FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Good morning everyone. I just recently upgraded my lighting with 7 x 4ft sunblaster high output. I am loving the light intensity but not enjoying the heat it is producing. I am growing many different mexican butterworts, heliamphora, and cephalotus. I have the lights about 9 inches above the butterworts. I feel that I am drying them out with the heat. I know the higher I raise the lights the lesser the lumens. With the reflectors on the sunblaster's am I really loosing that many lumens despite sunblaster claiming you get 300% more lumens with these reflectors?


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You can move that light 2' above the plants and still get enough light to grow them well.

I have mine almost 30" above my heliamphora and they still color up perfectly

I use Sunblaster all the way in my setup. I can said 7x 48inches t5 tubes is a waste of money. The max light i throw on each tank is 2x 48inches tube and my plants are almost black.
And 7 tubes side to side will push a LOT of heat, even with electronic balasts, but i dont think your plant suffer from the heat, but from too much light.

With reflectors, you just redirecting the lost light(+L).

Here a heliamphora minor var minor grown under a SINGLE 48inches tube.


A heliamphora minor 'burgundy-black'
Under a single 24(!)inches T5 Sunblaster, plant 2 inches under the light.


Like you can see, the Sunblaster technology is far away, no need to add so many tubes because for me its simply the best light in the world.

Francois

[quote="Cory"]You can move that light 2' above the plants and still get enough light to grow them well. I have mine almost 30" above my heliamphora and they still color up perfectly[/quote

Thanks Cory unfortunately I am using the t5 stand don't think I can raise them that high but will raise it from 12.5 inches from ground to 16-17 inches. What is your light time schedule?


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Maiden wrote:I use Sunblaster all the way in my setup. I can said 7x 48inches t5 tubes is a waste of money. The max light i throw on each tank is 2x 48inches tube and my plants are almost black.
And 7 tubes side to side will push a LOT of heat, even with electronic balasts, but i dont think your plant suffer from the heat, but from too much light.

With reflectors, you just redirecting the lost light(+L).

Here a heliamphora minor var minor grown under a SINGLE 48inches tube.


A heliamphora minor 'burgundy-black'
Under a single 24(!)inches T5 Sunblaster, plant 2 inches under the light.


Like you can see, the Sunblaster technology is far away, no need to add so many tubes because for me its simply the best light in the world.

Francois

I love looking at your plants Maiden! They are absolutely beautiful. I have over 51 pots of butterworts, heliamphora and cephalotus. I don't think 1 or 2 strips would provide enough coverage and lumens for my plants. I have an open system no tanks here. I wish I had a lux meter on hand to find the proper settings for my light. But I will say sunblaster is an amazing product.


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Yeah if you have a LOT of plants, then you need a LOT of light. I forgot to think about that

Thanks for your kind words !!

PitcherLover40 wrote:

Cory wrote:You can move that light 2' above the plants and still get enough light to grow them well.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414616413.022282.jpg

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1414616457.275164.jpg

I have mine almost 30" above my heliamphora and they still color up perfectly[/quote

Thanks Cory unfortunately I am using the t5 stand don't think I can raise them that high but will raise it from 12.5 inches from ground to 16-17 inches. What is your light time schedule?


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Yes
Raise the stand up more lol.

12 hours is plenty