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Fluorescents vs. compact fluorescents...

Can anyone tell me what the comparison of fluorescent lighting (cool white 40w 4' tube) and compact fluorescent (27w spiral) would be at one foot away?

I know that compact fluorescents can push the light a bit further than a standard tube, but how much of a difference is it?
 
Easier to talk in Lumens when comparing different types of lighting. It is a more direct measure of how much light a bulb puts out instead of how much energy it burns when lit.

Your question is more a matter of luminance or amount of light for a given area usually measured as footcandles or lux.

Fluorescent as well as compact fluorescent come in normal, high output and very high output.

A normal 40watt compact fluorescent will put out the same light as a normal straight tube fluorescent. The advantage of the compact is that you can fit more in the same area which gives you more light for the same area. The reason you can put the compact fluorescent further away if your lighting a small area is the light is more focused from a single point vs a narrow 4foot long line.

Tony
 
Thanks Tony, yeah, I was having problems figuring out how to phrase that. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to get light to a further distance from the bulb. So far maybe a mirrored bottom, but that seems almost silly.
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I just remembered that I had two 27w spiral compact fluorescents above a ten gallon tank and the plants were doing great, seemed like a good amount of light got to them. Then I switched to two 40w fluorescent tubes and it almost didn't seem like the plants at the bottom of the tank were receiving the same amount of light.
 
Here is a fluorescent you might want to try.

I just ordered it so I have not tested it out as of yet. It is not full spectrum but similar in color to hps lighting (2700k). If you shop around or check ebay they are selling the same bulb for over two times the price.
hight output fluorescent

I have used flourex in the past but , I found the bulb did not last as long. My larger concern was that security light seems very poorly made, perhaps even a fire hazard? The unit became discoloured inside, a brownish color with a odd smell to it and the plastic clamps that hold the bulb became brittle and broke. Some posts that I have seen also stated that the output claims of Flourex are false.
 
The specs on that bulb are good, accept for the color temp. Isn't 2700k a little low? Usually 5000k is around where you want to be, or am I way off base here?
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2700k is warm white light, as opposed to what most of us use which would be cool white light.

Plants generally use the blues and reds out of the spectrum. Warm fluorescents enhance warm tones (reds, oranges, yellows...wood
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) and cool enhances cool tones (blues, greens, grays, whites). So i'd say that that bulb gives off more red light in the spectrum, right? Balanced out with a cool white and you'd have both covered. If you could find the same type bulb in a cool version.

That is kind of nice though. Would do well as a supplemental light.

You can find a 5000k version though, but so far it's been too expensive to even think about.
 
Its similar to the color of a high pressure sodium light. Which is used in most Hydroponic gardens.

I just checked eBay and a 95 watt version same color (2700k) marketed just for plants is $69.00.

I plan on using the 105 Wyatt one I ordered with two 30 Wyatt 6500k compact fluorescents.
 
HPS is used in most greenhouses as a supplement to sunlight, extend the day for long day plants, and to induce flowering. The bulbs are not there to grow the plants! If your plants are growing solely on artificial light then normal HPS alone is not what you want (or bulbs similar to HPS spectrum). It can be used but must be supplimented with metal halide or some other bulb capable of high levels of blue.

Keep in mind that spectrum is only a general measurement to judge what color light a bulb produces. The only way to know for sure exactly what the bulb produces in usuable light for plant growth is to look at a spectral graph of the bulb.

Watts mean very little other than how much energy the bulb uses when lit. Lumens is a measure of how much light is emitted and a better way to compare between bulbs.

Seedling - Your setup sounds like a good mix between the 3 bulbs your using.

Tony
 
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