Hi Mike
If Aaron gave you the full EI amounts then you won't need to up that, as the original EI experiments were done with silly amounts and duration of lighting (5-6wpg and 12 hour duration). We're not even getting close to that
. I'm sure Aaron will confirm this next time he's around.
The lamps linked above are HO. It's in the small text next to the Osram symbol. Do yourself a favour and check out this page of lamps
http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs- ... Watt-549mm. These are only £3-£4 each as opposed to the £7.50 for the Osram lamp you linked to, and they'll still grow your plants, and they are HO too. Bargain.
Sorry, just me being a cheapskate
.
Might be worth getting 2 different colour lamps too, as 2 of one type can sometimes be a bit harsh on the eye, but it's whatever suits your tastes.
One thing I learnt from Clive round here is there are only two reasons you should ever have to change a lamp, despite what the manufacturers tell you about efficiencies etc. 1. If it don't work when you switch it on
or 2. If you fancy looking at a different colour in your tank
. Mind you at £3-£4 a lamp it wouldn't break the bank if you fancied changing them, unlike the Rio 180 I've got. They want £25-£30 a tube
. I don't think so. Special wattage to length ratio that I can't find anywhere, except Juwel retailers. I feel a mod coming on when the ballast or a tube goes, whichever comes first.
If you want to see what the various colour mixtures look like check out this excellent link by JamesC
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=555
Chris