Do we really need to replace actinics before they burn out?

[TomToro]

When an actinic bulb gets old, what happens? Spectrum changes, intensity?

If we use actinics for appearance, why change a bulb before it dies?

Does anybody on here keep their actinics until they burn out and if so, do you experience any problems (algaes, coral growth problems, etc.) from old actinic bulbs?

I change my MH and T5 bulbs religiously every year. But I sure would like to save $160 a year and keep using the old actinics. Please tell me I can.

I didn't have much luck with this question elsewhere.

 

[Azurel]

You know that is a heck of a good question, I never kept them that long just cause I have always heard to replace them every 12-16 months......Good question tagging along for the info.

 

[MikeD88]

I also would like to know this

 

[roshi719]

I say test it out for us. Keep your old actinics in and change out your halides. If your tank doesn't have any algae issues and still looks good (flourescent coloration) in a year I'd say you could say that the old bulbs don't hurt anything.

 

[jaytizzle]

There has to be a better way to test this than to just try it. Testing for PAR on the bulbs that are a year old versus new bulbs should show whether there is a real difference.

Your actinics aren't just used for "appearance". They are a different spectrum of light that gives a good appearance but also adds a little variety to the light that the photosynthetic creatures in your tank are exposed to.

 

[AlexStinson]

ive always found when replacing actinics that there is more "pop" to the tank... this tells me that the old ones degrade over time. IF you want the best looking tank, stay ontop of regular bulb changes

 

[FateX8]

there is going to be a difference in par from a new bulb and a year old bulb
i have never changed out actinics as actinics are mainly used for aesthetics
ive never had a problem in doing this
i will change them every once in a while whenever i can find bulbs cheap but otherwise, eh
there is a reason why there are very few deepwater corals and the few that are out there arent photosynthetic
also the fact that 6700k increases growth rate is enough to show that the bluer spectrum isnt as necessary as you may think

 

[TomToro]

I'm thinking of NOT changing them out this year. Let's see what happens. Like you guys said, I'm using the metal halides for the health of the corals and the actinics are for asthetics.

Thanks Folks,
Tom Toro

 

[wicked demon]

Actinics are mainly for esthetics, but there is usable spectrum for both coral and algea and the main reason for wanting to change them is that as bulbs age and as the spectrum changes they become less healthy for coral and more condusive to algea growth, this is more true with flouresant bulbs than halide. If you have an adequate clean up crew this will be less of an issue. Also I agree that it is a visible change, and there is more "pop" to new bulbs.

 

[H@rry]

I have always changed MH and VHO actinics annually. Sometimes when I did I was wondering if I was simply falling for the propaganda spread by people who want to sell me bulbs and fanned by the well meaning hobbiest who believed it as I had.

I wish there was some way of "testing" our bulbs, maybe on a monthly basis, so we could know when they really need changing. Every 12 months, every 10 months, maybe every 18 months.

I have never even seen a par meter, but if that was a reliable test instrument for when bulbs need to be changed, I'd buy one tomorrow (if not later on today). This is coming from someone who is running 11 MHs, 6 VHO actinics, 4 T5 actinics, and 4 T5 daylights. You can imagine what I spend on bulbs on a yearly basis. Whatever a par meter cost, it would be a drop in the bucket.

 

[JR's Reef]

I have always changed MH and VHO actinics annually. Sometimes when I did I was wondering if I was simply falling for the propaganda spread by people who want to sell me bulbs and fanned by the well meaning hobbiest who believed it as I had.

I wish there was some way of "testing" our bulbs, maybe on a monthly basis, so we could know when they really need changing. Every 12 months, every 10 months, maybe every 18 months.

I have never even seen a par meter, but if that was a reliable test instrument for when bulbs need to be changed, I'd buy one tomorrow (if not later on today). This is coming from someone who is running 9 MHs, 6 VHO actinics, 4 T5 actinics, and 4 T5 daylights. You can imagine what I spend on bulbs on a yearly basis. Whatever a par meter cost, it would be a drop in the bucket.

Harry a par meter is a good tool to have. They will truely tell you how much par you lose but they cant they you how much the color shifts. When I had my par meter I noticed that my MH dropped the most in par the 1st couple months then is slowed down. I run my last set of radiums for a yr and a half with no issues at all. The last test I done on them was around 9months so couldnt tell you how much par was lost in that time.

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

Tom, if you're not using them as a PAR addition (ie, in a T5 set-up), then you can just run them until they burn out - in your case I would... save a lil dough

 

[TomToro]

Tom, if you're not using them as a PAR addition (ie, in a T5 set-up), then you can just run them until they burn out - in your case I would... save a lil dough

I think I'm going to wait. They're vho's and still put a lot of purple/blue out. I appreciate the input, Stun.

I can use that mulah on better things like that sunset monti I'm hunting for:bigsmile: