Bulb search 2008?

[jade76]

Im changing my bulbs soon. Im running 2- 4" 96w true acintic VHO's and 2- 250w single end 15000k XM's right now and I really dont like the xm 15000's. I was looking at either the ushio 10000k's or the phoneix 14000k's.

My question is this, Ive been looking for the phoenix 14000k's in the mogal base and cant find them anywhere. Do they even make them? If not Im gonna go with the ushios 10000k's as Ive heard they are really crisp white and Ill just have to hope that my acintics are strong enough to balance it out to give my corals some pop.

 

[skriz]

Phoenix doesn't make SE bulbs.

BUT, ushio makes a great 14k; it's crisp white with a hint of blue and a ton of actinic. If you can supplement it with some blue (not necessarily actinic, just blue), it can be the best bulb.

 

[jade76]

Skriz;224936 wrote: Phoenix doesn't make SE bulbs.

cool. well in that case, Ill probably go with the ushio....my only dilema now is wheather to go with the 14 or the 10's. Id like to increase my par, but I dont want to out work any effects my acintics put out and end up having a colorless tank.

 

[skriz]

I've tried a TON of bulbs and have come up with some hard data that'll save you a ton of $$.

Don't worry about par. You'll still get great growth with a 14k or 20k bulb. Heck, almost anything is going to be better than the xm 15k anyway! Par is worth only so much..you must be able to enjoy looking at your tank and the colouration of your corals, otherwise it's not worth it. Who cares if the coral is huge if it's brown? (not that there's anything wrong with brown...)

The xm 20k is a nice bulb. As is the reeflux 12k.

 

[jade76]

thanks raj...that really does put things in perspective.:doh:

 

[skriz]

no problem Jeff! I've learned it the hard way...so save your cash and go with what looks the best to you. The corals will grow!

 

[sailfish]

Here is a data base of info on bulbs. I agree with raj about better color over growth.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting">http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting</a>

Joe

 

[blind1993]

i have some ushio 10k, 175w when i set it up tommorow ill show you the pics.

 

[acroholic]

Definitily +1 on what Joe and Raj said!
Dave

 

[drnecropolis]

I bought some Reef Optics 14k SE 250's and I have to say for $33 a bulb they are fantastic... Nice balance of white and blue. They compare to Phoenix's 14ks easily at half the price..

If you want I can snap a pic in the AM

 

[johnr2604]

DrNecropolis;225009 wrote: I bought some Reef Optics 14k SE 250's and I have to say for $33 a bulb they are fantastic... Nice balance of white and blue. They compare to Phoenix's 14ks easily at half the price..

If you want I can snap a pic in the AM

Yep, color turned out nice. We will have to see what the Par is.

 

[drnecropolis]

johnr2604;225010 wrote: Yep, color turned out nice. We will have to see what the Par is.

Agreed..Need to get on that 2 year waiting list, lol
Glad to get that dam ghetto azz canopy off and the new one on..

need to throw some pics of john super handi work..
+1 to the master

 

[ralph atl]

you can't go wrong w ushio 14k and, it is really nice. ab 13k is pretty sweet too.

 

[skriz]

ares;225015 wrote: doesnt par determine the color? I know actinic and temp affects how the color LOOKS. but many corals themselves turn brown under low light, all the actinic in the world wont make them look white/blue/purple; or am I misled...

No, par doesn't determine colour at all. You can have the same par with different colour bulbs.

Actinic is just a fancy way of describing a spike in a certain wavelength range...it makes the corals "pop" or have that "glow".

The ushio 14k has great par (close to 10k) and very strong actinic. What it lacks is the blue spectrum. If you add some blue, it's the perfect bulb.

 

[ralph atl]

now I'm confused! I thought actinic was 420 (3), which was a true blue color. Just not spread out. Please correct me. ?

 

[glxtrix]

mmmm Reeflux 12K That will be my only bulb if I had 250's.

 

[tomphot]

I'm using 10k with VHO Actinics - the Actinics add just enough blue and the 10k really helps with the growth I'm looking for.
Since you already have the Actinics for the blue - use 10k IMO

 

[skriz]

mysterybox;225120 wrote: now I'm confused! I thought actinic was 420 (3), which was a true blue color. Just not spread out. Please correct me. ?

420 is blue in colour, but what you need for a bulb to look more "blue" is 450. The ushio doesn't need more 420, but does need more 450.

 

[thedeper]

How are the Phoenix 14k bulbs? I have heard they have a good mixture of blue and still can get good growth out of them. I am currently running just the stock current-usa 14k bulb and would like to upgrade to something that is more blue but not overwhelming, if that makes any sense...

 

[frugalfish]

I have 3 of the Phoenix 14k 250 bulbs over my 150 with the new Lumenex Elite reflectors. I supplimented with additional T5 Actinics, but I prefer a blue-er spectrum. I have been very happy with the the Phoenix bulbs.

I have seen a few tanks with Ushio bulbs and really liked the coloring as well though.