light bulb lifetime?

[dean87jones]

i Ive had my tank running for 5 months now and everything is going great!
I purchased the tank and most equipment off craiglist. Being a newb at the time i forgot to ask how old the light bulb was in the metal halide fixture i have. I also read somewhere that bulbs should be replaced regardless even when working fine because after a certain amount of time the wavelength of the light coming off an older bulbe are not *** efficient??? as a new one... is this somewhat correct? And generally speaking... how long should the bulbs from a halide be replaced??

also.... can anyone clear up my understanding on this issue thanks guys

 

[Tbduval]

You have the right idea. Metal Halides should be changed around 9-12 months. I am experimenting with keep them longer. I have one MH going on for over 2 years now. The first 12 months, light output (PAR) dropped quite a bit. After 12 months it steady off and has only been dropping slightly. It now has been 28 months and they really need to be changed. The color has shifted on them really bad. Just keep in mind when you change to a new bulb, you need to make sure you don't light shock your coral!

HTH!

 

[RiddlerJoe]

Like above, a year is about max you'll get out of a MH bulb.

Riddler