Par38 ?

I was wondering if anyone thought it would be ok to use a PAR38 light that they sell at lowes to keep a nem?It is 3k and would just be going on a breeding setup.It was labled as "daylight".I'm buy no means am worried about algae growth.Thanks, Daniel

 

No way, sorry, a 3K bulb is not sufficient by any stretch of the imagination. The only organisms that can use that spectrum of light are some nuisance algae and cyanobacteria. You will want a minimum of 6500K and a lot of light to keep a nem. What sized breeder tank is this? 40g breeder, 30g, etc... ?

 

I would want 6500K at the lowest Kelvin rating. 10000K would be better IMO.

 

It is only a 20 long.

 

I think what they are trying to tell you is that color spectrum is less than optimal.

 

Par38 leds are fine then, but the spectrum needs to be higher.

These companies par 38's should be fine:
Rapid led:
Results for PAR Bulbs

Nano tuners:
Nanotuners.com - Nanotuners.com

Ecoxotic
Ecoxotic PAR38 LED Aquarium Lamp Details

Also,
boost led par30s are quite excellent, I have some myself, but not PAR38s.
BoostLED

For coverage area the formula is ((lens angle / 2) TAN * distance) * 2 = coverage.

A 20L is 30*12*12

So, if you want to calculate coverage mid tank, that is 6" if the led is raised 6" above the water, that's 12" total. Most of the PAR38s leds are 40deg or 60deg. On a shallow tank, 60 should be fine.

So ((60/2)TAN*12) * 2 =13.9" of coverage per bulb. probably reduce that a bit as some of the light on the edge won't be as intense. So, say about 10"-12" per bulb. So, 3 would probably be ideal to cover the tank. You may be able to get away with 2 though if you don't mind some darker areas.

 

Question please?

The Par38 might do the job but the "day light model" does not provide the right spectrum. Basic LED question I know sorry. :-(

Edit: Ok m2434 answered the ?

 

LOL if its just for the one thing I would look into the new strip lighting that boost has decided to come out with BoostLED

it mioght be what you need and would be an good experment for the new lights you might just have to waiot a few weeks but I can say that the boost leds are GREAT!!!

 

I would like to thank everyone for the responses.I got the info I was looking for.Daniel