Wattage and Lumens of Various Light Types

I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as 500W
of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here, or am I
missing something?

Tim

Don't worry so much about those numbers, but look at the
actual spectrum. Figure wats of light per gallon. You want
3 to 5 wats per gallon. 3 being low, 5 being where you
want to be for stonys,and even higher like 6.6 is good.
And metal halide is the best light.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Timcat wrote:
I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as 500W
of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here, or am I
missing something?

Tim

OK. Thank You.

Tim

"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
ink.net...
Don't worry so much about those numbers, but look at the actual spectrum.
Figure wats of light per gallon. You want 3 to 5 wats per gallon. 3 being
low, 5 being where you want to be for stonys,and even higher like 6.6 is
good. And metal halide is the best light.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Timcat wrote:
I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as
500W of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here,
or am I missing something?

Tim

Wait a minute!
Light intensity is not measured in watts! That's the whole point of
Tim's question. Leave "watts per gallon" as a heater spec. Light
intensity is measured in lumens, or foot candles, or candellas etc...

Tim,
Sorry I don't have a direct answer to your question but it is a good
question. (worthy of a good answer) I think you may have to contact
the lamp manufacturer to find out what the actual light output for
each lamp is. The wattage spec is the amount of electricity it uses,
not necessarily how much light it produces.

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:47:12 GMT, Wayne Sallee
wrote:

Don't worry so much about those numbers, but look at the
actual spectrum. Figure wats of light per gallon. You want
3 to 5 wats per gallon. 3 being low, 5 being where you
want to be for stonys,and even higher like 6.6 is good.
And metal halide is the best light.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Timcat wrote:
I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as 500W
of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here, or am I
missing something?

Tim

Yes watts is the meaasurment of the amount of electricity
it uses, and yes it is in direct corilation of how much
heat is produced, but since watts is the amount of energy
it will give off, watts makes a good measure, but the
spectrum it gives off is important to look at. You want a
quality bulb that gives off energy in the right spectrums.
All of your aquarium bulbs give a spectrograph of what
light it gives off. And all light spectrums prouduce heat.
when light is absorbed, heat is given off. And of course
there is waisted entergy given off as heat directly from
the bulbs and the balast.

The problem with Lumens is that it is a measurment of how
much light the eye can see. This falls short with what is
considered beneficial to the corals. For example a sodium
light produces a lot of lumens, but is too yellow for a
reef tank.

Wayne Sallee


erik wrote:
Wait a minute!
Light intensity is not measured in watts! That's the whole point of
Tim's question. Leave "watts per gallon" as a heater spec. Light
intensity is measured in lumens, or foot candles, or candellas etc...

Tim,
Sorry I don't have a direct answer to your question but it is a good
question. (worthy of a good answer) I think you may have to contact
the lamp manufacturer to find out what the actual light output for
each lamp is. The wattage spec is the amount of electricity it uses,
not necessarily how much light it produces.

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:47:12 GMT, Wayne Sallee
wrote:


Don't worry so much about those numbers, but look at the
actual spectrum. Figure wats of light per gallon. You want
3 to 5 wats per gallon. 3 being low, 5 being where you
want to be for stonys,and even higher like 6.6 is good.
And metal halide is the best light.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Timcat wrote:

I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as 500W
of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here, or am I
missing something?

Tim

A 400 W lamp or 40 W lamp says nothing about how much light it puts out of any kind. Most
lamps use this wattage to drive themselves. On the avg about 75% of the wattage is for
driving it the other 2%% will be actual light output Some of the more hi-tech stuff drives
more light output, as it use less wattage to drive it.A simple way to look at it is to
look at the wattage and the lumen output. A 100 W bulb that has an output of 10,000 lumens
( say a MH) has an EFFICACY of 100 ( 10,000 / 100). A std incandescent. only has an
output of about 10 lumens / W, so you would need a 1,000 W lamp to be equal 100W MH in
lumen output.

But all this is based on the human eye, which is most sensitive to about 540 nm or green
light. You do not see red or blue light well, so when dealing wit actual light output one
needs to look a "Einstein's", a true light measurement of all light. Or a SED( Spectral
Energy Distribution ) Curve ( you know that nice colored rainbow plot you see on some
light bulbs)

Watts / gal is a MEANINGLESS value !! Why ? How deep is the tank, how wide is the tank,
what kind of bulb ( NO, VHO, CF, MH, MV, as they have a different "Point Source") and K
value, what is in the tank, etc..


--
Boomer

Want to talk chemistry ? The Reef Chemistry Forum
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/index.php


Former US Army Bomb Technician (EOD)
Member; IABTI, NATEODA, WEODF, ISEE & IPS

If You See Me Running You Better Catch-Up


"

But if watage says nothing about how much light it puts
out, then when ever you order a mh light system, and you
are asked what wattage you want, then you would say "It
doesn't matter".

Wayne Sallee


Boomer wrote:
A 400 W lamp or 40 W lamp says nothing about how much light it puts out of any kind. Most
lamps use this wattage to drive themselves. On the avg about 75% of the wattage is for
driving it the other 2%% will be actual light output Some of the more hi-tech stuff drives
more light output, as it use less wattage to drive it.A simple way to look at it is to
look at the wattage and the lumen output. A 100 W bulb that has an output of 10,000 lumens
( say a MH) has an EFFICACY of 100 ( 10,000 / 100). A std incandescent. only has an
output of about 10 lumens / W, so you would need a 1,000 W lamp to be equal 100W MH in
lumen output.

