back to the bulb selection! your thoughts?

[matt the fiddler]

several years ago my goal was to simulate natural light, and have blue in the start and end of the day and the brightest white in the peak.

My current lights started at that 4 years ago, but with some switches in the past [color temp with wattage] to get more blue par, etc, I have ended up with...

2 Vho actinic tubes
1- 250 Watt 10K XM
1- 400 Watt 20K XM [i really like this bulb, both for color and growth!]


SO my question, [I probably sound like I entered the hobby yesterday asking bulb color choice!]

should I still try to simulate the blue in the morning white at peak times, or bring the two halides closer together by raising the 10K to a higher rating? the downside of replacing the 250 with a 14 K or a 20K is the lack of white light... which I could put the VHO tubes on one actinic and one daylight to marginally add a bit more...

I am leaning to a 14-18 K on the 250, thought not the ones that run like low par 20Ks


btw. the 10K xm looks yellow in my tank....

my ballasts are the PFOs

my tank is a 75 gallon sps

and this is one of the few times in time in my life I am rooting for the cardinals. GO CUBS, cards please beat heck out of the brewteam.

 

[jbrunken]

I love my Phoenix 14K's. In fact, I don' t even run my T5 actinics when my halides are on... They are a very crisp white with a hint of blue.

 

[slovan]

If you're happy with the 400W XM 20K, why not just get another one?

 

[Atticus]

I run vho's 10hours with them being on 1 hour before and after my 14k halides run their 8 hours. Result is a very well balanced blue white light with full color pop not just green....

 

[matt the fiddler]

what brand and wattage is your 14k? Hamilton? I am thinking of mixing one with a 20 K, on at different time?

how many vhos do you have, and whcih of the actinics do you run?





to answer the previous question.. I am considering that.. but years ago [be it a bad decision] was won over to the having different bulbs at different times of the day is good camp. at least to get a spread of spectrum.....


Matt

 

[Atticus]

I have run the Coral view and Hamiltons, they seem very similar with a slight color edge actually going to the coral views. For VHO's I run 3 super actinics and one white actinic. This allows for a decent viewing light when the halides are not on.

 

[matt the fiddler]

I am thinking of 400W 20K XM with the 14K 250 W Hamilton, then mixing the VHO tubes - 1 white actinic, 1 super actinic03 ...
I also need to double check my ballasts... and make sure they are still in good shape after all these years.....


man, i do want a luminarc for my 400 watter

Maybe I should hold off on the 250 bulb and get that.... I can probably still push some more life out of the 10K XM.....

 

[leeweber85]

EDITED

 

[matt the fiddler]

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