power compacts

[rochelleryan]

How often do you need to change the bulbs on power compact lights? I read somewhere that for reef tanks that you should change the bulbs every 6 months. The LFS says to change them only when they flicker but not to go beyond 1 year. Who is right, if at all?

[MontanaRocknReefer]

10 months for best results!

[Wrasse Man]

Agreed, 10 months is a good time.

[bill-e]

If you have 2 bulbs, I would change one every six months. This will allow you to keep each bulb for 12 months, but at the worst case, you will always have one 12 month old bulb and one 6 month old bulb. If you have 4 bulbs change one every 3 months, or a pair every six months.

Using this method, you will not have that short initial period of high intensity when all the bulbs are new...and then the degradation from there on, but you will be able to matain a more constant albeit a little less intense lighting environment. Your environment wont ever be either as bright or as dim as changing them out all at once. You wont have to worry about acclimation when you change your bulbs, and can actually squeeze 12 months out of them.

[rochelleryan]

Would changing alternating bulbs work when I have 1 actinic bulb and 1 10000K bulb? If so, that sounds very reasonable.

[bill-e]

Anthony,

No, that wont work as intended. The 10k bulb puts out about 8000 lumens while the actinic bulb about 2200 lumens.

You can still alternate when changing them although I dont think you will realize the benifit as outlined in my previous response.

You could, if $$ is a concern, change the 10k bulb more often then the actinic since the actinic is purely for asthetics. Doing such over the course of a couple of years might save you the cost on one actinic bulb.