But all this is based on the human eye, which is most sensitive to about 540 nm or green
light. You do not see red or blue light well, so when dealing wit actual light output one
needs to look a "Einstein's", a true light measurement of all light. Or a SED( Spectral
Energy Distribution ) Curve ( you know that nice colored rainbow plot you see on some
light bulbs)

Watts / gal is a MEANINGLESS value !! Why ? How deep is the tank, how wide is the tank,
what kind of bulb ( NO, VHO, CF, MH, MV, as they have a different "Point Source") and K
value, what is in the tank, etc..

Gee...I think I started something. All of these points are valid. The reason
I asked is to try to buy a lighting system that is as energy efficient as
possible (especially now that electricity rates are about to go through the
roof). I know for most reef aquarists, MH is the lighting of choice...I just
don't know if it's because of its spectral output, intensity, or what. I
built a house 2 1/2 years ago and I installed recessed lights with Elzak
reflectors. The bulbs are 23W, supposedly equal to 100W incandescent, with
1600 Lumens. I am more than pleased. This experience is what caused me to
ponder the question in regards to reef lighting. In essence, does the same
hold true...at that rate, a single 96W CF tube would equal 417W of
incandescent lighting and 667,826 Lumens. I have no experience with MH, and
have no idea how it compares...so, is there any reason a person
couldn't/shouldn't use say, 500W of presumably cooler-running CF instead of
500W of MH? Would 300W of CF equal 500W of MH, or would 500W of MH equal
1500W of CF, for example? Everything I've read refers to color (daylight,
full spectrum, actinic, etc.) and leaves much unsaid in regards to the
amount of power need to achieve the desired amount of that "color."
Hey...members of this group suggested I read (and recommended some books)
and then come back and ask questions. You should have never done it!

Tim

"Timcat" wrote in message
...
I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as 500W
of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here, or am
I missing something?

Tim

One thing that helps save money is the use of electronic
balasts. They don't waist as much electricity, as do other
balasts. They are also easyer on the bulbs.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Timcat wrote:
Gee...I think I started something. All of these points are valid. The reason
I asked is to try to buy a lighting system that is as energy efficient as
possible (especially now that electricity rates are about to go through the
roof). I know for most reef aquarists, MH is the lighting of choice...I just
don't know if it's because of its spectral output, intensity, or what. I
built a house 2 1/2 years ago and I installed recessed lights with Elzak
reflectors. The bulbs are 23W, supposedly equal to 100W incandescent, with
1600 Lumens. I am more than pleased. This experience is what caused me to
ponder the question in regards to reef lighting. In essence, does the same
hold true...at that rate, a single 96W CF tube would equal 417W of
incandescent lighting and 667,826 Lumens. I have no experience with MH, and
have no idea how it compares...so, is there any reason a person
couldn't/shouldn't use say, 500W of presumably cooler-running CF instead of
500W of MH? Would 300W of CF equal 500W of MH, or would 500W of MH equal
1500W of CF, for example? Everything I've read refers to color (daylight,
full spectrum, actinic, etc.) and leaves much unsaid in regards to the
amount of power need to achieve the desired amount of that "color."
Hey...members of this group suggested I read (and recommended some books)
and then come back and ask questions. You should have never done it!

Tim

"Timcat" wrote in message
...

I have a puzzling question. In researching lights to set up a new tank, I
can't find anything relating Fluorescent tube wattage and MH wattage to
lumens, or a comparison to incandescent...like you always see on CF tubes
for home lighting, i.e. 20W CF equals a 100W incandescent bulb. I'm
wondering if, for example, 500W of CF lighting has the same output as 500W
of MH. Am I making this clear? Am I talking apples and oranges here, or am
I missing something?

Tim

In article , says...
... I built a house 2 1/2 years ago and I installed recessed lights with Elzak
reflectors. The bulbs are 23W, supposedly equal to 100W incandescent, with
1600 Lumens. I am more than pleased. This experience is what caused me to
ponder the question in regards to reef lighting. In essence, does the same
hold true...at that rate, a single 96W CF tube would equal 417W of
incandescent lighting and 667,826 Lumens.

There is an error in the decimal point, it should come out to 6678 lumens.


I have no experience with MH, and
have no idea how it compares...so, is there any reason a person
couldn't/shouldn't use say, 500W of presumably cooler-running CF instead of
500W of MH? Would 300W of CF equal 500W of MH, or would 500W of MH equal
1500W of CF, for example?

MH is about as efficient as fluorescent in terms of light output for a given
electrical input. It has the advantage of being more compact for a given power
level, so you can fit more over an aquarium if you so desire. The downside is that
these expensive lamps degrade faster, causing the light output to fall off.
Fluorescent is best in that regard, whether it is a standard T8, a T5, or a power
compact.

In practice one can buy a sleek 48" power compact fixture with 4x96W 50-50 lamps
from one of the better companies, like Coralife. It will produce _plenty_ of light
over any popular 4 foot tank like a 55, 75 or 90G.