Re: [aroid-l] HID Lights

From: "Albert Huntington" amh at ieee.org> on 2002.10.12 at 04:58:58(9530) Folks, The HID lights in question ( at least the metal halide ones ) are also used by the reef aquarium hobby. They provide a lot of lumens per watt of energy put in, and seem to be available in spectra that plants ( and corals ) appreciate. I have had a 400 watt unit in operation over my reef tank for quite a while and have not been visited by the DEA ( you would think that massive potting soil purchases, huge electricity and gas bill, and heated greenhouses would have garnered a little more attention... ) +More If you're considering getting one, you might also want to consider the resultant increase in your electric bill. 400 watts is basically ten flourescent lights crammed into about 1/60th the space. It gets hot and it eats a lot of energy. Running one for 10 hours a day is 300 hours a month, or about 120 kilowatt hours. I pay around 25 cents for each kwh, which adds $30 to my electric bill each month. A 1000 watt setup would add $75 to my bill - and that's the reason why I don't keep more high light plants inside. Search the web for hydroponics stores and reef aquarium suppliers, and you're sure to find a plethora of the devices for sale ... Best regards, --Albert ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the EV1 webmail system at mail.ev1.net

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