Coralife T8 Replacement Lamp Actinic, 15 Watt 18"

Came burned out. I'm returning it.

Absolute garbage, worked for 2 days and died.

works great with the fish tank decor made for actinic lighting

I just purchased one of these from a different supplier (big box store). On the box, there's a picture of the spectral analysis of the bulb, which shows a peak at about 420nm and hardly anything above 500nm (which is good if you want actinic). The thing is... when I used this on my tank, I can clearly see some "white" light coming from the bulb because the algae lights up green whereas my actinic ~450nm LEDs show zero "white" (green yellow orange red) light. So for one thing, I think the spectral analysis of the bulb on the box is wrong. There is clearly a tiny hint of green/yellow light coming from this bulb, but that's not a problem. For one thing, pure blue spectrum kind of sucks if nothing fluoresces. Those hints of white (literally tiny bit) add some contrast to your tank and helps. I would definitely recommend the bulb to anyone looking for a cheap actinic solution with a T8 fixture, like a background light or something. It's not super powerful, but what do you expect from a 15Watt fluorescent bulb?

Coralife T8 Lamp (***½) is available as 10,000K Daylight, 50/50 (Combination), Actinic Bluelight, and Colormax, type of illumination/light. Each one lights up the tank in its type, but will fade over a not too long time and require a relatively cheap replacement. They are meant for use with T8 fluorescent aquarium hoods and strip lights, which rest above the aquarium top, and are compatible with electronic or magnetic ballasts. The T8 lamps maintain their brightness and color over only much, much shorter time while using 3 times more energy than LED lamps, and thus cost much more over a long time than LEDs. Each lamp is easy to install and simply snaps into the appropriate size T8 fluorescent aquarium hood or strip light.* Lamps fit into most T8 fluorescent aquarium hoods and strip lights.* 10,000K (Daylight): all-purpose white light for crisp, bright illumination.* Actinic (Blue light): deep sea illumination that intensifies the fluorescing effect of fish and corals.* 50/50: combination of 10,000K Daylight and Actinic Bluelight, i.e. mix of white/blue, that enhance fish, plants and decor.* Colormax LED: mix of white/red that boosts the appearance of natural colors.

This is a good quality fluorescent replacement bulb. It casts a blue light that is ideal for saltwater tanks. It fits snugly and I have had no issues or the obvious and annoying flickering you sometimes encounter with inexpensive lights. I have been slowly transitioning my tanks to led bulbs but my saltwater fish and plants seem to thrive with the fluorescent. It is a gentle and natural life that adds beauty and illumination to the tank.

this is a blue tinted light and has a specific use. I been using actinic bulbs for 30 years.. they work great with salt water tanks. my anemones love these lights. there is a lot to lighting when it comes to salt water tanks so you need more than just a bulb like this but its a good foundation for your reef system.

The Corallife T8 Actinic bluelight gives a deep blue underwater glow that is very peaceful to look at in a dark room. Listed for coral tanks but work well for regular tanks to. Can be used alone or with daylight bulbs. I have switched many of my lights to LED but there is something soft and warm about these fluoresce tubes.