Bulb change time What should I get
 

So Early Feb is bulb change time. I'm currently running 14K EVC Tech bulbs I got from a US supplier. Nothing wrong with the bulbs just wondering if anyone has any wonder bulb that they feel is the best bang for the buck right now.
I'll likely go back to 10K is that helps

J

those mogul or de?

I have had a variable rainbow of de bulbs and all of them needed actinic supplementation other than the phoenixes.
I'm sure you've tried these or the aquaconnects before, but my 2 cents is they are all about bang for the buck.

Were you SE or DE? I don't recall.

If it's SE, then hands down the best bang for buck 10K bulb is the XM10K.

These are what I want to try but I don't have much actinic supplementation. Do you know how they look without actinics?

The XM 10Ks would be my first choice too for a 10K bulb. I wouldn't run them without actinic, but that's just my personal preference as I like the light to have just a slight blue hue to make the corals look nicer.

Yeah me too which is why I have not bought them. I do have actinics but they are not really enough to make a huge difference if the lights is too white. I also prefer a slight blue.

I have been using Hamilton 14K's and don't like them. Maybe I should add some more actincs and go with the 10K XM's. Sounds like lots of people like them!

Ok , I'll play along, the Hamilton 14K's are they too blue or too white ?

xm 10000k's are almost like whitish yellow and even when used with t5 supps were a colour that I was not fond of. Maybe if you used this with vho it would be more blue but really 2 t5 didn't change the colour at all.

I just don't feel they put out a lot of par to be honest. BUT I have never checked them. They just do not LOOK as bright to me. Which means nothing. I just like bright lights :lol:

I love the color of the Hamilton 14K's though. Just wish they were a bit brighter and that could be my ballast.

The reason I asked is/ I too am looking to get new bulbs in the 400W SE. 10 to 14 K range.

Ya, I understand what you mean that you wish the Hamiltons were brighter, when I had the 250HQIs , I thought the same thing

My corals seem fine under them but I just love the look of a bright tank! And they just don't give that.

I am going to probably add more actinic lighting and then try out those XM 10K's.

Sorry Jason...way off topic!

It was time for me to change bulbs. I decide to try the reef optics 14k bulbs. After they burned in there not that bad...they can landed at about 50.00/bulb

Me...I replace my bulbs in late March, and I just purchased the same ones as before. I suppose I had no particular reason to try something new. It doesn't seem to be broken, so why fix it? Geismann 13K 250W DE.

Thanks all.

I'm SE. XM10K have been my standard bulb. I went with the EVC tech 14K because I read great things about them. I'm not a big fan of the ultra blue.
I think I'll go back to the XMs.

Anyone using the Phoenix?

This probably the biggest area that personal preference comes into play. I'm running the AquaConnect 14k, my next bulbs I might go back to Radium. I like the blue, no other reason.

I use Radium in my Frag tank, because I have no supplimental actinics.

My main reason for posting was to see if there was anything new I hadn't heard of that everyone had good results with.

Personally I tested the AquaConnect 14K and on my ballast I didn't find a lot of difference between the XM10K. It was likely my ballast

J

well the aquaconnects are supposed to be identical to the phoenixes aren't they?

I've heard good things about the Phoenix 14k's and the Ushio 10k's. I haven't tried either of them but my tank is due for a bulb change too so I'll have to pick something up soon.

I took a chance with the Ushio's 14K (DE tho) as my first MH bulbs and I have really liked them.. White with very slight blue hue.

The corals I had in my 20G (that were under 175W 13K Aquamedic SE) seem to have responded positively since transferring them to my 75 under the 250W 14K Ushio's.

Well ,today I went to J&L and picked up the 13K Giesemann Megachrome 400W SE and I have to say after having them on for about 2 hours, I sure like them, just the right mix of white and blue, and man they are BRIGHT!:biggrin:

What kind of ballast? I have been debating those exact ones.

Hummm Interesting. That a possibility. Haven't tried those and I sure like the DE ones on Tom R's tank

J

Ya, I had the 250W DE HQI's on my last tank, and I needed new bulbs so I figured why not try them now with 400W SE.
And I am very impressed to say the least, I would say they are very simlar to the DE ones

HQI ( high output ? ) ballast

You're running 400w SE's on an HQI ballast? No wonder they are bright!!! The HQI actually overdrives the SE as HQI are deisgned to run DEs. The Giesemanns are often nice bulbs. I realy like the 250w 13,000K SEs, but they are an expensive bulb, and the Ushio and XM have higher PAR (if I remember correctly...I haven't been up on lighting lately).

Well, for your information, Giesemann bulbs are designed to run on high output HQI or electronic ballasts. HQI ballasts and DE bulbs are used together but, that is not there only application, this is a common misconception.

kind of but not quite, the 250 watt HQI ballasts are a proper imitation of a greman power supply which will let you run all german based bulbs properly, actualy increasing life and output. The problem comes into play when we start talking about 400 watt HQI. there is no such thing. the balasts sold as 400 watt HQI are actualy HPS ballast which do overdrive the bulbs and shorten life. But having said that electronic ballasts have changed this a little allowing 400 watt bulbs to be run at a little higher power than the old mag ballast, with out as much impact on the bulb life but there still is some.

I have been complaining about places selling 400 watt HQI for about 6 years but it is a catch phrase to sell a product and while it is used corectly in 250 watt it isn't in 400 watt.

Oh and in my opinion the best bulb on the market is the AB 10K 250 watt SE, when driven by a 250 watt HQI ballast it gave me a life span of almost 2 years with only a 15% drop in output over that period, and produced higher PAR numbers than a 400 watt Iwasaki 6500K. problem is they are about 180.00 and hard to get in Canada.

Steve