best 150w de MH bulb
- Thread starter Giovanni
- Start date
thebicyclecafe
New member
Aqualine AB 10,000K, or Ushio 10,000K both good bulbs, pricey, but the spectrum is clean and promotes the growth of shallow water organisms like SPS and clams. 20,000K contains too little PAR for most SPS. From what I hear though, you can and should only use the coralife bulb for that fixture? It doesn't have a glass cover, merely this tiny little half shell that covers the bottom of the bulb.
Coralife claims that their bulb is UV filtering (which may after all, just be a marketing scheme), but one can safely say that any non-UV filtering DE bulb you put in there will leach out UV radiation from the reflective rays. (The top of the bulb isn't covered).
If you have a glass cover installed you'll probably be fine.
Coralife claims that their bulb is UV filtering (which may after all, just be a marketing scheme), but one can safely say that any non-UV filtering DE bulb you put in there will leach out UV radiation from the reflective rays. (The top of the bulb isn't covered).
If you have a glass cover installed you'll probably be fine.
Giovanni
AKA Flippa
I do not use a glass top on my tank. I could just install a thin piece of glass in the fixture where the little grill is and remove the 3/4 glass shell all together. Is there a particular type of glass I should use? I did run the XDE bulb for about 6 months without any ill efects, but I only has frog spawn near the top at the time.
IndyReefMan
New member
The bicyclecafe is right about only running the coralife bulb in that fixture. I tried the Phoenix 14K with it and had huge UV problems. I could only run it about two hours/day with out my sps starting to bleach. I tried a glass plate where the metal diffuser is and that didn't work at all. Finally, I did a google search and found a product called Lexan... no more UV problems at all now. I can run my Phoenix 14K bulbs with no problems at all. Beware-- do not just insert the lexan where the metal diffuser is. It can't handle that much heat. It will start to bubble and turn brown. Instead, I inserted a thin sheet of glass where the diffuser goes... this helps dissipate the heat. Then, I used metal clips to attach the lexan to the fixture. It works like a charm. I've also seen that laminated glass works well reducing UV. I just haven't been able to find a retailer who will bother to cut such small pieces for me. It just doesn't seem to be worth their time.
IndyReefMan
New member
Yes. I ordered mine from here--
http://www.polymerplastics.com/transparents_lexan.shtml
Remember, don't insert the lexan where the metal diffusre grill is. It can't handle the heat that close to the bulb. Instead, insert a 1/4" piece of regular glass where the metal diffuser grill is. Any picture framing or glass store can cut it for you. Then, mount the lexan outside of that. In other words, the 1/4"glass should be in between the bulb and the lexan. This is very important because that lexan can not handle that kind of heat. The glass will help dissipate the heat. There are different ways to 'rig' the lexan. I used metal clips (the kind used to hold stacks of paper together-- not small paper clips, but the large black kind). I then attached the clips to the edges that stick out of the fixture along the long side of the fixture. While holding the Lexan in place next to the 1/4" glass, I then folded the clip so that it bends back toward the Lexan and holds it right in place. I'd take some pics for you if I has access to a dig camera. You might be able to think of a different way to mount it--- just use your imagination. The Lexan is very lightweight so it's not hard at all.
http://www.polymerplastics.com/transparents_lexan.shtml
Remember, don't insert the lexan where the metal diffusre grill is. It can't handle the heat that close to the bulb. Instead, insert a 1/4" piece of regular glass where the metal diffuser grill is. Any picture framing or glass store can cut it for you. Then, mount the lexan outside of that. In other words, the 1/4"glass should be in between the bulb and the lexan. This is very important because that lexan can not handle that kind of heat. The glass will help dissipate the heat. There are different ways to 'rig' the lexan. I used metal clips (the kind used to hold stacks of paper together-- not small paper clips, but the large black kind). I then attached the clips to the edges that stick out of the fixture along the long side of the fixture. While holding the Lexan in place next to the 1/4" glass, I then folded the clip so that it bends back toward the Lexan and holds it right in place. I'd take some pics for you if I has access to a dig camera. You might be able to think of a different way to mount it--- just use your imagination. The Lexan is very lightweight so it's not hard at all.
IndyReefMan
New member
Here's a great article that discusses the effects of UV-A and UV-B on corals. It also compares the UV transmission properties of various materials (glass, lexan, etc.). You'll see that regular glass does very little to stop the transmission of UV radiation.--
http://www.masla.com/reef/uvlighting.html
http://www.masla.com/reef/uvlighting.html
