The induction lamps that we can’t get enough of lately are already available here and there in a self-ballasted package which is ready to be screwed into a mogul or edison base. Both the globe, circular and tubular form factors of induction lamps are being made in power levels from 15 watts all the way up to 80 watts and for very reasonable prices too. A small 15 watt self-ballasted induction lamp can be had for as little as $40 all the way up to around $100 for the 80 watt versions. So far all of the screw-in induction lamp are designed with general lighting in mind so they shine light in 360 degrees and you’d want to capture 180 degrees of that with a reflector for aquarium use.
Like the screw-in CFL lamps which were first widely used for aquariums as supplemental and refugium lighting, and which are all but eclipsing the traditional heatglobe incandescent light, the self-ballasted induction lamps could fill a very similar role. All of the screw-in induction lamps we’ve come across so far have a nominal color temperature of 5000K but for the price, performance and lifetime of the lamp, a couple blue ReefBrite XHO or CoralSky SL2 LED strips should be able to balance out the yellowish white color while making an affordable high intensity lighting system that produces minimal heat and lasts a really long time.
