08-07-2009, 11:55 AM
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#15 |
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Originally Posted by aunt kymmie  Byron, your memory is getting better  . I do use Flourish, and also Excel & root tabs.
Thanks for the info. I wanted to verify that the specs on these bulbs were similar to the Life-Glo. While my bulbs still "look" the same it's been one year on the bulbs so I'm sure the intensity is gone. Time for new bulbs. Dang, these bulbs aren't cheap.
These fixtures are the only ones I've had so I've no familiarity with standard flourescents. | The intensity of fluorescent tubes decreases quite rapidly, at least the regular (and I've read from the manufacturers that the T5HO also decrease, although they say not quite so much so fast; I was wondering about the compact). One of the hobbyist owners of a lfs told me he used a light meter on some full spectrum tubes just to see, and after 3 months the intensity was greatly reduced, and then it gradually decreased from there. He said he agreed with the authorities on 12-month replacement, since after that the intensity is very minimal although the light "looks" the same to us.
Karen Randall, a plant guru with the Aquatic Gardeners Assoc, once wrote that it would be good to replace the tubes every six months due to the significant depreciation in light output, but as this is very expensive every 12 months would work. She suggested staggering the tubes, replacing one every six months so the intensity overall did not diminish so much during the last six months but remained more steady throughout the 12 months. I'm considering trying this, using the cheaper tube first (after only six months one has to chuck it) and after that it would be every 12 months for both but at 6-month intervals.
Byron.
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Byron.
) you fertilize with Flourish so we are probably doing much the same thing in light and ferts, just different types of tubes.
