I was thinking about why would a smartlite not be as good as a britelite?

Well, plants can use the wavelengths that an actinic bulb puts out, but I
believe in most of the websites I have ever searched about lighting, it
seems to follow a trend that the lower the color temperature of the light
(provided it is full spectrum), the more 'intensity' or energy you get from
the light. I believe the term PAR is used to describe the amount of energy
delivered by the bulb to photosynthetic organisms.

I am basing most of my observations from analysis of various metal halide
bulbs on the market, where 10,000K bulbs produce less PAR than a 6,500K or
even 5,500K bulb of equivalent wattage. Maybe this doesn't hold true with
compact fluorescents? :-\

"LeighMo" wrote in message
...

One thing -- if you go the Custom Sealife route, get the Smartlite instead
of
the Britelite. They are exactly the same, except the Smartlite is 50%
actinic.
You really don't need actinic light over a planted tank, so you're better
off
with a Britelite, unless you're running a reef tank. (If you already
bought a
Smartlite, it's not too late; just buy a Britelite bulb when it comes time
to
replace it. They are interchangeable.)