12000k xenon car lights

[mike31154]

Lighting efficiency has a lot more to do with what goes on inside the actual bulb. LEDs are low voltage DC devices too and they are more efficient at producing light than fluorescent fixtures, MH or bulbs with filaments. Not sure of the principle behind xenon, sounds like a gas type deal like neon or fluorescent. I do know xenon arc bulbs are used in high intensity searchlights for aircraft and they can burn a hole through concrete if left shining in one spot for any length of time. Most bulbs still produce more heat than light with the current they use. That's where LEDs are a little ahead of the game. I suspect that if xenon was a viable technology for aquarium lighting, some intrepid engineer/company would have designed a fixture by now.

[dabandit]

Lol,they do have xenon lights for fishkeeping. Xenon is used in both halide and sodium lights in fact halides and sodiums are h.i.d lights. Im no expert in lighting hence this thread but the physics are the same,the kelvin rating is the same even the quartz sheild is the same. The xenon h.i.d however is available in as low as 20w making it ideal for a nano. In fact the bio orb uses a xenon bulb for growing but it is in the 6000k range

[mike31154]

Neato. So the question still is why hasn't some marketing genius come up with a low voltage xenon solution for the nano market? Not enough sales potential maybe?

[dabandit]

Ok my bad a 35w xenon car bulb produces 4200 lumen I know theres other factors at work such as wavelength,but as far as i know a lumen is a measure of visible light which would make a 1''35w xenon about as visblly bright as a equally watted t5...........and my search continues

[sphelps]

I'll through a little info here from what I know. First off HID stands for High Intensity Discharge and refers to metal halides, halogens, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and so on. The lights you're referring to are very similar to metal halides but use a slightly different gas.

The main problem with this type of lighting is the spectrum, the lumen output means nothing when it comes to corals. The blue color or higher K rating of the bulbs are created from a coating on the bulb, so the true spectrum isn't where you want it. You'll get better color and efficiency from other types of lighting.

In addition I believe metal halides are a cheaper solution and you won't have much luck finding a good reflector for those bulbs. They have their application but I don't think it's in the aquarium.

[dabandit]

Ok im confused an xenon bulb is identical to mh but uses slightlly different gasses in the process I know that, but the k rating is a measure of color given off how does the means in which we arive to the k rating change its effectiveness? 10000k is 10000k is it not? upon further research i've found an xenon produces the proper wavelength at 430-470nm So weve got; 10000k+ and 430-470nm what more is left? intensity which is measured in lumen is it not?
Please I'm not arguing here,just food for thought,what do you think?

[Reefhawk1]

I have aftermarket HID lighting in my car and truck. One set is 4300k and the other is 6000k. Both sets of bulbs are clear in appearance. But the 6000k has a blue tinge and the 4300k is bright white. I will have to do some research on how they get the light spectrum to change without changing the UV shield color.

[dabandit]

For all you pecemists out there,the black sheep project here on canreef is powering a 5.5g with the car variety xenon. The sps he's keeping have beautiful polyp extension his is a new setup so time will tell,but to my eyes anyway it appears to be working very well. Thanks for everyones input

[BlueAbyss]

I've done some research on the application of LEDs to aquariums, and this is what I've drawn from my reading related to light in general.

Lumens is a measurement of visible light intensity, meaning it takes into account wavelengths across the entire visible spectrum. This is useful when talking about task and home lighting applications... HOWEVER, PAR or Photosynthetically Active Radiation (related to PUR or Photosynthetically Useful Radiation) is the value that is important here, because this equates to how much of the total light output will actually excite chloroplasts in plants (including symbiotic algae).

So, what we need to know here is how much of the total 4200 lumens that a 30w xenon bulb (*edit* it was pointed out that a xenon bulb is the same as a MH but with xenon, rather than argon, as the starting gas [Thanks dabandit ]). This will show us just how useful these lights are in reefkeeping.

I'm not sure if K ratings equate to nanometers, as all discharge-type lighting systems including LED and arc lamps produce 'peaky' light that when analyzed by a spectrometer will show the true wavelengths of light produced. I think that Kelvin is an overall measurement of colour temperature as humans see it, rather than a function of the actual radiant energy produced by a given light source. That being said, a higher K will mean that the general wavelengths of light produced are further into the blue end of the visible light spectrum.

I think that this could be viable, since you would have a hard time finding any manufacturer of 30w MH lighting systems. However, when you start talking about a unit with 150w of xenon lighting (5 bulbs), what's the point? I should think that it would make more sense to go with a readily available and probably less expensive MH setup, where at least you can get some sort of information about those all important PAR values that can help you make good lighting choices.

[BlueAbyss]

Originally Posted by dabandit

For all you pecemists out there,the black sheep project here on canreef is powering a 5.5g with the car variety xenon. The sps he's keeping have beautiful polyp extension his is a new setup so time will tell,but to my eyes anyway it appears to be working very well. Thanks for everyones input

I'm hoping it does work out well, this could be an excellent application for these lights. Again, I've looked around and even 70w MH lighting systems seem to be almost impossible to find, and I think 70w over a 5.5 would be too much.