its not as bright as i thought it'd be. i picked up a used jbj k2viper 150w mh setup. i took off my hood on my nano and put it on. turned it on and man was i depressed. it wasn't very bright at all. supposedly thelamp in it is a 14k phoenix but it wasn't very blue nor bright. i was sad, so i cut the crap out of my nano hood and stuck it in with my PCs. looks better now with the PC and 150w mh but im still sad. any one have any suggestions? that sucker does run hot though and the shimmer on the water is nice. i believe its a magnetic ballast.
just got my 150w MH yesterday
- Thread starter maxdout
- Start date
How old are the bulbs? Maybe the bulb needs replacement. Also - the bulb temperature makes a HUGE difference in brightness. When I had 2x250K 10K XM bulbs over my tank, I never had to turn on the lights in my living room. When I swapped out to 14K XM, I occassionally had to turn on the lights. Recently, the bulbs were changed to 20K XM bulbs, and my room isn't very well lit at all.
MrMikeB
New member
Max,
I had recently purchased a 250W MH setup with 10k bulbs (actually written on the bulb), but the bulbs, which was supposed to be 4 mos old was more like 14k, and I could look right at it without going blind. I just replaced it with a new 250W XM 10k, and WOW, my fish need shades.
Why do you think it might be the ballast?
Side note: Minh, when you ran the XM 10k, where your colors really yellow? - like 6500k range? All my lovely corals look dull and green/brown with all that yellow. I was hoping it would turn more of a crisp white... had them for a week and a half so far.
I had recently purchased a 250W MH setup with 10k bulbs (actually written on the bulb), but the bulbs, which was supposed to be 4 mos old was more like 14k, and I could look right at it without going blind. I just replaced it with a new 250W XM 10k, and WOW, my fish need shades.
Why do you think it might be the ballast?
Side note: Minh, when you ran the XM 10k, where your colors really yellow? - like 6500k range? All my lovely corals look dull and green/brown with all that yellow. I was hoping it would turn more of a crisp white... had them for a week and a half so far.
im not thinking its the ballast. im thinking its the bulb. sorry for the confusion. i found out also its not a phoenix 14k, its just the stock jbj 14k POS. So i guess i will be getting either a phoenix or reeflux bulb. Still debating between the 10k or 14k. Supposedly the reeflux gives better growth but less blue, i do have my PC for actinic so maybe i will go that route.
Unarce
Unshackled
Hey Max,
JBJ bulbs just plain suck:lol:
The Reeflux 10K has large spikes in the blue and red spectrum, so it's not necessarily a true full spectrum bulb. It works best with actinics, for overall coloration.
The Phoenix 14K is basically a 20K bulb, and will give a nice contrast to the pigments in the 550nm and up.
If that's too blue for you, try the AB 10K, which is really a 13K look. A Giesemann Megachrome Blue will probably fall in the 15K range. They're pricey German bulbs, but well worth the quality.
JBJ bulbs just plain suck:lol:
The Reeflux 10K has large spikes in the blue and red spectrum, so it's not necessarily a true full spectrum bulb. It works best with actinics, for overall coloration.
The Phoenix 14K is basically a 20K bulb, and will give a nice contrast to the pigments in the 550nm and up.
If that's too blue for you, try the AB 10K, which is really a 13K look. A Giesemann Megachrome Blue will probably fall in the 15K range. They're pricey German bulbs, but well worth the quality.
MrMikeB
New member
SE bulbs. Great light output, just really close to the 6500k spectrum. I supplement with actinic to try to get it whiter, but the bulbs are just too overpowering. - sorry, will refrain from hijacking Max's thread. 
Max, I had a JBJ bulb in a 150W pendent over my nano and can confirm the lighting was just horrible - looked more like strong PC with shimmer than what I would expect for a MH. I ended up selling the light recently (w/ the disclaimer to replace the bulb of course).
Max, I had a JBJ bulb in a 150W pendent over my nano and can confirm the lighting was just horrible - looked more like strong PC with shimmer than what I would expect for a MH. I ended up selling the light recently (w/ the disclaimer to replace the bulb of course).
