Equivalent of VHO super actinic?

[plancton]

Hi, I use T5s, a friend of mine uses MH with VHO as actinic supplementation and the color is amazing, specially on acans. He says he uses URI super actinic, which he says its actinic 03.

I heard the UVL super actinic is the same lighting, but I´m not sure, and I really don´t know if it has the same effect or intensity if using individual parabolic reflectors. My friend says he believes nothing comes close to the URI super actinic and that it probably has more PAR than any T5 bulb with individual parabolic reflectors.

Any comments on this?, I´m figuring out if I should change my t5 actinic supplementation for VHO actinics.

[nikon187]

VHO super actinic is the nicest actinic on the market hands down for colour pop. It really has low par though not high at all. All super actinic / pure actinc bulbs have low par

[plancton]

yeah but is it lower than the PAR on say a UVL super actinic t5?. Is the UVL super actinic t5 the t5 equivalent?

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15516691#post15516691 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by plancton
Hi, I use T5s, a friend of mine uses MH with VHO as actinic supplementation and the color is amazing, specially on acans. He says he uses URI super actinic, which he says its actinic 03.

I heard the UVL super actinic is the same lighting, but I´m not sure, and I really don´t know if it has the same effect or intensity if using individual parabolic reflectors. My friend says he believes nothing comes close to the URI super actinic and that it probably has more PAR than any T5 bulb with individual parabolic reflectors.

Any comments on this?, I´m figuring out if I should change my t5 actinic supplementation for VHO actinics.

UVL is the newer name for URI. They are the same company, same lamps. The UVL T12 VHO 03 (super actinic) is the same lamp. It has a spectral peak at 420nm. The "equivalent" lamp in T5 are called super, pure or true actinics, depending on what company makes them. They also have a spectral peak at 420nm. UVL also makes a T5 super actinic.

With that said, the T12 VHO super actinic is a better lamp than the T5's in terms of color as nikon mentions. The color of the T5
version is just not the same. It is more of a blue/violet. It just doesnt match the T12 VHO in terms of the deeper violet color or corals flourescence/pop. In terms of output however, the T5 with reflector directs more light into the tank. I can supplement my halides with either two T5 or two T12 VHO. I have tried both lamps on the Icecap 660 ballast. The in tank output of the overdriven super actinic T5's (80 watts) with reflector is easily higher compared to the two 110 watt T12 VHO super actinics. But the color of the T12 super actinics is better.
Even at 54 watts, the output of the T5's with reflectors was higher in the tank.

So bottom line is that you trade the superior color of the T12 VHO super actinic for higher output of the T5 version with reflectors.
Its an individual decision.