how often do you change your PC lamps
 

Hey everybody,
I have heard everything from 8 months to not till they burn out :confused: ... what are your opinions?
Thanks
Dano

They say 8 to 12 months. Don't wait until they burn out - you will lose the spectrum (may not be that noticeable until you change bulbs) which will increase the chance of unwanted algae.

PC
 

It does depend on the quality of the bulb. I used to run these cheap 96W Catalina Actinics and they were shot after about 3 months. In the future I am going with a reputable brand....etc, Japanesse, German.

I've been running the same PCs (4x55watts) over my plant tank for 2.5 years. There is a very noticable differences in the brightness of the fixture. It is quite a bit dimmer now then it was 2.5 years ago. To the point where, I don't need to run my CO2 injection system on the tank anymore and it still looks fine. Back then, my entire tank would be covered in algae if I delayed refilling my CO2 tank for a couple of days.

So even if the spectrum stays the same, I would still replace bulbs after 8-12 months just to keep the brightness level at around the same level.

-Richer

Thanks for your thoughts :biggrin:
Dano