Would a 6500K MH bulb be a good choice for a Prop/Growout Tank

[hansnfrans]

Once the 120 is up and runnin' my current reef tank (29gal) will become a propagation/growout tank for frags. I would like to achieve the fastest growth that I possibly can in this tank. It seems like a 175w 6500K MH bulb would be the best bulb for this application. What do y'all think?

 

[RobTop]

That is what everyone tells me. Iwaskis are the best for growth. From Brett at Splash of Life to Calfo all say hands down 6500K is the only way. They also tell me to have a 20K bulb on hand to color stuff up for a couple weeks prior to sale or trade. That's the plan I have.

 

[RobChuck]

I ran Iwasaki 400W 6500K's over a former tank while I decided on what lamp to permenantly use, and got crazy growth. Eventually, I switched to a 14,000K lamp and the growth slowed down quite a bit, but the corals colored up very nicely.

As for a 175W 6,500K bulb, there is not much selection there. I was just on a hunt for a bulb like this for my FW planted tank, but only found one manufactured by Coralife that runs for $90 and has less than stellar reviews. I went with the XM 10,000K, as it still has great PAR and can be had for $55 or so.

 

[hansnfrans]

So, if I have to go w/ a 10K, then which one has the highest PAR? Ushio? Iwaski? XM? Also, I do have a 20K and 14K on hand in order to color up the corals (glad you reminded me about that).

 

[hansnfrans]

A google search showed that Custom SeaLife, Coralife, Hamilton, Blueline, etc. all make a 6500K 175w. I also saw some 5500K bulbs. Do you think those would be okay? Or would it spur some wicked algae growth?