When To Change Plant Lights

[sonicfish73]

Does anyone know how long those Life Glo tubes for plants last? I've only had mines since July but have heard of people changing theirs every six months. This could work out a bit pricey as I use the 54 watt 46" tubes. I would have thought they can go for a year at least.

 

[Sanderling]

Does anyone know how long those Life Glo tubes for plants last? I've only had mines since July but have heard of people changing theirs every six months. This could work out a bit pricey as I use the 54 watt 46" tubes. I would have thought they can go for a year at least.

As a rule flourescant lamps run at 80% efficiency after 1 year of service. Its a slow enough wear down that you won't notice it-until you relamp with new bulbs

 

[sonicfish73]

Does anyone know how long those Life Glo tubes for plants last? I've only had mines since July but have heard of people changing theirs every six months. This could work out a bit pricey as I use the 54 watt 46" tubes. I would have thought they can go for a year at least.

As a rule flourescant lamps run at 80% efficiency after 1 year of service. Its a slow enough wear down that you won't notice it-until you relamp with new bulbs

Thanks for your reply.
Well I suppose that's better than every 6 months . I've seen similar bulbs to what I'm using that show the lifespan at 10,000 hrs which works out roughly 2.5 years for my tank. I wonder if these are better in terms of longevity than my current tubes. I've emailed the supplier to get more info.

 

[Dave Spencer]

Change them when they longer work.

For cheap lighting, go to Lampspecs. Don`t waste your money on these fancy, expensive plant specific lights.

Dave.