should be OK as far as spectrum. The somewhat more important thing is intensity, and nothing is given on that; but two tubes over a 180 liter (=50 gallon) tank should work, assuming these are T8. Last, the colour hue at 10000K would indicate a very cool white, high in the blue and minimal in the warmer red tones. Sometimes these can be good, sometimes they turn the tank purplish and do not produce a true colour rendition. I have had good results combining one 10000K with a 6700K over a tank.

If this is a used setup, the age of the tubes would be important. All fluorescents diminish in intensity as they burn, some faster than others. Replacing tubes every 6-18 months is necessary, depending on the tube. I tend to replace mine every 12 months and that seems to work with T8 tubes. When you replace, you should be able to track down "better" tubes, look for a 6000K to 7000K rating, in full spectrum or daylight types.

Byron.

low05011487

Thank you Byron, I didn't realise when I had bought the set up, that the fluorescents would be these ones. Ive had experience with the Hagen Glo and Arcadia ones but these ones were beyond my knowledge so will take your advice and replace one with a aquaglo fluorescent However when I did switch them on I was nearly blinded- they are very intense and have a ultra-violet hue about them. They are T8's, so are 60watts of T8's sufficient to sustain most undemanding plants in a 50 gallon?

Many Thanks for your help

Byron

You will have no trouble with low and moderate-light plants with that much light; and these plants include all but high-light stem plants. I have about the same ratio over my 70g and I have algae issues if I'm not careful. Floating plants help a lot, and then the duration can be cut back to find the balance.

The Aqua-Glo is not a tube I recommend. It is half the intensity of Life-Glo, plus the spectrum creates a purplish hue. If you are going to replace the tubes, I would suggest one full spectrum/daylight type and the second either the same or a cooler white or warmer white, depending upon your preference.

low05011487

Thank you for letting me know about the aqua glo tubes Byron, Im currently using an aqua glo and life glo together over my 40g, so when I replace I will get all life glo's. Many thanks