Dymax MH Light

[kt89]

was wondering about the dymax MH 4 feet light set.

It comes with two flourescent which is blue tube.

the question is;

what is the benefit of it in planted tank?
when I need to switch it on and how long?

[|squee|]

Should be in Equipment section.

If the light comes out blue, change it to 6500K light tubes. Temperatures up to 10000K work okay too.

You may switch it on anytime of the day, for 8-12 hours each time. The common time period is 10hours. Investing in a good timer will be best.

[Rupert]

was wondering about the dymax MH 4 feet light set.

It comes with two flourescent which is blue tube.

the question is;

what is the benefit of it in planted tank?
when I need to switch it on and how long?

The Dymax set is good, the Hilux set I have/had was great the MH intensity of 300w really impressive and the plant growth is impressive, but the 60w Fl is not enough and combined with 300 MH can be too much. The legs that support the lights are frighteningly bulky, but since I had a hood I didn’t use them.

For MH’s you will need to consider a chiller as well

If you look under posts by me you will see my experience of life in the fast lane from a newbie perspective using a Dymax Hilux set as part of my initial set-up.

PM me it you need additional info

[kt89]

hi guys,

thanks for the info, and yes, I'm in serach for a chiller in which i will comes to it later until i get a better idea on each department first.

now back to the lighting dept; the MH is working fine for me, it's just that it seems to be the blue light/flourescent being the irony here? what is it for? there is a whole lot of different answer but who's really sure about the two tubes of blue lights.

answer i got;
1) it supposed to be switch on to cover the blue spectrum which the MH is lack off
2) it's only use for marine tanks
3) a substitution for moon light, switch on after your MH is switch off
4) changing it to 6500K tubes???, why is it there in the first place?

please enlighten;

P/S: Any realiable chillers to recommend for a 500 litres planted tank?

[mordrake]

1) it supposed to be switch on to cover the blue spectrum which the MH is lack off

don't think so

2) it's only use for marine tanks

set was primarily targetted at marine hobbyists. the extra lights would enable reefers to simulate dawn/dusk effect using arctinic tubes.

3) a substitution for moon light, switch on after your MH is switch off

nope, too bright to be moonlights. see answer to (2)

4) changing it to 6500K tubes???, why is it there in the first place?

it's there as a supplement. whether to on or not would depend on your tank needs.

P/S: Any realiable chillers to recommend for a 500 litres planted tank?

highly recommend the jbj arctica chillers.
the 1/4hp Model DBE-200 would suit u nicely.

http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_pg.html

how to size a chiller for your needs

http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod_chiller_size.asp

fyi, i'm using the 1/3 hp for my 6ft with 150wx3 mh lights.
works like a charm with infrequent kick-in.... save $$

[bossteck]

hi guys,

now back to the lighting dept; the MH is working fine for me, it's just that it seems to be the blue light/flourescent being the irony here? what is it for? there is a whole lot of different answer but who's really sure about the two tubes of blue lights.

please enlighten;

If i am not wrong, combination of white and blue light is said to bring out strong coloration in some chiclids species. I don't know the science behind it, but that is what I heard. Maybe some seasoned chiclids keepers can confirm this?

Cheers

[kt89]

so eventually, do i switch it on or off?

P/S: JBJ Chiller 1/4, how much roughly? where to get it?

[loupgarou]

jbj chiller is the artica series of chillers.

the florescent bulb, if it can be controlled seperately (ie: sepereate on/off/timer), is usually used to simulate dawn/dusk OR as a maintenance light. cos mh takes about 5 minutes to power up/

[mordrake]

so eventually, do i switch it on or off?

P/S: JBJ Chiller 1/4, how much roughly? where to get it?

on or off would depend on your plant needs.
if you have light hungry plants and they show signs that the mh is not enough, you can supplement with those lights.
if the mh is enough, you can leave it off or use it to simulate dawn/dusk...

a deal on a 2nd hand 1/4hp arctica chiller here

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/inde...howtopic=43663

brand new easily more than twice the price

[bossteck]

so eventually, do i switch it on or off?

P/S: JBJ Chiller 1/4, how much roughly? where to get it?

I think can keep them off, save on your electric bills, your MH should be powerful enough.