husted_keith
In Memoriam
who makes the best HQI bulb?
which HQI blub?
- Thread starter husted_keith
- Start date
husted_keith
In Memoriam
or does it matter?
dots
Premium Member
opinions vary......
depends on what Kelvin you are looking for.
alot of people, including myself, use the 14K Phoenix for the "bluer" look buy with higher on average PAR than most 14K bulbs. Had the Ushio 14K and some like Hamiltons......
It really depends on what you value more, the "look" of the tank or the "performance" or growth rate that one has.
as a rule that most use: (this is a general guidline in which all bulbs do not fit into this model, but helps in understanding the major differences and classification)
10K=yellow in color and have the most PAR which equals faster growth.
on the other end of the spectrum
20K=blue in color and have the least PAR which equals slower growth.
Obviously, bulbs in the 11K-19K range are a combination of the two bulbs, which is why 14K tends to be a popular choice.....best of both worlds......
The key is finding the "look" you like with the highest PAR for greatest growth rates. Which is why you see people always playing musical bulbs.....which I myself am guilty of
Unfortunatly, MH bulbs are slightly different in "look" and "performance" bulb to bulb, manufacturer to manufacturer even in the same rated "K" rating.
Combine this with different wattages, ballast options, supplentation options (none, VHO, PC, T5s), the options and color and power combinations are literaly infinite.
In the end its all very personaly subjective and I can only recommend pick what you like to look at and concentrate on water quality and stability to maximize growth because they can contribute to high growth rates just as much as light. Try looking at other tanks with simmilar lighting combination in person.
You will probably have a bunch of spare/old bulbs as you figure out what you like......which I think is what you need to do to dial it in.
I would try to stick with name brand bulbs and refer to Sanjay Joshi's site for further articles and spectural analysis of bulbs and ballasts......
Trial and error is what eventually happens with all, considering all of this and all of the other variable parameters that differ from tank to tank that effect color, and growth.......does anybody really know?
depends on what Kelvin you are looking for.
alot of people, including myself, use the 14K Phoenix for the "bluer" look buy with higher on average PAR than most 14K bulbs. Had the Ushio 14K and some like Hamiltons......
It really depends on what you value more, the "look" of the tank or the "performance" or growth rate that one has.
as a rule that most use: (this is a general guidline in which all bulbs do not fit into this model, but helps in understanding the major differences and classification)
10K=yellow in color and have the most PAR which equals faster growth.
on the other end of the spectrum
20K=blue in color and have the least PAR which equals slower growth.
Obviously, bulbs in the 11K-19K range are a combination of the two bulbs, which is why 14K tends to be a popular choice.....best of both worlds......
The key is finding the "look" you like with the highest PAR for greatest growth rates. Which is why you see people always playing musical bulbs.....which I myself am guilty of
Unfortunatly, MH bulbs are slightly different in "look" and "performance" bulb to bulb, manufacturer to manufacturer even in the same rated "K" rating.
Combine this with different wattages, ballast options, supplentation options (none, VHO, PC, T5s), the options and color and power combinations are literaly infinite.
In the end its all very personaly subjective and I can only recommend pick what you like to look at and concentrate on water quality and stability to maximize growth because they can contribute to high growth rates just as much as light. Try looking at other tanks with simmilar lighting combination in person.
You will probably have a bunch of spare/old bulbs as you figure out what you like......which I think is what you need to do to dial it in.
I would try to stick with name brand bulbs and refer to Sanjay Joshi's site for further articles and spectural analysis of bulbs and ballasts......
Trial and error is what eventually happens with all, considering all of this and all of the other variable parameters that differ from tank to tank that effect color, and growth.......does anybody really know?
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husted_keith
In Memoriam
ok cool thanks guys
kdblove_99
New member
I like the Phoenix also!
n2prelude03
New member
i love the aqualine, gives me good growth a little pricey though
fishsoldseprtly
In Memoriam
Radiums and AB ohhh and USHIO 14K
xia
New member
I've heard it's not possible to measure K that high. So for the manufactureres to make such a claim for that bulb, means they must have some special way to measure it. But how will we ever know? How does the bulb look and perform Gresh?
Here you go Steve if you want to try it. I think they're local. They were here at the WMC last year. They also said that's the bulb they run on their tanks. Their site contains pdf specs on some of the bulbs that they sell, which I think is great.
http://www.coralreefecosystems.com/
Here you go Steve if you want to try it. I think they're local. They were here at the WMC last year. They also said that's the bulb they run on their tanks. Their site contains pdf specs on some of the bulbs that they sell, which I think is great.
http://www.coralreefecosystems.com/
fishsoldseprtly
In Memoriam
hey guys the guy has Moved On
dots
Premium Member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9705627#post9705627 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
So does this mean I am off your scale since I use 50kK (two K's, one for thousand, other for kelvin, not a typo) bulbs?
50,000 Kelvin? Sounds like a one of 'dem Ebay bulbs to me.......
Please "enlighten" me on your bulbs so I may learn a new bit of info please........
That kinda blows the whole black body measurment/comparison purpose, or does it?
Looking at figure 8 in this article makes me feel better, if one was to extrapolate the curve and "assume/hope" it constant with the trend presented. Then it would explain it a little better.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/sj/index.php
So, perhaps that "rule of thumb" still holds water making the gradient possibly less blue and less change in PAR per 1000K as one get infinitly higher Kelvin and approaches the limit as it goes to infinity........"exponetial decay" possibly? and not so linear as I decribed?.......
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