Thanks Tony.. very helpful. How do you like the Hamilton bulbs? Are you running 14k and if so.. do you like the colour of your tank? I have been wanting to go 14k for so long, so I am hoping Hamilton has somewhat decent 14k bulbs...

Thanks for the offer on checking it out, I just may take you up on that :) Appreciate it, my friend!

I am going to look around a bit more, ask a few more questions. I just need to sell my Aqualight Pro (knock on wood... pray to the reef gods) sometime soon in order to go through with this.. I don't know how I afford to keep up with this hobby, I really don't haha..

If you find anyone who can afford to keep up with the hobby, see if you can find out their secrets. :)

I do run it with the 14k. I find that it's a nice colour for running the lamp all by itself. The light right now is a little bit whiter than when it first started, so it has shifted a little (as I would expect it to unfortunately).

It's a little bit of a tall order to run the lamp by itself on a 30" tall tank. The edges, although not perceivable to the eye, have to be somewhat dimmer than the centre of the tank. However I have a few corals, such as my plate coral, that seem to appreciate the lower intensity in that zone.

If I wanted a bit more PAR out of the bulb I would probably go with a 10k but then I might need some actinic on the side to acheive the same overall look to the tank. Since I didn't really want to do that on this tank, I'm happy with the 14k. Basically it's a good compromise -- bluer than your average 10k, but less blue (and brighter) than your average 20k.

I seem to remember that at first, it seemed *really blue*. It did settle out after a few days into a more "crisp ice blue/white" colour.

Awesome Tony, thanks once again. Overall, it doesn't sound like too bad bulb wise, and the unit itself sounds pretty decent. I guess it's moreso another waiting game for me... need to sell the old stuff first :razz:

Thanks again Tony, your always a big help.