How often do you replace your Metal Halides?

[nickg]

Yeah me two.... We can all take diving lessons in that tank....

 

[camellia]

nickg;1051105 wrote: I know CoralVue has their 175 watt bulbs discontinued. They are selling them for $32 each. I bought some 400 watts and have been happy with them. But all others I run are Radiums. Phoenix are totally gone I believe. Go with their 20k if you order from them. Phoenix 14k are bluer than most others. They work well for me.

Your right, not a Phoenix to be found and CoralVue is sold out of their 175 W.
I've got the adjustable Lumatic (SP) ballast so can go up in wattage if I have to but was happy with 175 W, 14K and don't really want the additional heat.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks

Hey Dave, that's a pretty old article do you think it's correct? My lighting isn't near the intensity as yours.
My single Radion is centered in a 4' (75 gallon) with the wide angle lens. It doesn't light up the sides where my SPS are located enough on its own.
I went with the MH's instead of another Radion just for the SPS. However this summer I've lost about 50% to RTN. I'm not sure the RTN is over but I'm not stocking more SPS any time soon.

I'm contributing the RTN to starting up GFO and reducing feedings when I left town... This could be 100% wrong but it's the only major "change" that occurred.

Any suggestions for single end 175 or 200 Watt bulbs that will give me the color like the 14K Phoenix?

Thanks

 

[camellia]

Seth The Wine Guy;1051240 wrote: Cause there's a lot of brown stuff that builds up. (Algae)
Wear on bulbs happens at firing. I run dual light cycles. Six on, six off. So, that's a year's worth of use by typical use standards. I'll probably go longer since now one of my cycles is 100% LED and the other is 100% MH. I have enough lighting power to run either one exclusively so it affords me a lot of freedom.

I let the tank tell me when in all honesty. There's no defined timer I put on them. When I see unfamiliar algae growing on the glass or a change in my corals when all else has stayed constant, I change the bulbs and see an immediate improvement. Seems the bulbs help grow algae when the spectrum starts shifting too much.

Hey Seth,

No noticed increase in algae but running GFO could have disguised that issue?

What bulbs do you recommend for me Seth?


Are we going to see a build thread on this 20K monster?
You know the saying, without pic's it never happened. Obviously it hasn't happened yet but hope to see some pic's when it does.

 

[camellia]

aXio;1051118 wrote: Should be changed every 8 months to a year.

Do you have any 175W, 14K or? In the store J?
Thanks

Picked up a few fish from you guys a few weeks ago and brought you some freebies.
What do you do all day, you're never at the store :yes:

(Some day maybe someone will tell me how to put multiple quotes in one post!)

 

[nickg]

Grab 250 watt. Try them under driven. I currently have 250/400 watt adjustable ballast as well. 90% of the time I am running them at 250. Bulbs are always 400 watt bulbs. I pump them up here and there for a week...

175's are becoming g VERY rare in a "better" bulb.