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Is my actinic bulb broken?


BChen7106

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BChen7106

Hey all, bought a Satellite Compact Fluorescent 80 watt for my 10g reef. I noticed that with the actinics, one of the bulbs (there are 2 dual bulbs) is a lighter blue than the other. I noticed that on the label, there's 2 wavelengths, 420nm and 460nm. Is one of them supposed to be lighter or is it busted?

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lakshwadeep
It is fine, they are different spectrums.

 

+1. Prepare for a crash course in light! :P Basically, visible light is one part of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Each "type" of electromagnetic radiation is catagorized by the frequency of the light wave. Short waves include things like gamma rays, x-rays, and then UV rays (the name UV-ultraviolet-comes because it is shorter than visible violet light). Long waves include IR (infrared-longer than red) waves, microwaves, and then radio waves. High frequency corresponds to short wavelengths, while low frequency corresponds to long wavelengths (think how short ripples on water will arrive "more often" to the shore than long tidal waves). So the 420 and 460 nm mean wavelengths of 420 and 460 nanometers (1 billionth of a meter). Visible light is from 380-750 nm and goes from violet to red; so you can see that 420/460 nm is on the violet-blue (450 nm is the "cut-off" between each color) side, with 420 being more violet and 460 being more blue.

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Hey all, bought a Satellite Compact Fluorescent 80 watt for my 10g reef. I noticed that with the actinics, one of the bulbs (there are 2 dual bulbs) is a lighter blue than the other. I noticed that on the label, there's 2 wavelengths, 420nm and 460nm. Is one of them supposed to be lighter or is it busted?

 

 

Well, I guess I will be getting a new bulb for free from Drs. Foster & Smith. I thought it was broken and had them ship one out. Oh well...free bulb LOL

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