Warning 2 all newbies

[Nannostomuss]

Do not acquire "CR Aquarium" Lighting !
Its labelled at 55W.
A friendly advise

Any comment!

[Aquabeanz]

Erm, i don't really get it. So what about the thing being labelled at 55W? Is it because its not really 55W ?

[vinz]

Nannostomuss,

Could you please be clearer why being labelled 55W is a valid reason to avoid buying "CR Aquarium" lights?

[benny]

My guess...

Probably because some new aquarist may not realise it and may calculate their lighting based on 36W instead of 55W. So 2 X 55W in a 2 ft (15 Gal) tank will work out to be 110W or 7.3 watts per gallon instead of 4.8 watts per gallon when you use 2 X 36W for the 2 ft setup. Excessive lighting equals algae magnet.

By the way, at S$35 per light set for CR, a 2 X 55W light (with e ballast) setup will only set you back by S$70 instead of the S$99 modified 2 X 36W one that most of us are using.

Cheers,

[hwchoy]

"Do not acquire" is rather a strong statement to make isn't it? Unless the product is defective in some way.

[sayhitojason]

Hi, may I know where you saw a CR light set for $35? Thanks.

[jansonx]

I just bought the light for 1 week. It comes with 2 tube (it like those PL type) but different colour. The shop owner told me 1 is for plant (Plant light) and the other is for fish (Fish light). It very bright but not hot when switch on for long hours.

[loupgarou]

that's a very bad way to put forth adviCe.

a) is the product defective?
b) is the product mislabeled (ie: labeled 36w but is instead 55w)?

if its not, then its NOT defective in anyway, thus its up to the buyer to decide if they want to buy 5W, 11W, 20W, 36W, 55W, 1000W bulbs.

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[Nannostomuss]

SOrrie GUys probably my statement is ambiguous.Alright as a matter affect,i happen to know many newbies we bought the "CR aquarium" cos its economical as compared to those costly Electronic Ballast With PL light.

Without realising it that,what they bought are veri unsuitable
its not because of the colour of the tube even if its fully white.It just cant project the lighting power of a 55W as stated.I would say not even 36W.

Hope that helps!!

[hwchoy]

Honestly, no it doesn't help. We still have no idea WHY it is not suitable, or "cannot" project the power of 55W. []

[vinz]

I see... I take it you mean that the CR lighting is labelled 55W, but is not as bright as what you expect a 55W to be.

Several factors come into play here...
- Is there a reflector? Is it a good reflector (i.e. focus the light into the tank and is very shiny.)
- What is the colour of the bulb? How many Kelvins?
- We can speculate about the ballast and actual wattage of the tube, but without proper investigation into it, that would be unfair to the manufacturer, distributor and retailers.

Can anyone who has seen or own the lights answer the first 2 questions?

Thanks for the heads-up Nannostomuss, but please be clearer next time.

[bclee]

55W will be 55W. It will depends on the tube and the ballast efficiency.

Ballast efficiency should not differ too much for a electronic one. Unless they are using a ballast with a wrong power rating.

Tubes lumens will differ. If they are using a "plant" tube, it may appear less bright to the eyes, but it is probably emitting more radiation compared to a similar 36W one.

You have to compare apple to apple. A 55W 6500K Osram tube will look brighter than a 36W 6500L Osram tube.

BC

[Nannostomuss]

sorrie As a matter affect,an Aquarium Once compared my friend's CR-aquarium "55W" to their ( 36W ).
Probably some of forumers out there who onces used CR Aquarium or currently using it to give his or her view on the opinion on the Light

The different is too conspicuous Much too.....

[Allen_1971]

Well, I've not used this set of lights before, but I would be a bit careful when putting down another brand... simply cuz there could be lots of reasons why you had a bad experience.

1. you could have a bad unit
2. it could be badly designed
3. the tubes used are worn out
4. the color temp used is wrong
5. hehehe you could even have bad eyesight...

In all, unless you can be a bit specific on your recommendation not to use the lights, you should avoid making such sweeping comments.

[benny]

----------------
On 8/5/2003 1:41:52 AM

Hi, may I know where you saw a CR light set for $35? Thanks.
----------------

Clementi Polyart. But they are out of stock. S$35 is the sticker price on the box.

Cheers,

[hugo]

Pardon me as I do not want to "sabo anyone". I find first of all, the statement is very strong, and secondly it only offers very little conclusive or facts as to why we should not buy CR light. Moreover if you look at todays posting you will see nannostomuss advertising for a LFS at Pasir Ris.

Is this a ploy by a LFS owner?

This site is for hobbist to exchange ideas and share good finds and deals. Yes, we can use this site to "warn" each other of bad deals or experiences but please back it up with facts and findings so as not to be viewed as trying to bad mouthing some products or brand.

Plus I just called up Simon (93876102)of Eco-Culture to clarify the issue of so called "eco-culture pasir ris". Here is his explaination.
Eco-Culture Resources is a registered company belonging to Elwyn and Simon. Registered address is in Lavander. It use to be located in Pasir Ris Farmway 2 along with Aquaria Pacifica.

????whats up????

[hwchoy]

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On 8/5/2003 3:37:05 PM
5. hehehe you could even have bad eyesight...

----------------

Allen! that's very cheeky, you know something we don't huh?

[vinz]

Nothings up. Nannostomuss only means well although he has created somewhat of a stir today. No ploy by LFS owner.

I'll try and get Nannostomuss to clear up this thing with CR lighting. Please refrain from furthur postings for now. Thanks.

[Nannostomuss]

The WHole story
---------------

My Friends just started aquascaping as a hobby and he asked me
to help him in it.So he bought those necessities without me knowing and one of those was the CR-aquarium Light.

He did all those set up mount the light and planted the 2 ft tank,assuming it will succeed which in the end it turns out unsuccessful.(Bearing in mind he is fully equipped with CO2 canister,internal filter,Liquid Fert,Base Fert and of course the light).Did many times of trial and error,but its in vain.
So my conclusion there is problem with the lighting.So we went to an aquarium specialised in Planted Tank and there the shop owner told us about it.We are not the 1st one having such a problem.

True enough,we bought an aquarium Light from the owner
and the whole planted tank is never the same as compared using the CR Aquarium.

......Your commment and this is just a friendly advise.
Cos i was pissed off.I find they are out making a quick buck and not trying to promote aquascaping.

[chua]

If i am not mistaken. CR PL tube is not the same as the normal one we used.

If you look carefully, it is longer and slimer. That is why, for 3ft light, CR comes with only two 24W PL tubes fixed just nice with little space left and is smaller in width. This is due to the longer and slimer tubes as mentioned above.

Hence it will be difficult to change this type of PL tubes due to its unquie shape and size.