Best 150w DE bulb.
- Thread starter BLKTANG
- Start date
michaeldaly
New member
I am using 14000K BLV nepturion bulbs and like them a lot. But, they are not blue, more of a crisp white colour.
What color, white? white/blue? blue? Highest possible par with blue flourescents to balance out the yellow?
The Aqualine 10000K (Aqualine Buschke) are crisp white with a subtle hint of blue and might be the highest par bulbs that have no yellow hue at all. They are actually a 13000K bulb without the shield and closer to 110000K with it. No yellow tint at all. Good choice for pure white/no yellow high par.
There are lower Kelvin rated bulbs with more par but varying degress of yellow. Some of the 10000K's are actually much lower than rated and have a yellow tint and higher par. Some are closer to rating and whiter. Then there are the 140000 and 15000K's with more blue, lower par. Then the 20000K with even more blue and even lower par. There is a 12.5K K Geissman which some people like.
Depends on what color you are looking for and how much par you need. I'm far from an expert BTW but anyone who helps will need to know what you are looking for more specifically.
Also, do check the Metal Halide FAQ thread at the top of this page and chekc out Sanjays website listed in that thread for comparisons of all different wattages of bulbs.
also coralreefecosystems.com has pictures of several different bulbs so you can see differences in spectrum and intensity to a lesser degree.
The Aqualine 10000K (Aqualine Buschke) are crisp white with a subtle hint of blue and might be the highest par bulbs that have no yellow hue at all. They are actually a 13000K bulb without the shield and closer to 110000K with it. No yellow tint at all. Good choice for pure white/no yellow high par.
There are lower Kelvin rated bulbs with more par but varying degress of yellow. Some of the 10000K's are actually much lower than rated and have a yellow tint and higher par. Some are closer to rating and whiter. Then there are the 140000 and 15000K's with more blue, lower par. Then the 20000K with even more blue and even lower par. There is a 12.5K K Geissman which some people like.
Depends on what color you are looking for and how much par you need. I'm far from an expert BTW but anyone who helps will need to know what you are looking for more specifically.
Also, do check the Metal Halide FAQ thread at the top of this page and chekc out Sanjays website listed in that thread for comparisons of all different wattages of bulbs.
also coralreefecosystems.com has pictures of several different bulbs so you can see differences in spectrum and intensity to a lesser degree.
michaeldaly
New member
Yips the BLV is supposedly the same bulb as the Ushio 14000K GS menstioned.
Remember too the ballast you are firing the bulb with will have an effect on color. I like my XDE 150 watt 10K bulbs...I run one on each end of a 125 with an XDE 250 watt 10K bulb in the center. All lights are run on ARO electronic ballasts and the 250 is much more yellow than the 150's are. I have no actintic supplementation. They may be more yellow if fired by HQI than electronic. Find a local reef club and go look at others tanks or LFS tanks, make sure and check what the equipment firing them is. This is the best way to get an idea of how it will look on your tank.
I snapped this this morning so excuse the mess in the tank, I am cleaning and doing a water change.
FTS, notice the center section is more yellow, that is where the 250 is.
I snapped this this morning so excuse the mess in the tank, I am cleaning and doing a water change.
FTS, notice the center section is more yellow, that is where the 250 is.
Thats the beauty of the Aqualine 10000's . They are comparable in par to the XM's but with a color temperature of about 3500K higher. It's a crisp white bulb with a subtle hint of blue as opposed to the XM which can have a yellow tint. But like sirreal said, the ballast may have an impact.
