PC Bulb Selection

[jaymoney2]

I have 4x96 PC fixture that came with my 65G tank that i bought off of Craig's list about 18 months ago. I am currently running only 2 of the bulbs due to dead ballasts, and it has been about 9 months since my last bulb change. Before the factory ballasts died I had the blue bulks on about and hour before and after the daylight bulbs were on. I now have a single workhorse powering 2 of the bulbs

It isn't ideal, but since I am running FOWLR, and i have had excellent coralline growth, i am happy for the moment. So not yet interested in switching to T5.

The bulbs in there now are the aquatic life standalone 10,000k and a 420/460nm actinic/blue mix (both tubes are the same).

i like the color i currently get, but have had a cyano problem ever since i switched... the first 9 months even with the cycle, i didnt have any algae or cyano problems. But these may not be related at all. the bulbs i started with were from current, the dual daylight 6700/10,000 in (separate tubes/ same bulb), and the 420nm actinic.

Since i am running off of a single ballast now, i would prefer to do the 50/50 bulbs that have a separate tube for blue and white, or go with a bulb that is blended already (to get a more evenly mixed light, i definitely notice the color difference front to back especially with my live rock acting as a divider) - like the UV lighting 12,000K or 14,000k. the internal reflectors in the UV lighting bulbs sound interesting as well.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with these PC bulbs?
What bulb temp would match the light color that i get with my present 10,000k bulb and actinic bulb setup? 12k? 14K?

Thanks for the insight!

 

[zachfishman]

I found the PC bulbs by UVL to be very pink, and won't be buying any more. I currently run 2x65w PCs on my 29 - a 10K and a 50/50. The 50/50 is a TRU branded bulb, which can be had at Hellolights for very reasonable prices (square pin). It runs solo on my system for dusk, and looks pretty good. I think the blue half is a mix of standard actinic and 460nm blue.

I haven't found any better 50/50 PC at a comparable price.

 

[thumbsy]

I'm currently running 1 96w uvl 454 bulb and 1 96w uvl PC-R actinic white (12k) on my 58.

The 454 doesn't have the internal reflector, so the tank isn't as blue as I would like. If I stick with this lighting, I will probably try a 14k next time around to go with another 454 bulb.

There is definately a pink tint to the 12k bulb. The first few weeks it was really bad but then it started fade. Now the pink is only there for the first hour or so in the morning while the bulb is warming up. Still a little pink, but not nearly as bad, and it makes my flasher wrasses almost glow.

I've never seen an aquaticlife 10k, but I'm guessing there is no pink in it at all, so I wouldn't expect the uvl pc-r bulbs to be a very good match. Then again, maybe the pink tint will make your coraline look better.

 

[zachfishman]

Then again, maybe the pink tint will make your coraline look better.

Haha, it'll do that. I will say though that if you have an adequate reflector, the UVL PCr bulbs (with internal reflector) aren't an advantage. The PCr bulb I ran was dimmer than the other bulb I was running. Combine that with the fact that the UVL bulb was physically smaller, I'd say the output was only 75% as bright as my other bulb of similar spectrum. This is visual brightness only, no PAR measurements.

I'd only get a PC bulb with an internal reflector if you don't have a good external reflector.

 

[jaymoney2]

So do you think the 14k bulbs would be not as/ just as/ more blue than running a 10k and a seperate actinic bulb?

Do you have any preferred brands for PCs? I mostly find coralife bulbs in local shops at 100%+ mark-up, so I will probably be ordering on the internet. I saw the package from the bulbs I have now- "pure aquatic" and they haven't been anything special

 

[zachfishman]

So do you think the 14k bulbs would be not as/ just as/ more blue than running a 10k and a seperate actinic bulb?

Do you have any preferred brands for PCs? I mostly find coralife bulbs in local shops at 100%+ mark-up, so I will probably be ordering on the internet. I saw the package from the bulbs I have now- "pure aquatic" and they haven't been anything special

I haven't seen the 14k UVL bulbs. At 75% actinic/blue they're likely more blue than running separate 10k and blue bulbs. Buying separate blue and 10k bulbs might be cheaper than two 50/50s. If you still want to try the UVL bulbs, I'm sure you could find an appropriate bulb to blend with one if you find them too blue on their own.

 

[zachfishman]

If you want to run two 50/50s I recommend the TRU bulbs sold at Hellolights simply based on their performance vs the price. Before that I used to run Current-USA bulbs, but they cost a bit more. FWIW my favorite PC bulb spectrum combination is 50% 10k, 25% actinic (420nm) and 25% "blue" (460nm).

 

[zachfishman]

FOLLOWUP: After receiving a recent set of TRU 50/50 PC bulbs, I am no longer impressed. It would seem the actinic/blue half is now full actinic 420nm, compared to the mix of 420 and 460nm blue it used to be. The bulbs also seem a little dimmer to me, although it could just be that it has more 420nm light which is less visible to human eyes.