Which is better overall for a standard 110 gallon tank. I am trying to figure out which direction is best to go. I just purchased a dual ballest and I hope I chose the correct bulbs. I am looking for the best coral growth and I am also thinking of supplementing the tank with a pair of 96w actinics. Can anyone please help?
14k vs 20k 400w bulbs
- Thread starter smchais
- Start date
Young Frankenstein
New member
The higher the kelvin scale, the lower the par output, are you substituting blue color with actinicks?, I would go with 14k.
Rogger Castells
New member
A few questions, what type of ballast are you running? what is a dual ballast? are you planning on using reflectors, if so, what kind?
I personally like the 400w 20k bulbs, depending on the combination of bulb/ballast/reflector your PAR is going to change significantly.
IMO overall 20k bulbs are not meant for pure growth purposes but rather to bring out the coral colors and that to me is more important than the actual growth rate, however it is a matter of taste, I am in no rush to grow a coral garden I rather have the corals grow slow and me enjoy their color.
I find that there is absolutely no need for actinic supplementation when you run 400w 20k which represent another source of savings for me.
Also, keep in mind that the way different brand bulbs of the same kelvin temperature and wattage will actually look very different, there is also tremendous differences in the par they produce and it is not as easy as the more temp the less par.
check this website, it is a good place to start your research.
Sanjay's
I personally like the 400w 20k bulbs, depending on the combination of bulb/ballast/reflector your PAR is going to change significantly.
IMO overall 20k bulbs are not meant for pure growth purposes but rather to bring out the coral colors and that to me is more important than the actual growth rate, however it is a matter of taste, I am in no rush to grow a coral garden I rather have the corals grow slow and me enjoy their color.
I find that there is absolutely no need for actinic supplementation when you run 400w 20k which represent another source of savings for me.
Also, keep in mind that the way different brand bulbs of the same kelvin temperature and wattage will actually look very different, there is also tremendous differences in the par they produce and it is not as easy as the more temp the less par.
check this website, it is a good place to start your research.
Sanjay's
The only reason I suggested 20k or Radium with that setup is because his tank is shallow enough, and the 400w will be powerful enough to penetrate and deliver pretty decent par numbers to his corals, certainly enough to survive, and they'll probably thrive as well. If he put 10k or 14k, especially 10k, he'd probably just bring the corals to photoinhibition, which would totally negate the benefits of running 400w lights to begin with.
I still suggest investing in some quality reflectors though. They make a world of difference.
I still suggest investing in some quality reflectors though. They make a world of difference.
