CFL and LED difference

[Rodgie]

Greetings everyone,

I’m looking at a CFL bulb with 900 lumens and, LED 821 lumens. Now I’m setting up a walstad method but the light have is the 821 lumens LED. But CFL bulb is recommended in this method. A guy in YouTube is using the 900 lumens CFL one and his tank is already 7 months old and I can say that it’s Succesful with massive plant growth.

Can I also just use my LED, be succesful perhaps with siesta (8 or 10 hours with 4 hours lights off in between)? I really want to find out the difference between this lights

Thank you,
Rodgie

 

[zozo]

CFL could in a way be described as a compact version of a TL. Since it is much more compact more performance can be put in a smaller unit.
LED light is as technicaly a completely different product. but when it comes to light there is not much of a difference. there are different colors in all types cfl. led and tl so in all types you can choose the color you prefer. As long is this is a white light between 2700k and 10.000k plants will grow under it. Your eyes decide what's most beautifull.

Lumens do not say much, it's a far cry, without a PAR meter you can never argue with the label. 🙂

The differenc in this is LEDs themself don't use a reflector, they beam light straight down in a 120° angle.. If there is a different angle specified than it usual is a led lamp with a lens.

A CFL or a TL radiates light in 360° and needs a reflector to reflect all light it radiates up down again wich spills performance.

From that point of view the led is more sufficient it beams all down and has no loss via the reflector.

But what we don't realy know is how the heck did the manufacturer determine the lumens on a cfl? WIth reflector or without it in one direction? That is not specified. If it is measured in one direction than what the reflector bounces back down should be an extra. So this can't be considered a loss. In that case logicaly thinking a 900 lumen CFL should give more light than a 900 lumen LED. In the led industry usualy only the performance of one single chip is specified. Since led lamps/strips are build out of several small light source units, single diode chips in a circuit. If the factory specs of the led builder says one diode for example gives 40 lumens.. Than you usualy read that the lam fixture builder says it's 900 lumen led fixture when it contains 23 LEDs. 23x40 is about 900.. In how far this is a true calculation?? Without realy measuring it with a proper device it's just a rule of thumb work for us. We don't know and with looking at it with our naked eyes we can only say bright or not so bright.. 😉

 

[Rodgie]

Thank you zozo,

The LED says 7k brightness. So I guess this isn’t too much. And I know, only a par reading can guarantee me if my light is low, med or high. But I doubt this is high light anyway. I’m just trying to make sure that I can keep a balance of everything using this light, I don’t wanna spend extra bucks to get a lamp and CFL where I have a LED that might work.

In your opinion, you think I can get away with this tank using a 4:4:4 siesta routine of light? Or since it’s 821 lumens only I’ll probably make the photoperiod a little bit longer?

 

[zozo]

The LED says 7k brightness.

K stands for degree Kelvin, that's color scale spec.. Also a very questionable spec regarding accuracy and not that important.
2700K is the average start with Warm White color towards the Red and 10.000K more a Cold White towards the Blue anything halfway in between is more nutral or called natural white. 🙂 I've used them all and had 10000k looking more pink than blue.. Seems manufacturers probably don't know what else to say and call it 10000k. So don't take it all to serious..

In your opinion, you think I can get away with this tank using a 4:4:4 siesta routine of light? Or since it’s 821 lumens only I’ll probably make the photoperiod a little bit longer?

Good question 🙂 but not for me, i don't believe in siestas for plants.. Siesta is for Speedy Gonzales on a hot day.. imho plants need a solid photoperiode resambling what they get in natural habitat.. So that would be at least 12 hours straight. If you can go there with the current intensity i can't know, it's a mater of trail and error, give it a go.. You can reduce intensity or shorten the period if this doesn't work out as you wish, whatever feels best for you. I have no personal opinion on short periods, i don't go there with opinions nor discussions, i lower my intensity.. Because i think plants need light and not darknes.. But if it works for you 🙂 than it works for you, who am i to say it doesn't, what else can i say.. Nespresso What Else!

Success!

 

[Rodgie]

Haha you’re funny. Okay I guess I’ll just do try siesta first. It’s gonna be a walstad tank. No Co2 or excel so a siesta would benefit my set up to give my plants good amount of Co2 for both period of lights rather than 8 hour a straight where they might use up most of the Co2 and 2-3 hours is still remaining in the light and our best friend algae’s would come and play.

 

[zozo]

Haha you’re funny. Okay I guess I’ll just do try siesta first. It’s gonna be a walstad tank. No Co2 or excel so a siesta would benefit my set up to give my plants good amount of Co2 for both period of lights rather than 8 hour a straight where they might use up most of the Co2 and 2-3 hours is still remaining in the light and our best friend algae’s would come and play.

That siesta thing is a funny and rather contradictive believe concept.. Maybe you missed this expaination in a previous thread you've been active in as well.

Therefore, the so-called "siesta" does nothing to improve the ability of plants to resist algal attacks.

There is no data that verifies the authors claims but there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.

https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/lighting-photoperiod-rest.51380/#post-504767

 

[Rodgie]

Oh I understand that it’s counterproductive on other set up (high tech, low tech with excel). But, I believe in D. Walstad method with just soil and gravel substrate that siesta is a must to give plants abundant amount of Co2 every time the lights are on. Below is the link of walstad’s data of her test with siesta regime.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/el-natural/67271-lighting-siesta-co2.html