150w HQI bulbs
 

I have read some of the threads on them here, or whats not in the buy/sell that is. :lol:

My fixture came with the usual 10K bulb. I have been looking at several others to get more actinic look, although I must say, my corals are starting to respond nicely to the 10K and the tank looks pretty good with it.

I have read on the Ushio 14k and the Phoenix 14k. Also the Radium 20k looks ok, if it was available somewhere.

Perhaps as long as the red turf algae stays at bay, I may stick with the 10K and see how the corals color up. My actinics are normals though, so about as good as night lights.

Doug its going to depend on what you like. i like the blue look on my lights. but its going to depend on what you want to house in the light fixture. why not try the radium, then the phoenix is a great bulb when i ran it on my 120 remember.....

Anybody here try the Aquaconnect 14k DE (150w) Lance was looking for something other than 10K and I can get a deal on these, just looking for feedback before ordering.

When I used to run MH I loved the aquaconnect bulbs. Great colour!

Is the Phoenix not a cheaper bulb similar to the aquaconnect ?

Have both. Love the colour on both. Very similar in colour. AC are Germany & Phoenix are Japanese bulbs. Half the price which is why I'm switching over to Phoenix since I can't afford the AquaConnects.

I love the look of the phoenix bulbs you should get one Doug.:biggrin:

So going to order the Phoenix or the Ushio 14k Any last comments before I order. :D

get the phoenix then DOUG

Where are you ordering if from? Im thinking of changing my giesemann 14k (150w) out.

i think DOug is getting it from J&L like always

Ocean Aquatics for the 14k Phoenix and/or JL for the Ushio. No Phoenix listed there.

So I ordered the Phoenix 14k from Wendall. I will review it when I run it for awile.

Here is an interesting observation. I,m running the whatever make 10k bulb that came with my fixture, as I await my order from Wendell. Getting some nice growth already, but better, nice deep colors coming. Great looking purple & pink tips in some of my acro,s. And I,m still running a single layer of window screen after switching from my T-5,s so I dont nuke the corals. Perhaps I wont run the 14k Phoenix.

Fired up the Phoenix last night. I hope it just breaking in as Mike said, because it sure cant compare to my tank with the 10k over it. Nice pretty blue though, fwtw. :lol:

Doug - I'm looking to replace my 150w 14k HQI & was wondering how the Phoenix is working out for you? You happy with it? Or prefer you old 10k?

thanks,
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I am curious also, my fixture currently has a 14.1k megachrome/geissman that needs to be changed.

Seems to be fine. I would say its a bit whiter now also but as seen in my pics, still an overall bluer look.

Still dont think its comparable to my 10k for par values, or at least to my eyes.

However, the corals have nice color and decent growth. For sure the bulb color makes the coral look nicer. As long as the coral seem to be getting enough light, I will keep using it. Its covering and area, 28in. by 16in. and gets a bit dimmer on the outside edges but even the corals I have out there seem fine also. Plus my reflector is just the one with my fixture and not likely the best spread.

The acro,s under the bulb are very nice. Better growth and tip color. So far, for the price, I would buy another but its still early yet. If I had a duel fixture, even though my tanks only 28in. I would run only them for sure.

These are the latest pics I took. No white balance set yet either, as I,m still learning how to use the camera.

http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/showt...t=46784&page=7

The acro in the 2nd. pic here

http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48742

now has beautiful purple/blue tips, about a 1/2in long. Not sure if they can be seen in my tank pics but I could take another of it.


Just found this one, not the best as I,m playing with shots but shows the difference from the first since adding the Phoenix.

Thanks for the update Doug. I appreciate it.

How deep is your cube? How high up is your light?

My cube is 20"x20"x20" and my light hangs 6 inches from the water's surface.

Your corals seem very happy under the Phoenix. if you're getting good grown despite the reduced par I think I'll give them a try.

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Same for me. My fixture is 6in. above. Tanks only 16in. though. I have acro,s a good 17in. under the bulb however. A colony of green, brown and orange digita frags in the bottom corner, is about 24in. from the bulb and show good growth. Or at least good enough for me. :lol:

Derasa, hydro and milli,s on the bottom also look fine.

My fixture only has a couple of 18w actinic supplemental bulbs so while they give a nice evening look, dont add much to the par, so whatever light, is mostly from the Phoenix.

Good to know.

All of my SPS are within 22" or so from the bulb. The only things that has shown good growth had been hystrix & monti caps.

Anyways, I just picked one up so it'll be good to see how it compares to my Current-USA-comes-with-the-fixture cheapo bulb.

Thanks again Doug.

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I buy my hqi bulbs from an ebay store called trust_deals lights ( it goes by a couple of names, you should be able to find it from that name). All the hqi seem to be $20 us each plus $7 for shipping. If you order 2, 3,4 bulbs etc, it is still only $7 for shipping. The bulbs are awesome. I had some brand name bulbs from JL Aquatics and the colour of the trust deals bulbs was much better. They last just as long, and at $20 a piece, it is way easier (mentally)to replace and discard once a year (like you should to get the best spectrum out of them) than when you are paying $70 plus +taxes I went from 10k to 14k then up to 20k. My tank looks great under 20k. They also have LED, UV, double and single end HQI and everything in between. Good luck.