Insane Blue with Reeflux 12K????

[IMPERATORFAN]

I run 3 400 watt SE reeflux 10k's on M59 ballast. I think it's pretty well understood that these lights bring out outrageous iridescent blue color in many corals. This effect seems to last for 1-2 months for most.

I was wondering if any 12k reeflux users could let me know if this happens with these bulbs as well. I'm thinking of switching and I'd really like to still have that effect even if it's for a limited time. I plan on switching 1 or 2 of my 4 vho's from actinic to 50/50 to keep the tank a crisp white/blue.

I'm also hopeful that the 12k's have less of the pinkish color that the 10k's produce.

Any thoughts??

 

[manderx]

i was hoping for the same thing when i went from RF10K to RF12K, but it doesn't. it's a very nice blue bulb (my favorite), but seems to really be no relation to the RF10K.

 

[PUGroyale]

Tagging along here...

I Emailed David @ CoralVue for any info he might have on the PAR/PPFD on the 12k's since Sanjay hasn't tested them yet. CV doesn't/hasn't tested them either

I've been enjoying friggin' ridiculous blue's with the 10k's too
But like you, have been considering the 12k's for the same reasons...

 

[Kip]

just looked at the 400wSE CV reeflux 10ks on m59 on sanjay's site... 100ppfd and CCT off the chart (must be a pretty darn blue 10k)... usually as you go high in K... ppfd falls (per same brand/same wattage)... so i'd guestimate that the CV RF12k would be < 100ppfd and still a CCT off the chart (super blue)

the spectral plot looks like a Radium... wonder why they named the bulb 10k?

 

[nwrogers]

Can you fire the CV reeflux bulbs on a PFO 400watt Pulse Start ballast? I am thinking of switching from my Radiums to a CV reeflux 10k or 12k. Does the 10k reeflux look like a Radium to the eye?

 

[Frankysreef]

helios 20k has best blue hands down!

 

[REEF-DADDY]

My 250 whitened up over time but the colors are still great. Better that the hqi driven Radiums on either side. I run 2 400w Radiums on the ends and the 250w Reeflux in the middle, but thats a story for another day. In the 250w version growth was painfully slow. IME my tank does best with a PPFD of better than 130 on the outsides and the middle with a lower light bulb for my less light loving stock. I would switch the Radiums out for 12k's in a heartbeat but like Kip said I suspect PPFD <100.

 

[twon8]

the cct is off the chart because he can't compute the cct for 400w bulbs, its not that blue; taken from sanjay's site:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2005/feature.html

The Coralvue Reeflux 10000K is a rather interesting lamp, which should have a more appealing look given that it has the large spike at 452 nm which is typical of the “20000K” lamps but has additional peaks at 534, 588 and 670 nm which should help in “whitening” the appearance of the lamp. The 250W lamp had a correlated color temperature ranging from 10093K- 17060K depending on the ballast used. The 400W lamp has a very similar spectral profile but with different spectral irradiance the software was unable to compute the CCT for this lamp.

 

[nwrogers]

Looks like the lamp with the highest PAR is the CoralVue 20000K. I must say I was surprised when I read this. Is anyone using the 400w CV20k? How is growth? Do they produce nice blues?

 

[IMPERATORFAN]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I'll have to stick with the 10k's since it sounds like going with the 12's would be no different than going with any other (lowish par) blue bulb. I would have switched if I could've still kept that 2 months of outrageous blue.


nwrogers: I am running the standard PFO 400 watt ballast with no problem. Hope I was referring to them correctly when I said M59?


twon's quote from Sanjay holds true for the 400watt 10k's on my ballast. The bulb is not too blue IMO. I still supplement with the actinics and have no where near the blue look of 20k tanks.

 

[PatrickJ]

IMO, Coralvue 10KK Reeflux are the bulb that you want.

Really good bulb. The 12KK from Coralvue, can be alittle blue for some peoples taste.

 

[PatrickJ]

Hey do you ever check out CoralConnection?

 

[mwood]

If you want insane blue, try the 400w evc 14k bulb. It's got a lot more blue purple than the radium had. Lots of actinic too.

 

[IMPERATORFAN]

PatrickJ: Yes, I do go to CC. He's got a really nice shop. How is it that you are a resident of Luling and Fresno?

mwood: The insane blue we're talking about with the reeflux is only visible on certain blue toned corals. The water/rock/sand has very little blue tint to it with these bulbs. Check out posts by Pugroyale for an excellent illustration of this. I'm pretty sure that most of these other higher kelvin bulbs produce great blues ... but it's an evenly distributed blue color cast over everthing in the tank.

 

[manderx]

If you want insane blue, try the 400w evc 14k bulb. It's got a lot more blue purple than the radium had. Lots of actinic too.

the insane blue he's looking for isn't the overall appearance of the bulb, but what the RF10K does to blue corals. it makes them glow the same way actinic makes greens glow. truely amazing, gotta see it to believe it. never seen another bulb do anything even remotely similar.

 

[mwood]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8129553#post8129553 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by manderx
the insane blue he's looking for isn't the overall appearance of the bulb, but what the RF10K does to blue corals. it makes them glow the same way actinic makes greens glow. truely amazing, gotta see it to believe it. never seen another bulb do anything even remotely similar.

Which spike is doing that do you suppose?

 

[PatrickJ]

IMPERATORFAN,

I moved due to Katrina because I had not college to go to, so a school in California took me in for free, but I moved back to Luling, UNO opened back up.

 

[PUGroyale]

For purposes of illustration...

no camera adjustment no photoshop... just Reeflux 10k

 

[PatrickJ]

I beleive it. I seen corals change from brown to freaking blue under these bulbs in under 2 weeks.

 

[mwood]

So these corals are getting something under reeflux that a general 10 isn't providing? Has anyone seen a coral color up going from xm10k to reeflux?