Actinic white, what is it?

[Jack]

What's the dilly, yo? Haha, but seriously what is an Actinic white? Looking at the VHO selections on J&L I see Aquasun, Actinic white, and Super Actinic.

[Jack]

Ah, I see. Thanks Andrew. It doesn't make sense that they would call it Actinic white rather than 50/50 bulbs, thanks for clearing that up I have been wondering about that for a while now.

I think If I ever get VHO I will go with the pure bulbs rather than the 50/50's.

[canadawest]

"Actinic White" is also referred to as a 50/50 lamp, which helps make more sense of what it actually is.

It's a lamp that has 50% actinic phosphors, and 50% Daylight phosphors, so in effect you get a lamp that produces both full spectrum daylight and the lower actinic spectrum.

These lamps tend to be much dimmer than a true Aquasun, and have a "pink" appearance. Most recommend using a pure one of each (1 Aquasun, 1 Super Actinic) for the best effect.

In my case I use 2 Daylight and 2 Super Actinic for excellent spectrum coverage, intensity and white-blue appearance. If I used all Actinic White tubes the tank would look very pink and not be as brightly lit.

HTH [img]smile.gif[/img]