Unarce
Unshackled
Originally posted by MrMikeB
SE bulbs. Great light output, just really close to the 6500k spectrum. I supplement with actinic to try to get it whiter, but the bulbs are just too overpowering. - sorry, will refrain from hijacking Max's thread.
Max, I had a JBJ bulb in a 150W pendent over my nano and can confirm the lighting was just horrible - looked more like strong PC with shimmer than what I would expect for a MH. I ended up selling the light recently (w/ the disclaimer to replace the bulb of course).
Quality control can be an issue with certain manufacturers, where the gases are inconsistent. XM's are great bulbs for the value, but they're not German quality.
The nipple orientation can play a huge part in a bulbs appearance however. You can try an experiment that should only take you about an hour.
Take 3 pictures (same settings) of the bulb, after it has been on for 10 minutes. One with the nipple at 12 o'clock, one at 6 o'clock, and one at either 3 or 9 o'clock. If there's any difference, you'll see it in the pics. Than decide which you like best.
MrMikeB
New member
Sold the whole thing to Paul (pbetito). He has it now but I do not think the slacker is doing anything with it yet. Hmm.. I think I do have an extra 150W HQI bulb that went in there - the crappy one. I am sure it was used up - heck, might not even work as I never tried to plug it in, but if you want to at least try to compare what you are seeing you are more than welcome to it.
Hmm.. I think I do have an extra 150W HQI bulb that went in there - the crappy one. I am sure it was used up - heck, might not even work as I never tried to plug it in, but if you want to at least try to compare what you are seeing you are more than welcome to it.
pbetito
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9376943#post9376943 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMikeB
Sold the whole thing to Paul (pbetito). He has it now but I do not think the slacker is doing anything with it yet.
How dare you.....
I am currently using it to hold up a large pile of other reef toys that are not being used!
While were on the subject...i have the 250W 20K and im thinking of switching to the 14K will it be yellow and will the coral like it better? I think this thread has been Hijacked already by MIKE and im his accomplice. Please give me some suggestions.
Oh yea...who makes good quality lights and where can i get good prices on em. Thanks again!
Paul
Oh yea...who makes good quality lights and where can i get good prices on em. Thanks again!
Paul
MrMikeB
New member
Paul,
The 14k is definitely not as blue as the 20k. If you are looking for a quick answer (vs the detailed discussion on PAR, etc.) generally the closer to 6500K you get, the more your corals will grow, but your system will look really yellow. I ran 14Ks for awhile, and I think the color was awesome and was a good balance for growth and aesthetics. I switched to 10k recently thinking I would get better growth but still keep the looks when supplemented with actinics - but it is severely yellow for my tastes and if I had to do again, I would have stuck with the 14Ks.
As for buying lights, I found (based on my limited research) that the XM, and Ushio bulbs to be some of the best to use. Pricing is hit or miss and typically the 'high end' bulbs will be a bit pricey without much in the way of sales. I actually ended up buying mine from John at Your Reef because, 1) they support MARS and offer us discounts, and 2) because he had very fair prices, and 3) John is just a great guy to work with.
The 14k is definitely not as blue as the 20k. If you are looking for a quick answer (vs the detailed discussion on PAR, etc.) generally the closer to 6500K you get, the more your corals will grow, but your system will look really yellow. I ran 14Ks for awhile, and I think the color was awesome and was a good balance for growth and aesthetics. I switched to 10k recently thinking I would get better growth but still keep the looks when supplemented with actinics - but it is severely yellow for my tastes and if I had to do again, I would have stuck with the 14Ks.
As for buying lights, I found (based on my limited research) that the XM, and Ushio bulbs to be some of the best to use. Pricing is hit or miss and typically the 'high end' bulbs will be a bit pricey without much in the way of sales. I actually ended up buying mine from John at Your Reef because, 1) they support MARS and offer us discounts, and 2) because he had very fair prices, and 3) John is just a great guy to work with.
