new light!!

[JYM]

Hey everyone!

A friend of mine has offered me a 15,000K full spectrum metal halide light that was used previously used to grow corals.

My question is whether or not this light would be suitable to grow/mount orchids in a terrarium.

I have run out of suitable spots in my apartment and need to begin mounting my plants in order to save space.

thanks!!
JIM

[jpyerry]

I am fairly certain that 15000K lighting is outside of the usable spectrum for orchids. However, you should be able to obtain a MH bulb that is closer to the 6500K color temperature that would contain more usable light for your orchids. Back when I was using HID lighting (changed over to T5 lighting because the cost was just excessive), I got better results using an HPS bulb. If you have a ballast that is capable of running both MH and HPS bulbs you can interchange them, if the ballast is strictly MH conversion bulbs to HPS are available although they can be costly. Of course, what worked for me may not work for you. Also, if you are mounting the reflector inside the terrarium you might have problems with heat buildup. Anyways, though I am not certain, but I am fairly sure 15000K is outside of the useable spectrum for orchids, but someone with more experience than me will probably know for sure.

Justin

[Ray]

Justin is right about the spectrum. In that bulb - intended to mimic the reflection of a blue sky only, with no direct sun rays - the spectrum is shifted to the UV end so much that there is very little light usable by chlorophyll.

[JYM]

Hey guys, thanks for your responses!

I found a 400w 6500k metal halide bulb that fits

Thanks again!
JIM

[jpyerry]

Just make certain that you have a balast that is designed to run a 400W lamp. Balast are designed to run at a particular wattage for a particular bulb, in the past if you wanted to run an HPS bulb you had to have an appropriately sized HPS balast. Newer, though not all, balasts are switchable so you can run either MH or HPS lamps and the electronic ones are more energy efficient than the magnetic ones, in addition to being quiter and cooler. So, if your balast is a 400W MH balast, you will be able to run your new lamp.

[1joyceh]

Your plant area looks great Jim

[Ray]

Originally Posted by JYM

Hey guys, thanks for your responses!

I found a 400w 6500k metal halide bulb that fits

Thanks again!
JIM

Can you tell us the brand and model number of the bulb? Due to its operational technology, MH bulbs are typically around 4000°K, so I'm curious what they have done to filter the output to achieve the different spectrum.

[JYM]

OK!

So the ballast is Vue Technology MH 400W AC 90-260.

And honestly I ordered the bulb on Ebay....

The specs are:

Wattage: 400W

Color Spectrum: 6,500k (Kelvin)

Base Type: Mogul SE E39

Bulb Shape: T15 Single Ended

Avg Life: 10,000hrs

Product Code: MH400WSE6K

Use For: Aquarium, Plant and Reef tanks

Other Info: Superior PARValue for Growing.

Extra Info: SuperiorQuality compared to Major Brands such as:

IceCap, Ushio, Aqualine, Iwasaki, Hamilton, Blue Life SPS

AquaMaxx, XM Megachrome, Phoenix, Elos

and heres a pic.

.....sounds kinda vague
Thanks!!
JIM

P.S. Thanks Joyce!!

[Ray]

I did some more searching, and there is technology out there - adding specific metal halide salts to the gas - to adjust the spectrum.

Be aware that they generate a lot of heat, so be careful.