MH bulb reccommendations

[abfleck]

I have currently been giving some thought as to what MH SE bulb to replace my current one with. In the canopy for my 29 build, I have one 250 watt MH (Icecap ballast) and two VHO actinic bulbs powered by and ARO ballast.

I was thinking of Phoienix, but should I got with 10K, 14K?

Thanks for reading

AJ

 

[grom]

Iwasaki 15K
Best par in the business according to tests.

Even though it is 15K, expect a very strong white light with a hint of blue (kinda like a 12K).
The 15K still need actinic/blue bulb supplementation IMO. Which you are set with the 2 vho

Ive tried many bulbs and the best so far have been the Iwasakis...by far. I run them now and dont plan on changing anytime soon.

 

[Jeff]

I have tried a lot of bulbs, I have seen a lot of bulbs but I am in love with Reeflux 20K's. They are not as blue as you would think, more of a 16K+. The 20K's have more par then the 14K's.

 

[ostrow]

I was with Jeff -- if running on an HQI ballast anyway. That is a fantastic combination. I never cared much for them on standard ballasts, though.

I've switched to the Radiums. It pushes a tad more to the blue, and makes the colors pop more especially greens and blues. But they have to be run on HQI ballasts.

Iwasakis will give you great par and growth. It will look yellowish (6500K is only one available in 250W) though, and corals may be tan/red/brown.

 

[abfleck]

Iwasaki 15K
Best par in the business according to tests.

Even though it is 15K, expect a very strong white light with a hint of blue (kinda like a 12K).
The 15K still need actinic/blue bulb supplementation IMO. Which you are set with the 2 vho

Ive tried many bulbs and the best so far have been the Iwasakis...by far. I run them now and dont plan on changing anytime soon.

Thanks for the suggestions...where do you pick these bulbs up?

AJ

 

[abfleck]

Can youo guys post pictures of what your tanks look like with these specific bulbs...thanks

AJ

 

[abfleck]

I was with Jeff -- if running on an HQI ballast anyway. That is a fantastic combination. I never cared much for them on standard ballasts, though.

I've switched to the Radiums. It pushes a tad more to the blue, and makes the colors pop more especially greens and blues. But they have to be run on HQI ballasts.

Iwasakis will give you great par and growth. It will look yellowish (6500K is only one available in 250W) though, and corals may be tan/red/brown.

Iwasaki only makes 6500K in 250 watt SE? I definately dont want to do 6500k too yellow for me. Perhaps I will just stick with Phoienix 250 watt SE....

 

[Jeff]

Joel, he is asking about SE bulbs. I know Coralvue makes the Reeflux in DE/HQI as well. I am running mine on a Coralvue ballast. The combo is great. I used to hate the deep blue tanks but found the Reeflux 20K to be perfect for overall color and coral "pop". The par is great as well not that I need it at the moment. I have the ballast turned way down.

 

[ostrow]

Yep. I run mogul sockets.

 

[ostrow]

Plenty of shots in my album. Newer folder is with Radiums. Older folder is Reeflux 20K.

Ballasts are SLS Bluewave 250W HQI magnetic.

 

[woowoodengy]

i had great results with radiums and seen awesome tanks with Pheonix 14k's but by far the color from all my corals with leds beat any MH bulb combo i seen. i cant say the same about T5's cause i seen amazing t5 tanks but never tried them myself.

 

[abfleck]

i had great results with radiums and seen awesome tanks with Pheonix 14k's but by far the color from all my corals with leds beat any MH bulb combo i seen. i cant say the same about T5's cause i seen amazing t5 tanks but never tried them myself.

Thanks for the input....you have any pics of your tank with the leds?

AJ

 

[woowoodengy]

i'm embarrassed to say i cant get a good pic with the right coloration no matter what setting i try but give me a few i will try my best again. BTW Menard uses Phoenix 14k's and if you know who Menard is thats saying allot about Phoenix 14k's

 

[nanonubey]

Im real happy with the pheonix 14's! Sorry i dont have any pictures to post.

 

[adam87]

XM 20000k

 

[abfleck]

i'm embarrassed to say i cant get a good pic with the right coloration no matter what setting i try but give me a few i will try my best again. BTW Menard uses Phoenix 14k's and if you know who Menard is thats saying allot about Phoenix 14k's

Its ok if your not camera savy....just wanted to see what the LEDS on ur tank look like. LEDS is definately not an option for my budget build, but it looks like I may just settle for the Phoenix 14K SE Bulb. I have never met Menard, but I hear that his sps corals are fantastic, so if he used phoeinix, then its an easy decision for me........

AJ

 

[abfleck]

XM 20000k

Thanks for the input. I think that 20K's will be too blue for me.....are you running separate actinics? Any pics?

AJ

 

[nanonubey]

My camera does'nt get the colors right when I use it, but my phone does. Cant get it any bigger though. Pm me your phone # and I'll send this picture so you see it to scale if you want.

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=8yamhf" target="_blank"><img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/8yamhf.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

 

[GreekSoxFan]

Phoenix 14-20k. No questions asked

 

[abfleck]

Phoenix 14-20k. No questions asked

I think that Phoenix will be the bulb of choice for sure. Come-on reefers...lets see those photos of those gorgeous tanks with your phoenix bulbs

AJ