what is the preferred 175w mh bulb around here?

[spineshank385]

I'm using an xm 20k right now with no actinic supplementation.

I was thinking about an Iwasaki 175w 15k bulb (best PAR on the ARO e-ballast), but i really like the blue color of the 20k, so i would need to supplement.

Should i supplement with VHO, T-5 or PC actinics?

and back to the original question, post your setup (and any pics of your SPS coloration as well)

 

[DrBDC]

I use 2 Iwasaki 15,000K bulbs for the last month or so. It is def. bright. Right now I have 4X55 pc actinic 03's but mounted very inefficiently. I have a new PFO parallel reflector and am building a new hood and in that new hood I've purchased the equpment to run 2 T5HO's for actinics. I'm happy with the pc's right now so I'm crossing my fingers that the t5's will produce at least as much as I currently have. Everyone says it will be stronger but I need to see it with my own eyes first.

 

[raynist]

I have a iwasaki 15k on my 30g cube. It is insanely bright. Pure white with just the faintest hint of blue.

 

[tnyr5]

definitely give the iwasaki bulb a shot. It's worth it just for the increased growth. However if you want your tank to appear as blue as it does with the xm 20k you will need several actinic bulbs no matter what type you go for. VHO will probably give you the most bang per bulb due to the higher wattage, t5 will probably be the most efficient per watt but at the expense of requiring more bulbs.

 

[SVXH6]

will the 15K iwasaki run on a magnetic ballast?? for those who use it how are the colors and growth rates??

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7941512#post7941512 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tnyr5
VHO will probably give you the most bang per bulb due to the higher wattage, t5 will probably be the most efficient per watt but at the expense of requiring more bulbs.

At an equal length, T5HO actually puts out MORE light than VHO. The fact that they use half the wattage is just an added bonus.

 

[rutz81]

On my 75G I use: 2 x 175W Iwasaki 15K's--they are avery bright bulb. I run them on an E-ballast, as well. There is NO blue hint to the bulb at all. It is a very bright white. You will defintely need actinic supplementation to even come close the the blue of your 20K. My supplementation is 4 x 55/65W PC's(7100K); as well as 2 x 110W VHO Super Actinic. I think that is a somewhat close match to the look of a 20K, although it is still not the same.